MANN+HUMMEL opens intelligent air solutions Asia Pacific HQ in Singapore

MANN+HUMMEL Group, a global filtration specialist, today opened its Asia Pacific headquarters for intelligent air solutions (IAS) in Singapore.

Source: MANN+HUMMEL. The ribbon-cutting ceremony. From left: Charles Vaillant, Group VP Technology, MANN+HUMMEL, Ken Cao, Group VP and CEO, Asia Pacific, MANN+HUMMEL, Emese Weissenbacher, Chief Financial Officer, MANN+HUMMEL, Beh Kian Teck – Assistant MD, Singapore Economic Development Board, Thomas Fischer – Chairman of the Supervisory Board, MANN+HUMMEL, Hakan Eckberg – Group VP, Life Sciences and Environment, MANN+HUMMEL, and Jason Tang – VP, Intelligent Air Solutions, MANN+HUMMEL.

The headquarters will spearhead the growth of indoor air quality solutions that combine MANN+HUMMEL’s expertise in air filtration with digital technologies. Besides regional market responsibilities, the IAS Asia Pacific HQ in Singapore is also responsible for global research and development, product charters, brand management and strategic partnerships.

Thomas Fischer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at MANN+HUMMEL, said, “The megatrends of Asia’s growth, intensifying urbanisation, environmental sustainability, and rapid digitalisation of the physical world, are important for all of us. MANN+HUMMEL believes in leveraging our core expertise of filtration and separation while embracing new digital technologies. We will work very closely with our partners and customers in Singapore and Asia, to actively address these challenges and opportunities.”

Singapore’s strategic location in Asia Pacific, and the government’s move towards a smart and sustainable nation, makes it a clear key hub for MANN+HUMMEL. Together with its year-old Global IoT (Internet-of-Things) Lab, also located in Singapore, MANN+HUMMEL is set to serve a market for clean air solutions in Asia Pacific estimated at more than S$4 billion.

Beh Kian Teik, Assistant MD, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), said that the company has had a 21-year partnership with EDB. “MANN+HUMMEL has been a long standing partner and valued contributor in the industrial and environment sector in Singapore. The opening of its Asia Pacific headquarters for intelligent air solutions is aligned with Singapore’s push to embrace the digital economy and green buildings. We look forward to the creation of solutions to enable smarter, healthier buildings for Singapore, as well as the region and beyond,” he said.

Beh also noted that a healthier and happier workforce with cleaner air and a healthier building; this can lead to improved productivity while optimising business operations for companies. "Addressing indoor air quality is a key component of the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark assessment. In fact, BCA most recently published a study that green buildings are not only environmentally friendly, but are also ‘healthier’ for their occupants.

"The intelligence in MANN+HUMMEL’s solutions also dovetail with Singapore’s Smart Nation push. Building and facility managers will be able to use smart control systems to monitor and manage the indoor air quality within buildings, alongside other typical vectors such as energy and water. We expect them to be able to do so remotely, efficiently or even through unmanned devices enabled by artificial intelligence," he added.

MANN+HUMMEL’s OurAir business aims to help owners, facility managers and end-users of commercial buildings and offices know, improve and manage better indoor air quality. The OurAir family includes smart heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) air filters and air purification systems, air quality monitors and indoor air quality management platforms. MANN+HUMMEL has implemented living lab projects with major multinational companies across China, Asia and Europe, and is working closely with them on the monitoring and optimisation of indoor air quality.

Jason Tang, MANN+HUMMEL VP, Intelligent Air Solutions, said, “There are many factors that affect indoor air quality in buildings and offices. MANN+HUMMEL provides solutions for real-time monitoring of indoor and outdoor air quality, and digital platforms to analyse, predict and manage the optimisation end-to-end. This is anchored by our deep expertise in filtration to achieve clean air more effectively and efficiently. We help our customers in the evolution of standards towards healthy buildings, and make smarter choices to enjoy better air.”

MANN+HUMMEL also signed a global partnership with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) to jointly promote its initiative Better Places for People, becoming the first partner of the initiative to focus on better indoor air quality for buildings and offices. The WorldGBC is the global non-profit organisation driving the agenda for green buildings. Through Better Places for People, the WorldGBC aims to increase market awareness of better indoor environments to support the well-being and productivity of people.

Terri Wills, CEO, World Green Building Council said, “Better Places for People is a project that is truly global in scale, influencing businesses around the world to build green by demonstrating their positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.”

Wills noted that the initiative is driven by findings from the World Health Organization (WHO), whose air quality model has confirmed that 92% of the world’s population live in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits. "Air pollution is rising in many of the world’s poorest cities. In some cities in Asia, air pollution levels have exceeded 20 times the WHO guidelines. Asia has 25 of the world’s 30 'most polluted cities' in terms of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 measurement. Air pollution is the most pressing environmental health crisis in the world," she said.

Indoor air pollution can also be serious, Wills said, quoting US Environmental Protection Agency research which has found that there are two to five times more pollutants found inside of buildings than outside. "Problems with biologicals such as mould and pollen from poor quality construction, volatile organic compounds from building materials and carbon dioxide from the lack of ventilation contribute to poor health outcomes.

"Studies have shown that better indoor air quality results in 101% increase in cognitive scores for workers in a green and well-ventilated environment; and workers report better sleep quality and positive impact on their personal productivity in a space that considers these factors."

Boosting productivity and employee satisfaction at Garena Singapore

Let's start with the green. It's immensely soothing to see so much natural light, soothing greens, and plants. And then there's the view from the 17th floor at One-North in Singapore, stretching on as far as the eye can see...and then there's the space..

Garena Online, a Singapore-headquartered Asian Internet company with services spanning digital content, e-commerce and payments, has pulled out all the stops to make its 7,500 sq m office as welcoming as possible in order to attract and retain the talent it needs to keep at the forefront of a digital economy. The company has a presence in over 10 Southeast Asian countries and beyond, and has a staff strength of 4,500.

Here's a peek into the magical workplace:

Garena's manifesto lists several core values which are featured in every function room as well as on this feature wall.

A glimpse of the view and a multitude of discussion areas. Organic silhouettes abound in Garena's office.

Real plants populate vertical walls. A staircase connects the two floors at the office.

Kidney-shaped desks in the main workspace can be configured into different clusters to boost collaboration. Standing desks are also available to those who prefer them.

Each room has a meaningful name. This was named Hwa Chong after the educational institution in Singapore. One room was named Murray Terrace after the first location for the Garena office. There is also a Lee Kuan Yew room, named after the late elder statesman.

Various rooms are customised. The Shangri-La room, for instance, is scented with an exclusive fragrance from Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. It is one of the most popular rooms in the office. The main workspaces, which are open-plan, also feature phone booths for those who need to make voice calls. 

Six sleep pods on each floor - a total of 12 - allow staff to catch some sleep when they are rushing deadlines. The pods are open from to 12.30 to 2pm, and again from 7pm to 9.30am.

Two professional masseurs are in high demand throughout the day.

The pantry, reimagined.  It had a mound of free-to-take fresh fruit in one corner. Breakfasts are catered, and employees may order dinner by a certain time in the afternoon for free. 

Staying green with battery and glass recycling facilities.

The chilled beverage section.

As well-stocked as a supermarket - snacks galore for the taking.

Instant noodle fans will find much to choose from.

The frozen snack section. Lots of choice!

A mini garden chess set in one corner.

Lots of activity in the recreation schedule.

Group games.

The tour was arranged as part of a media update on Shopee, Garena's e-commerce platform arm.

The Shopee e-commerce platform is designed to be a fuss-free way of buying and selling items, C2C.  

Garena's platforms also include BeeTalk, which connects users with similar interests and in the same vicinity. 

Garena's Airpay is popular especially in rural Southeast Asia, where people may be 'unbanked', without a bank account. The reverse ATM network allows customers to exchange cash at brick-and-mortar shops for digital currency that they can use to pay for digital goods as well as physical goods. 

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog posts about Shopee's new launches and how to take #instagramworthy shots

View the WorkSmart Asia picture story about HubSpot's office opening in Singapore. HubSpot also offers standing desks to employees.

Hashtag: #shopeeSG

posted from Bloggeroid

Hubspot's cool new Millennial-ready Asia Pacific HQ in Singapore

Source: HubSpot. The company held a lion dance as part of the official opening ceremony. Mahtani, left, posts with Sherman, right.

HubSpot has officially opened the doors of its Singapore office and announced it will hire 150 more Singapore-based employees over the next three years. HubSpot Singapore currently has 30 employees.

The Singapore office — affectionately known as SingSpot — joins Sydney, Australia as the second HubSpot office in Asia Pacific and will act as the company’s regional headquarters. HubSpot first came to Asia Pacific in 2014 in an effort to extend HubSpot’s global reach and make an impact with the many midmarket companies and data-driven marketing and sales professionals in the region looking for a more personalised and integrated way of doing business.

Messages written on a chalkboard wall.

A reception area.

HubSpot is an inbound marketing and sales platform that matches marketing and sales techniques to the way people live, work, shop and buy, in the words of its President and COO JD Sherman. The company believes in inbound marketing as opposed to the traditional 'outbound' marketing methods of buying ads, buying email lists, and hoping for leads. Inbound marketing focuses on creating content that attracts people towards the brand.

With a larger presence in Singapore and employees spanning nearly all aspects of HubSpot’s business including sales, marketing, services, and support, HubSpot can build on the momentum and growth that has taken place over the past two years. “HubSpot has an incredible opportunity for growth in Asia Pacific and we could not be happier to be celebrating that with a new office and a commitment to hiring 150 new employees,” said Sherman, who added that he is very pleased with the progress and momentum so far.

“HubSpot’s Singapore-based team will be core to the impact that we’re making across Asia Pacific and the growth and success of our customers in the region,” he said.

Sherman said HubSpot's expansion to Ireland has taught the company that there are three main success factors for HubSpot's international growth: the inbound marketing strategy, ensuring that the founding team "is a great team and they really work well together", and giving that team a great leader.

As HubSpot expands its presence across Asia Pacific, the team will be led from Singapore by Jeetu Mahtani, Managing Director of International for HubSpot. Mahtani said that HubSpot's international business is growing 77% year on year, and called Singapore an ideal location for its talent pool and world-class infrastructure, including Changi Airport. He added that and that the new headquarters will offer easy access to prospects, customers and agency partners.

"HubSpot has just scratched the surface of what we can achieve in Asia Pacific. We’re looking forward to creating remarkable experiences and results for our customers across the region and so excited to do so with a full team on the ground in Singapore. With the right team in place, we’ll be unstoppable,” he said.

The office includes key characteristics that have become HubSpot staples across all global offices, as well as a few that are uniquely Singaporean. The office is decorated with an “East Meets-West” theme featuring corrugated metal and other marine accents to give a nod to the area’s history as a major shipping hub.

Conference rooms are named after inspirational people, including Raffles and Gandhi. This one is named 'LKY' after Singapore's late statesman

This collaboration space includes marine-style lighting.

Desks at the HubSpot Singapore office convert at the touch of a button from traditional 'sitting' desks to a format where employees can stand and work. 

All 90+ desks in the space are electronic and can convert from sitting to standing at the push of a button. The office is equipped with conference rooms, collaboration spaces and nomad desks so that employees can choose the space they work best in. APAC employees will now have a dedicated IT help desk and board room.

Hubspot’s new Singapore location features some unique features typical of offices with Millennials, including:

● Dedicated quiet space
● Mother’s room
● Snack-stocked kitchen
● Games room
● “Hidden” lounge space with game console

The games console.

Source: HubSpot. The candy wall at the HubSpot Singapore office pantry.

The pantry even includes freezer and fridge space for community use.

Today, over 18,000 companies in more than 90 countries use HubSpot’s software, services, and support to transform the way they attract, engage, and delight their customers. HubSpot’s inbound marketing software includes social media publishing and monitoring, blogging, SEO, website content management, email marketing, marketing automation, and reporting and analytics, in one integrated platform. HubSpot has over 1,100 employees in five locations, including Singapore.

Interested?

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post about how Singapore staff designed AirBnB's new office
Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about Facebook Singapore's office

Hashtag: #HubSpotSingaporeHousewarming

Hong Leong Group to site global HQ at Damansara City

Source: Damansara City website.

GuocoLand Malaysia's flagship development, Damansara City, has been chosen as the future home for the Hong Leong Group’s global headquarters. The 33-storey Grade-A office tower block in the southwest (direction) end of the iconic development, will be the star anchor tenant within Damansara City once it is fully occupied by the end of second quarter next year.

The Hong Leong Group is a major conglomerate based in Malaysia, with businesses in banking & financial services, manufacturing & distribution, property development & investment, hospitality & leisure, and principal investment. The Group controls listed companies with hundreds of operating subsidiaries and associate companies in North and Southeast Asia, Western Europe and the UK, as well as North America and Oceania.

Damansara City is an integrated city development consisting of two Grade-A office towers; two towers of luxury residences known as DC Residency; an F&B-centric lifestyle mall; and a 5-star hotel.

GuocoLand expects Damansara City to have an initial traffic of 10,000 people daily working within the integrated development and average another 6,000 visitors when it is fully operational by mid 2016. The future development of surrounding areas is expected to enhance the foot traffic within the area and further increase the demand for and the valuation of Damansara City’s units in both the residential and commercial towers.

Office Tower A’s 530,000 sq ft of usable area will be progressively handed over to various operating companies within the Hong Leong Group in coming months. “This announcement reinforces the position of Damansara City as the heart of a leading new business district in the Greater Kuala Lumpur and Damansara Height’s community. It underscores our unique combination of factors that sets us apart and has spurred both investor and corporate interest in the project to date.

"This includes our location within the exclusive enclave of Damansara Heights which is mere minutes away from Bangsar, the KL city centre, the KL Sentral transportation hub and other established townships; the highest levels of seamless integration between our corporate, residency and hospitality facilities; the onsite presence of a refined and curated lifestyle mall; and accessibility through multiple road systems and the soon to be completed MRT line,” said Tan Lee Koon, Managing Director of GuocoLand.

Damansara City, with a gross development value of RM2.5 billion, is an entry point project (EPP) under Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme. It has been identified as a key component and driver of one the fastest growing business districts in the Greater Kuala Lumpur area with strong and growing interest from buyers and tenants across South East Asia.

The office spaces at Damansara City are setting a new benchmark, not just in the Damansara Heights and greater Kuala Lumpur areas but from the regional property market. Strong regional demand for both its commercial and living spaces is being driven especially by Damansara City’s strategic location in Damansara Heights and office towers, which are MSC-status ready developments that comply with the Green Building Index (GBI) Certified rating; the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating; and CONQUAS Quality Assessment for its building construction works.

Hong Leong Group is the first of several prominent brands that are moving their corporate headquarters to Damansara City. DC Mall, the soon to be opened lifestyle and F&B heart of Damansara City is also seeing strong demand for its space. It has already secured in-principle agreements with some well known local and international brands for half its lettable space as well.