LAUNCH OF CAMP COMMITTEE

Last month saw the formulation of the Cleaning and Material Protection (CAMP) committee under SMF’s Energy and Chemicals Industry Group. This newly formed committee brings together key local and MNC international of cleaning and material protection products, as well as chemical/biocide suppliers to the finished products manufacturers.

The first of this industry segment to be represented in Singapore, CAMP’s collaboration with SMF will aid in championing the interests and growth of this segment by bringing together manufacturers, suppliers, government authorities and other relevant external agencies. Additionally, training programmes such as workshops and seminars will be organised to raise awareness and standards on safety and quality of cleaning and material protection products. The committee will also organise business matching events to leverage of SMF’s extensive contacts which include more than 3,000 corporate members from MNCs and SMEs.

The committee is currently studying the feasibility of potential schemes to promote quality, safety and standards of cleaning products. It will be organizing a workshop as part of its capacity and capability building program and will help this industry to move from value-adding to value-creation. Future workshops will focus on material protection and specialty chemicals/biocides.

The founding industry members of the committee include NTUC Fairprice, Lam Soon, Ecolab, 3M & Lonza. The committee is committed to ensuring that products released into the market are safe for consumers and end-users. To this end, SMF has invited CASE to participate and collaborate on relevant activities to ensure that all stakeholders’ views are represented in an equitable manner.

Chairman of CAMP Committee: Dr. Khoo Keng Meng, Lonza .

Committee Lead for External Communications: Mr. Rajnish Maharaj, Ecolab.

For more information on this committee, please contact

SMF Secretariat:
Mr Ferguson Loy
Tel: 6828-3059

SMF Standards Development:
Ms. Tan Shiuh Ming
6826-3112

or email us via our contact us form.

The following is a short interview we had with Dr Khoo, Chairman of CAMP committee, in which he details more about this new committee.

SMF: How do cleaning and material protection products impact consumers and workers?

Dr. Khoo: In Singapore, although the cleaning and material protection industry segment is practically ubiquitous, it is precisely because it is everywhere that people don’t really think about it. Consider biocides that are used as anti-microbials in household cleaning products – these same biocides are also used for material protection and preservation in building products, plastics, textiles, ship hulls and even aquaculture nets. However, unless such chemicals and products are used in a safe and responsible manner, they may cause harm to people and the environment. A few years ago, the unsafe use of some biocides in humidifiers resulted in fatalities and prompted the Korean authorities to implement K-REACH. In Singapore, we do not want to wait until issues arise and for the authorities to intervene. The committee wants to take pro-active steps in partnership with all stakeholders including the agencies to ensure safe and quality products are put on the market and at the same time ensure there is no barrier to trade.

SMF: As a new member of SMF, can you tell us a little more about Lonza?

Dr. Khoo: Lonza is a Swiss MNC founded in 1897 and our market segments are divided primarily into Pharma/Biotech and Specialty Ingredients. In 2011, Lonza acquired Arch Chemicals and as a result, became the world’s largest manufacturer of specialty biocides. I am representing the Specialty Ingredients segment and in particular, the Industrial Solutions Business Unit in this committee. We may be new to the trade association but we have a long history globally and in this region as a leader in the specialty chemicals/biocides sector. Lonza Industrial Solutions as our name implies, provide comprehensive solutions in coatings & composites, particularly on biocides and thermoset resins. We also provide specialty performance ingredients to the oil & gas, textile and plastics industries. Essentially, we operate across all industrial sectors and unlike generics; we are able to provide value-creation for our customers due to our extensive global technical and regulatory expertise. We can also leverage on our global experience and expertise to work with our industry partners in growing and developing our industry not only in Singapore but across the region.

SMF: What are the committee’s current activities?

Dr.Khoo: We are currently organizing a capacity building workshop on cleaning products, which is being led by Ecolab. A sub-committee will also be looking into proposals for new schemes to promote quality, safety and standards of cleaning and material protection products. Future projects will include seminars/workshops on biocides and material protection as well as organizing business matching events for this industry segment.

Dr Khoo (1st row, Centre), with members of the CAMP committee and SMF-SDO personnel