SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) – Building maintenance company ISOTeam has signed a binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Acclivis Technologies and Solutions and Nippon Paint (Singapore) to develop and enable the use of autonomous painting drones for the painting of building facades or structures.
The collaboration is part of ISOTeam’s strategy to improve its productivity and manpower deployment through the use of technology, the group said in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 9).
Under the MOU, ISOTeam will lend its expertise in painting know-how and project management.
The technology and development work for the autonomous painting drones will be spearheaded by Acclivis, a technology solutions provider for artificial intelligence (AI), video analytics and automation. Acclivis is a subsidiary of Citic Telecom International, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Nippon Singapore will work with their global networks to market this service.
ISOTeam executive director and chief executive Anthony Koh noted that the use of AI in the built environment has become “increasingly relevant” with the challenges in labour availability and cost in Singapore today.
“It is not only safer and more environmentally friendly, but also requires less equipment and labour. Ultimately, the use of such drones will allow ISOTeam to improve our efficiency in terms of time and costs across our repairs and redecoration operations,” he said.
The group expects the eventual use of autonomous painting drones in its operations will yield significant cost and time savings as fewer workers are required, and the installation of scaffolding is no longer necessary.
It should also improve quality control as the drones offer standardised operations and multiple ways for quality assurance inspection and tracking.
The MOU also follows ISOTeam’s recent collaboration with H3 Dynamics, where it intends to deploy AI and drone technology for building facade operations for the Housing Board (HDB), town councils and other commercial and condominium projects.
As part of the collaboration with H3 Dynamics, the group has secured a building facade inspection and repairs contract for 154 HDB blocks and will work with H3 Dynamics to utilise AI and drone technology for this project.
ISOTeam does not expect the MOU to have a material impact on its earnings per share and net tangible assets per share for the current financial year ending Jun 30 next year.
Shares of ISOTeam closed at 13.4 cents on Monday, down 0.1 cent, or 0.7 per cent.