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Conference addresses transport systems and
medical devices
The 3 rd TÜV SÜD PSB Testing, Inspection and Certification
Conference 2012 was held on 13 September 2012, at Regent
Singapore.
Organised by TÜV SÜD PSB, the conference, which addressed
the theme ‘Product & System Assurance for a Safer Tomorrow’,
focused on transport systems and medical health devices.
The objectives of the dual-track conference were to enable
participants acquire the latest information regarding testing
and inspection procedures and updates on certifications
and regulations from the team of experts; gain insight on
methodologies for improving technology and process quality;
and gather knowledge that would enable them to meet
specifications, which would in turn save time and reduce project
and business risks.
In a Welcome Address, Mr Chong Weng Hoe, Chief Executive
Officer, TÜV SÜD PSB, spoke of the importance of the
transportation and healthcare sectors and the challenges they
face, and emphasised the need to ensure the high quality of the
products and solutions.
“Today’s transportation systems are facing challenges associated
with rising population growth, urbanisation, pressure to reduce
carbon emissions, growth in fuel demand, traffic congestions and
ageing transport infrastructure. Governments are increasingly
turning to rail as an intelligent form of transport and an efficient
way to decongest, clean and green cities. With the evolution of
new technology, we are now seeing more advanced versions
of railways like metros and monorails in cities”, Mr Chong said.
“As with all machines and systems, rails can be subjected to
wear and tear and breakdowns which can be disruptive,
costly and counter-productive. The safety, availability, reliability
and maintainability of the rail system become very important
considerations in ensuring its success as an efficient mass people
and cargo-mover solution”, he added.
On the healthcare front, Mr Chong said that quality and safety
remain vital in today’s dynamic and highly competitive healthcare
and medical device industry.
“Breakthroughs driven by innovation in medical device
development are recorded every day and to stay on top of
the market, each new product must achieve regulatory approval
and market entry. This requires an innovative process that
reduces product development time and ensures consistently
high performance”, Mr Chong said.
The conference featured a line-up of distinguished speakers
who discussed various topics within the two subject areas.
Presentations were made by, among others, Mr Bernie Neo,
Director, Infinitus Law Corporation, on ‘Understanding the Legal
Liabilities to Ensure Product & System Assurances’; Assoc Prof
Tan Cher Ming, School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering,
Nanyang Technological University, on ‘Recent Developments in
Reliability and Maintainability for Product and System Assurance’;
EVENTS
Mr Sven Nowak, Vice President, TÜV SÜD Rail, on ‘Functional
Safety Requirements for Rail Systems’; Mr Paul Tan, Senior
Principal Consultant, Healthcare, TÜV SÜD PSB, on ‘Taking
Medical Devices from Design to Commercialisation’; Ms Li Yang,
Assistant Vice President, Chemical Centre, TÜV SÜD PSB, on
‘How to Ensure Biocompatibility of Your Medical Devices’; and
Dr Deng Junhong, Vice President, Electrical & Electronics, TÜV
SÜD PSB, on ‘Electromagnetic Compatibility of Medical Devices’.
Close to 150 delegates from the ASEAN region, representing
a range of organisations includingmanufacturers, healthcare
organisations, transportation companies, government agencies,
academia, and research organisations, attended the conference.
Mr Chong Weng Hoe
Assoc Prof Tan Cher Ming
Mr Paul Tan
Dr Deng Junhong
Mr Bernie Neo
Mr Sven Nowak
Ms Li Yang
The conference was held at Regent
Singapore.
October 2012 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER
39