Newsroom | News | AETOS partners local start-up Man’s Best Friend to equip security officers with sustainable performance-wear

AETOS partners local start-up Man’s Best Friend to equip security officers with sustainable performance-wear

23
Oct 2020
AETOS has partnered with Man’s Best Friend (MBF), a Singapore sustainable apparel start-up, to launch a new and sustainable physical training (PT) kit for its trainees. This move will contribute to reducing its carbon footprint by up to 40%, as compared to a traditional cotton-based PT kit.

Using nanotechnology with sustainable materials such as bamboo and 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, a team of student entrepreneurs from Yale-NUS College worked with AETOS to co-create and design high-performance and eco-friendly PT kits that are sweat, stain and water-resistant. This new material will enable AETOS trainees to reach optimal performance, and to train more effectively and comfortably in local climate.

By donning sustainable performance apparel that require less washes, the wearer’s carbon footprint is significantly reduced. For each set of PT kit, one can save up to approximately 40 washes, 4000 liters of water, 3 square meters of savings in cotton crop area, and 11 PET bottles used. This is also equivalent to savings of 5 years’ worth of drinking water and 14kg worth of carbon dioxide emissions.

“We are extremely excited to work with AETOS, with our mutual commitment towards functional sustainability. We hope this can turn into a lasting partnership, where AETOS can empower its stakeholders to transition to more sustainable materials and also adopt a more sustainable lifestyle in the security workspace,” said Mr Johann Wah, CEO and Co-Founder of MBF.

Mr Alfred Fox, Executive Director and CEO of AETOS Holdings said, “We are pleased to partner this budding group of green entrepreneurs, who have developed sustainable products through the adoption of technology and innovative processes. Being future-ready is about sustainability and these are key thrusts in our transformation plan to become a responsible integrated service provider of the future. We firmly believe that this partnership with MBF, alongside our other sustainability efforts, will help advance industry-leading change towards a low-carbon future.”

In its roadmap for sustainable growth, AETOS aims to expand its series of sustainable clothing by 2022 - rolling out similar operational working tees for officers who are often exposed to harsh weather elements at the frontlines.

As part of a holistic effort towards long term sustainability, AETOS has also implemented other sustainability initiatives, which include tracking and monitoring of its operations’ carbon footprint at management level, launching recycling efforts including electronic waste collection, and creating an in-house vertical hydroponics edible garden. For a start, AETOS has committed to reducing its vehicle carbon footprint, as it progressively works with partners to incorporate electric vehicles as part of its fleet of patrol cars and bikes.

“Sustainability is a necessary mindset moving forward, and no one can do it alone. AETOS is committed to make positive changes in the way we do business, and support national efforts in shaping a better and more sustainable society for future generations,” added Mr. Fox.
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AETOS officers to be upskilled with expanded competencies
In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing witnessed by Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Mr Ng Chee Meng, and Group Chief Executive Officer of Surbana Jurong Group, Mr Wong Heang Fine, AETOS has committed to work with the Union of Security Employees (USE) to form a Company Training Committee (CTC) aimed at upskilling its security officers by deepening their core skills and diversifying their competencies; with a view to transform the role of a security officer and make security a career of choice.

The CTC will equip AETOS security officers with expanded competencies to complement their security skillsets. Currently, AETOS officers are required to attend digital literacy and customer service WSQ courses, in addition to the basic licensing units. By becoming more digitally-savvy, the officers are better able to utilise technology solutions to enhance their productivity in their daily operations. Another objective of the CTC is to uplift the role of the security officers beyond just “guarding”. Officers will be taught fundamental skills in facilities management and equipped with Company Emergency Response Team knowledge. The former will allow officers to identify and report basic building infrastructure faults, shortening the rectification process by the building management, while the latter will empower them to help control incidents and minimise injuries in the event of an emergency.

With these added competencies, the officers can remain relevant and future-ready, and can provide additional value to the clients in terms of productivity and integrated solutions. Through this partnership, more than 1,000 officers will stand to benefit from better career progression, job prospects and possibly wages in line with their newly-acquired skillsets in the near future.

Aside from being upskilled and gaining expanded competencies, officers can also enjoy a longer career and strengthen their lifelong employability, with AETOS raising the retirement and re-employment age to 65 and 70 respectively from next month, ahead of the national implementation deadline of 2030.

Mr Alfred Fox, Executive Director and CEO of AETOS Holdings said, “Developing Our People is one of the key thrusts of AETOS’ transformation plan to become an integrated and future-ready service provider. Our employees have always been at the heart of our business and we will ensure that they remain resilient, relevant and prepared for the future. Through this partnership with USE, we are pleased to pledge our commitment to equip our officers with the necessary skills and integrated competencies to help drive changes in the security industry, create new value and productivity for our clients, and help our officers gain an advantage in terms of career prospects and personal development.”

Mr Raymond Chin, General Secretary of the Union of Security Employees said, “USE has been working with the industry towards transforming the security sector. Through the introduction of the Progressive Wage Model in 2014 to the current focus on driving Outcome-based Contracting, our vision is to ensure better work prospects and better wages for our officers. We have studied how countries like Sweden and Australia have been able to make good progress in these areas, and this CTC is our first step with our unionised agency AETOS towards that end.”
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AETOS officers win accolades at Security Officers Day Awards
Fourteen AETOS officers received awards and recognition from the Security Association of Singapore during this year’s Security Officers Day. The Awards were launched in 2014 to recognise outstanding officers who have performed exemplarily in their duties and who have actively adapted to using technology on the job.

Among the recipients is Security Executive Thurkadevi, who was named Security Officer of the Year. Devi was nominated for her role as team leader of the security operations team at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) – one of the largest multi-disciplinary public hospitals in Singapore, and instrumental to the national response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the difficulties they faced, Devi displayed exemplary leadership and pro-activeness as she worked tirelessly to uphold heightened security measures, while making sure that her team was kept well-informed and aware of the evolving situation. She also made the health and well-being of her officers her topmost priority, ensuring that personal protective equipment was readily available and that temperature-taking and social distancing guidelines were adhered to.

Security Supervisor Saiful received the Job Redesign Award for his commitment to self-learning and upskilling, as well as his contributions to work productivity and security outcomes. A strong advocate of upgrading one’s self, Saiful actively motivates his team members to expand their competencies through continuous learning, and leads by example. He is also able to come up with innovative solutions to workplace issues, harnessing technology to reduce inefficiencies and free up manpower for higher value work.

Said Mr. Alvin Tan, General Manager of AETOS Guard Services, “We are glad that our officers are recognized for their hard work and commitment, especially during this challenging period. I am confident that they will continue to excel, and uplift the industry as a whole.
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“AETOS Mobile Division” team places second in PUBG Corporate Championship
Our officers don’t just work hard – they play hard too. A team of Auxiliary Police Officers from Mobile Division came in second place in the Country Qualifiers for the PUBG Mobile PVP Corporate Championship. Hosted by local organisation PVP Esports and sponsored by Singtel, the event was part of a multi-title tournament in Asia-Pacific aimed at levelling up gaming communities across the region. The team will be going on to represent Singapore in the regional finals.

We interviewed some of the team members to find out more.

Congratulations on your win! What inspired you to take part in the tournament?

Rio: Most of us got into PUBG back when it launched in 2018. As we really enjoyed it, we recommended and shared the game among our colleagues, and eventually began playing together while off-duty. Most of us are casual gamers, so when I found about this tournament, it seemed like an opportunity to try something we’d never done before. Since all of us are from Mobile Division, it seemed fitting that we use that as our team name.

What are your roles in the team?

Audi: Mazree was initially supposed to play on the team, but during registration we found out he wasn’t eligible to join as he is already registered with a professional SEA team (Resurgence), so we nominated him as our manager. He coaches and advises us, and his experience really helped find us ways to improve.

Although our team members are quite well-rounded, they all have their own areas of expertise. Rio makes a great scout, while Salleh is good at rushing for our objectives, and Firdaus specializes in certain maps.

I became team leader because apparently I make better mapping predictions (laughs). While I direct the team and make decisions during each match, their input based on their specialties often helps me to see the bigger picture.

It must have been quite challenging to prepare for the tournament. How did you pull it off?

Mazree: It was definitely challenging because we have different deployments and shifts. Audi, Firdaus and myself are in the pursuit team at Woodlands Checkpoint. Salleh is a LTA Traffic Marshall, Firman is a maintenance officer, and Rio does adhoc deployments.

As this is our first tournament together, and we only had a month to practice, we had to make time wherever possible – during break times, after work, and on our off days. We rarely get the full team online at the same time, so it’s really based on whoever is free at the moment.

Salleh: We identified our own strengths and weaknesses and worked to improve where possible. We also came up with strategies for different situations and maps. While we usually have a plan for each match, most of the time we end up improvising and reacting based on the situation we find ourselves in.

Of course, we also have fun while doing it. Juggling work and family commitments can be tough sometimes, and PUBG has been a great way to release stress – we can scold each other in-game too (laughs).

Did your role as Auxiliary Police Officers come in useful at any point?

Rio: Actually, yes. We’re already used to working together as part of a team, while focusing on our individual duties. We have to be able to communicate effectively, and know how to lead by delegating tasks and making decisions. We also develop good reflexes and a strong sense of awareness – for example, our traffic marshals need to constantly be aware of their surroundings, and find good positions to stand so that they have the best possible field of view. These skills are brought into the game as well.

What’s next for the team?

Salleh: We’ll definitely be busy preparing for the regional finals. Playing against teams from other countries will be a good learning experience for us as they often have very different strategies and perspectives. Some of us stream occasionally too. Check out Dondale Gaming on Facebook!

Mazree: It can be tough competing against full-time gamers – if you think you’re good, there are always people way better than you. As a team though, we’re going to persevere and see where this takes us.
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