Singapore’s leading egg producer Chew’s Agriculture is using EcoStruxure to boost operational resilience and improve business efficiency
EcoStruxure Power, Schneider Electric’s IoT-enabled architecture, helps farms thrive at every level through connected products, edge control, apps, analytics and services. In 2019, Singapore introduced ‘30 by 30’ — a vision that, by 2030, at least 30% of the country’s food will be produced locally.
Founded in 1987, Chew’s is one of the country’s leading egg producers, delivering some 800,000 fresh, high-quality eggs to wholesalers daily. To satisfy the nation’s increasing appetite for local goods and better position itself for future growth, Chew’s Agriculture relocated from its old premises in Lim Chu Kang to a new site in Kranji, which however came with a fresh challenge — the electrical distribution network was far from the main substation.
Concerns that an inconsistent power supply would disrupt ventilation, feed, and waste management, which in turn could affect the chickens’ well-being, egg supply, and overall business were top of mind, which is why ensuring resilient, reliable operations post-relocation was critical. “We were very worried that we might even face the loss of chicken lives,” explained Chew Zi Xuan, assistant manager of operations at the farm.
This time, for their facilities’ upgrade, they “were looking for a digital solution partner with longstanding expertise in the market and quality after-sales support,” for which “Schneider Electric was a natural choice,” said Chew.
Schneider designed, integrated, tested, and delivered an Electrical House (E-House). A complete and compact power distribution substation, the E-House is customised with connected products and reliable equipment including medium voltage switchgear, motor control centres, transformers, and building management and control systems. Mobile, scalable, and quick-to-deploy, the solution aims to simplify the farm’s future expansion plans.
For further operational resilience, the EcoStruxure Asset Advisor was deployed. Schneider’s Asset Advisor collects data from connected products and applies advanced analytics to identify potential problems, immediately alerting the Chews’ team on smartphones and tablets in case of any real-time issues. As a result, proactive maintenance is possible. PowerTag is one of the wireless sensors connected to Asset Advisor which accurately monitors and measures energy use in real-time.
Moreover, Chew’s new site is set to supply more eggs to the city; up to one mn per day is the near-term plan. Alongside enjoying added energy efficiency from EcoStruxure, Chew’s will be working with Neo Tiew Power, a waste-to-energy plant. Soon enough, the farm’s electricity will also come from chicken manure — further supporting carbon neutrality ambitions.
“We now enjoy less downtime, reduced maintenance time, and can redeploy manpower to other business functions,” noted Chew. “Our new and improved power system helps us provide a nurturing environment for our chickens and bring our high-quality eggs to the hands of our customers.”
