23 Apr 2020
SINGAPORE, 23 APRIL 2020
Frasers Property (“Frasers Property” and together with its subsidiaries, the “Frasers Property Group”) and PBA Group (“PBA”) today announced their collaboration to roll out UV-disinfecting autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) – called Sunburst UV Bots – as part of a series of measures undertaken by Frasers Property Group to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Frasers Property will be the first mall operator in Singapore to adopt this made-in-Singapore technology. The AMRs will be introduced to Northpoint City in May and progressively rolled out at Frasers Property Group’s other malls in Singapore.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, it is critical for us to ensure the ongoing health and safety of our staff, tenants and shoppers. The deployment of the AMRs at our malls will enable us to step up our efforts to protect the communities we operate in and relieve the manpower resources on labour-intensive cleaning tasks. We are looking forward to being the first mall operator to adopt this solution in battling the pandemic, as we deploy the AMRs at our malls. This forms part of our overall strategy to tap on technology and automation to increase our operational efficiency,” said Mr Low Chee Wah, Chief Executive Officer of Frasers Property Retail.
PBA’s AMRs are the first made-in-Singapore mobile robots, which are designed, developed and manufactured using proprietary technology. The AMRs are built with an ultraviolet-C light module, emitting powerful UV-C rays which can eradicate viruses. They automate the disinfecting process, relieving the strain on manpower resources. Using data from cameras, built-in sensors and software, the AMRs can detect, navigate and adapt to changes in their environments, as well as map out and identify the most efficient routes.
“As a leading Singapore Robotics Tech Company, PBA will do our part in fighting COVID-19, combining our existing technologies in AMRs together with disinfecting technologies to assist in maintaining safe spaces for the public. We are proud to be working with Frasers Property and this will help us to achieve our goals in combatting the virus by rolling out the Sunburst UV Bots to shopping malls first, before moving into other sectors islandwide,” said Mr. Derrick Yap, Chief Executive Officer of PBA Group.
Frasers Property Group has a combined retail portfolio of 14 malls in Singapore, which includes retail properties held under Frasers Property Retail, Frasers Centrepoint Trust and retail properties managed by AsiaMalls Management Pte. Ltd. Meanwhile, PBA Group is a regional robotics and automation leader headquartered in Singapore.