Meisterform is not your average wheel manufacturing firm. As the first company in Singapore to design, produce and retail extreme performance automotive forged wheels, it broke away from the manufacturing-to-scale traditions of the industry to deliver quick turnarounds and accelerated response times.
It is this commitment to efficiency that allowed Meisterform to embark on a trial project with SembWaste, a public waste collector appointed by the National Environment Agency (NEA). The collaboration between Meisterform and SembWaste was established from an open grant call that was launched by NEA and Enterprise Singapore and supported by IPI in early 2018.
The existing waste collection process requires two crew members to manoeuvre heavy bins weighing up to 300 kilograms up and down uneven surfaces, slopes, kerbs and drains. Upon reviewing SembWaste’s challenge statement, Meisterform’s Founder and Managing Director Bryan Wong realised that their portable, easy-to-use yet safe-to-operate solution could be the answer to a smoother and more efficient collection process.
Wong roped in the automotive expertise of its sister company Autokinetics as well as the engineering and design capabilities of Partico Design. Combining the skills and experiences of the two firms with Meisterform’s fast prototyping facilities, Wong and his team worked closely with Partico’s Co-founder and Director Ng Ka Wai, to propose a motorised bin mover device that was considered by SembWaste for trial review. However, midway through their development, COVID-19 struck. “We experienced massive delays,” Wong explains.
Despite the circumstances, the team rallied together to achieve their targets. In October 2020, the prototype unit was tested on site. It made moving bulky bins from point to point significantly easier, thus reducing worker fatigue and improving ergonomics. SembWaste also provided feedback to enhance the design in the next trial phase.
With diverse organisations on board, the project highlighted the importance of clear communication. “Each party has different requirements and perspectives, hence communication is key to ensuring the project runs smoothly,” says Wong.
As for Meisterform’s future, the push to challenge and improve the status quo will always be at its core – embracing new rules and innovations in an effort to always stay one step ahead.
The traditional waste collection process in Singapore posed significant operational challenges for public waste collectors like SembWaste. The process required two crew members to manually manoeuvre heavy bins, each weighing up to 300 kilograms, across uneven surfaces, slopes, kerbs, and drains. This physically demanding task not only increased the risk of worker fatigue and injury but also limited the efficiency and speed of waste collection operations. With the growing need for safer and more ergonomic solutions, SembWaste sought innovative approaches to streamline their collection process. The challenge was to find a portable, easy-to-use, and safe device that could assist workers in moving bulky bins more efficiently, thereby reducing physical strain and improving overall productivity. The complexity was further heightened by the need to ensure that any new solution would be robust enough to handle the diverse terrains encountered during daily operations.
IPI Singapore supported an open grant call launched by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Enterprise Singapore in early 2018, which facilitated the collaboration between Meisterform and SembWaste. Through this initiative, IPI enabled Meisterform to engage with SembWaste and address the challenge statement with an innovative engineering solution. Leveraging its expertise in automotive design and fast prototyping, Meisterform, together with its sister company Autokinetics and engineering partner Partico Design, developed a motorised bin mover device tailored to SembWaste’s operational needs. The team worked closely with SembWaste to ensure the prototype addressed the practical requirements of waste collection, focusing on ease of use, safety, and adaptability to various terrains. Despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the collaboration remained resilient, culminating in the successful on-site testing of the prototype in October 2020. Feedback from SembWaste was incorporated to further refine the device for subsequent trial phases.
"We experienced massive delays."
"Each party has different requirements and perspectives, hence communication is key to ensuring the project runs smoothly."
Meisterform is a pioneering wheel manufacturing firm in Singapore, known for designing, producing, and retailing extreme performance automotive forged wheels. By breaking away from traditional manufacturing-to-scale models, Meisterform delivers quick turnarounds and accelerated response times, setting itself apart in the automotive industry.