Masks, hand sanitiser, social distancing: these are the three most important issues Singaporeans put on the high of their precedence record when the pandemic hit. Insurance policies and laws had been additionally handed each different week to search out new methods of retaining Singapore secure while ready for vaccinations to be developed.
Conventional disinfecting and cleansing strategies had been ramped up throughout town, and Jason Chia noticed this as a enterprise alternative.
He conceptualised well being tech firm AirTumTec in 2020, alongside Chief Govt Officer (CEO) Rio Goh, Chief Monetary Officer (CFO) Kevin Wong, and a group of extremely certified specialists.
AirTumTec’s imaginative and prescient is to assist humanity with the prevention of transmissible ailments by its revolutionary long-lasting, self-disinfecting know-how.
Conventional disinfecting and cleansing in the course of the peak of the pandemic might succumb to human error, or be inadequate. These limitations doubtlessly uncovered occupants to pathogens which can be dangerous to human well being. We see the potential of AirTumTec turning into part of on a regular basis life, defending the lives of our family members.
– Rio Goh, Chief Govt Officer, AirTumTec
An answer for the plenty
The preliminary phases of Covid-19 noticed regular disinfectants largely utilized to supply a hygienic surroundings in public amenities. Though this disinfection course of kills or inactivates microorganisms successfully, there’s no residual efficacy on surfaces.
The analysis group — headed by specialist Dr Benny Tan — realised that long-lasting safety is important. They carried out intensive analysis and testing to check the event of a disinfectant that may be capable to keep efficient on surfaces for extended intervals of time.
Moreover its killing mechanism, we positioned robust emphasis on sturdiness which determines how lengthy the coating can keep efficient on the coated floor.
– Rio Goh, Chief Govt Officer, AirTumTec
The coating underwent a sequence of exams: scratching, 2,000 abrasions, warmth exams, chemical resistance exams and washing exams earlier than placing the samples in opposition to viruses and micro organism to make sure that the coating might nonetheless get rid of greater than 99 per cent of germs inside minutes.
After a number of testing, the group lastly developed the proprietary chemistry that mixed efficient killing mechanisms with distinctive sturdiness. This birthed the event of AirTumTec Expertise, a disinfectant coupled with long-lasting capability that stays extremely efficient on surfaces over intervals of time.
Resolving the foundation issues
The key impediment for AirTumTec’s analysis group was having to make sure the choice of each a secure and efficient lively ingredient.
We had been extremely selective. We wished to keep away from lively substances which may include widespread allergens like shellfish or nut-based extracts. We additionally prevented QAC-based lively substances seeing (that) they’re usually gradual appearing as a self-disinfectant compared.
– Rio Goh, Chief Govt Officer, AirTumTec
The preliminary prototype growth course of was simply as tedious. The group needed to monitor the binding mechanism throughout totally different floor sorts — from glass to material — to make sure it labored constantly.
Regardless of confirmed success of the model’s tech, new adopters had been hesitant and located the tech pointless. In keeping with Goh, one of many greatest misconceptions they confronted is that cleansing ought to be completed extra ceaselessly, so antimicrobial coatings similar to AirTumTec’s aren’t required.
Nevertheless, cleansing can solely be as frequent as virtually doable. Even when cleansing is completed hourly, inside a one-hour lunch break, a door deal with will be touched hundreds of occasions. The quantity of bio contaminants will develop exponentially, however an antimicrobial coating retains the extent of germs low sufficient to minimise cross-infection.
One other false impression is that frequent wiping on the coated space will diminish the efficacy of the AirTumTec coating. Nevertheless, attributable to AirTumTec’s rigorous testing, the coating is well-tested to remain efficient all through.
The height of the pandemic additionally proved attempting for the group. Shoppers had been having problem staying afloat, which made it tough for them to pay for AirTumTec’s companies. The group additionally confronted a manpower scarcity, making it arduous to fulfill demand.
To mitigate the challenges, the group offered the shoppers with preferential charges. Additionally they acquired a licensed cleansing firm as a part of their subsidiary, and instantly retrained and reskilled its workers to imagine the function of hygiene specialists. The upskilling helped its workers to proficiently apply AirTumTec know-how.
Success on the peak of the pandemic
AirTumTec can also be utilized in many authorities companies workplaces. These embrace the Prime Minister’s Workplace (PMO), City Redevelopment Authority (URA), Financial Authority of Singapore (MAS), and Authorities Expertise Company (GovTech), amongst others.
The height of the pandemic additionally noticed many companies on the lookout for sustainable and efficient methods to guard their workers, shoppers, and guests.
With out realising, AirTumTec was quickly utilized to Singaporeans’ on a regular basis life. Its main milestone was having all Singapore public bus operators apply the know-how to all the general public buses in Singapore, thus defending greater than three million commuters a day.
The tech model additionally served the Singapore Nationwide Olympics Council, defending Group Singapore athletes, workers, and officers throughout their endeavours within the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Regardless of Tokyo reporting a document surge in infections with clusters throughout the Olympic Village, the Singapore group reported zero instances.
The long run for AirTumTec is promising. It has advanced from a brand new growth into the underdog that protects at each step of the best way. It has plans to broaden throughout the Southeast Asian market within the coming 12 months, and ultimately within the European and US markets as nicely.
Chia explains that AirTumTec’s analysis and future plans embrace specializing in options pertaining to environmental science.
“We’re aiming to influence our focal sectors — air and water — with our steady endeavour to create and develop new modern merchandise, applied sciences, and concepts. We are going to proceed to seek for options based mostly on natural-occurring applied sciences, and progressively transfer in direction of the event and software of latest environmental applied sciences for a sustainable future,” he provides.
Featured Picture Credit score: AirTumTec
