Igniting transformative insights for sustainable management of engineered assets

Tiếng Việt

Igniting transformative insights for sustainable management of engineered assets

This year, the World Congress on Engineering Asset Management (WCEAM) was held in Vietnam for the first time, drawing more than 100 attendees.

Themed “Sustainable management of engineered assets in a post-COVID world: Industry 4.0, digital transformation, society 5.0 and beyond”, the 17th congress was organised by RMIT University Vietnam, the International Society of Engineering Asset Management (ISEAM), and the Asset Institute.

Professor Ray Kirby, Executive Dean School of Engineering at RMIT, and Chair of the congress said, “The WCEAM forms part of RMIT's ongoing commitment to support the delivery of the social and economic goals of Vietnam. It brings together business communities and academic partners to discuss emerging technologies to examine the industry 4.0 applications across multiple sectors.”

According to Professor Joe Amadi-Echendu, University of Pretoria, and Chair of ISEAM’s Board of Directors, climate change is the defining challenge of our time, and it is transforming the landscape of our lives. “In a rapidly urbanised world, with emerging industries and global connectivity, we are at a pivotal moment where we must reinvent our infrastructure, adapt, and ensure our communities thrive in harmony with the environment,” he said.

Professor Ray Kirby and Professor Joe Amadi-Echendu delivered welcome addresses at the Opening ceremony.

Dr Dinh Ngoc Minh, Program Manager of Artificial Intelligence, School of Science, Engineering and Technology, RMIT Vietnam said the conference was a success, attracting participants from 23 different countries and featuring three keynotes, two industry workshops, and 66 technical papers.

The keynote presentations stimulated a discussion about engineering asset management, with a specific focus on the Vietnamese context. In his presentation Mr Alan Johnston, President of Mimosa, pointed out that despite of rapid economic development, Vietnam is facing significant challenges, particularly around physical and digital infrastructure in the public and private sectors. He emphasised the growing interdependence of critical infrastructure sectors in modern nations, and how risks within these sectors can impact one another.

Mr Johnston advocated for approaches like asset lifecycle management, systems of systems, and standards-based interoperability to address these risks and create smart and resilient infrastructure. He encouraged a dialogue on how Vietnam and its stakeholders can tailor such a strategy to their unique circumstances, allowing flexibility to adapt to evolving technologies and changing situations.

Meanwhile, RMIT Professor Sujeeva Setunge's keynote tackled the critical issue of optimising and sustainably managing civil infrastructure systems, given their contribution to almost 70 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. She stressed the need for a multi-disciplinary approach that integrates technical asset performance with sustainability and community service levels.

Mr Alan T. Johnston, President of Mimosa (left), and Professor Sujeeva Setunge from RMIT University (right).

Professor Setunge shared the progress made over the past decade in predicting physical degradation and understanding the factors influencing infrastructure deterioration. She highlighted the potential of emerging technologies such as sensors, visualisation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to digitally transform infrastructure management.

She also showcased RMIT's solution, featuring deterioration prediction algorithms used by over 4,000 facilities. It called for the creation of digital twins for civil infrastructure systems, which can enable live monitoring and AI-driven modelling, facilitating informed decisions on the circular economy, sustainability, disaster resilience, and life cycle costs while integrating community service.

The industry booth at WCEAM

One of the highlights of the conference was the Gala Dinner where Mr Denis Brunetti, President of Ericsson Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, received ISEAM’s Outstanding Achievements Award for his contributions to Ericsson and to Vietnam in developing significant 5G infrastructures. Professor Joe Amadi-Echendu also received the Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional dedication and efforts to advancing the field of engineering asset management.

Dr Kofi Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Keystone Management and one of the attendees, shared: “The 2023 WCEAM Conference in Vietnam was nothing short of amazing! The WCEAM did a magnificent job of providing the latest groundbreaking engineered solutions and ideas around engineering asset management”.

Story: June Pham

Science and technology

24 October 2023