Giving the peace of mind on knowing your local waste collector service provider will remove your discarded items is a bliss. For Selangor this monumental task is left to KDEB Waste Management company who have been transforming waste removal activity using sophisticated technology and tracking system so that communities can live in comfort knowing their wastes will no longer be there the next day.
While they can assume this is done magically, however KDEBWM has invested heavily using complex mechanism to accomplish this essential task. Explaining on the workings and thought process in making waste collection efficient, KDEBWM Managing Director Hj Ramli Mohd Tahir shares his thoughts on the organisation.
“We started out as any other conventional waste collectors and over the years, we came to the realisation that embracing technology into the everyday work we carry out here can benefit us and everyone else in one way or another a long way”.
“People often only see the collection of waste taking place, but thoughts hardly extend to what goes on behind the scenes. I personally saw this as an opportunity to showcase the efficiency and opportunities digitalisation can bring to an industry, particularly ours,” he says.
When KDEBWM invested in the integrating the right technology, they took the opportunity to ensure efficiency was experienced company-wide, including engaging with complaints and customer relations more effectively.
The company has heavily invested in each of their presences across the country, ensuring that each lorry is equipped with the Vehicle Monitoring System. The system is linked to KDEBWM’s centralised command center that allows them to detect and take control of every challenge faced.
Ramli says the vision behind embracing digitalisation is to make sure their services are more personalised and effective than before. Their app, iClean for instances allows users to register for free and lodge their complaints via the app. Users can also take a picture of the issue in question with their GPS switched on, allowed KDEBWM to track the root of the problem and deploy the right team accordingly.
Tackling Challenges
Very often, the rise of digitalisation has been closely associated withpeople losing their jobs due to ease provided by automation. While there has been some truth in it, Ramli says in the business waste collection, there has to be a sense of humanity in it. “People are the very heart of our operations and it’s also our way of doing business. I think its very importance for us to go down to the ground directly and assess the issues taking place. Be it a blockage in a drain or even illegal dumping, I believe having people to assess these issues helps us to come up with better solutions,” he says.
He is also firm believer that people working for the company should constantly strive to progress and learn new skills that can benefit their work in the long run. It’s not only the systems that need enhancing, he says, but also the people who run them.
This can be done through adhering to the guidelines and standard procedures the systems come with. “We normally have a grace period for our staff to be taught in the ways of operating the systems. We also get them to go directly to the site and learn via hands-on training,” he highlights.
KDEBWM schedules a minimum of 16 hours of training per year for every one of their staffs.
Finding the right technology has not been easy either, Ramli says. KDEBWM is in discussion with an undisclosed party on the possibility of integrating data to enhance their services. This, he believes will allow the company to better navigate through the system and at the same time possibly also contribute to other areas.
Improvisation is vital
KDEBWM’s iClean Selangor app which saw a pickup in traction is now well on its way to be updated into iClean 3. Nothing much is known about the new features, but Ramli assures that the new updates will definitely do more than just take in complaints about collection.
“I have always believed in the need to improve constantly. There are many things that are under R&D currently and we also studying what our counterparts in other parts of the world are doing to be better for the people and the environment.
“We are looking into electricity powered rubbish trucks and we are hoping to come up with a first prototype. The idea is there, and implementations are under R&D, but we will be making an announcement sooner or later,” he says.
