Threats also offer opportunities

With all the attention (rightly) paid to dealing with COVID-19 in our city, other successes of businesses from our region are sometimes neglected. Like the fact that Bolster Safety has scored a big assignment in Singapore, to help 10,000 employees in the process industry with e-training in the field of safe working. The assignment was realised through a partnership with the Rotterdam innovation platform iTanks. #ROTTERDAMZETDOOR spoke to Bolster director Remco Spits.

Can you explain what Bolster is and what you do?

‘Bolster Safety is a company based in Schiedam, just west of Rotterdam. We offer a digital training app that allows workers in industry, construction and infrastructure to maintain their knowledge of safe working and professional competence.’

What is unique about this, after all, there are more e-learning solutions?

‘The uniqueness of our product is the combination of a very user-friendly application with more than 170 training courses. The training courses were developed by people with a background in didactics and safety and specifically aimed at professionals in the workplace. The feedback that our system gives about any gaps in knowledge is unique.’

Rotterdam is the city of innovation. What is innovative about your product?

‘Instead of a standard classroom training that people follow once every few years, we offer a ‘continuous learning’ approach. Every month, professionals follow a few short 10-minute training courses (micro-learning), completely focused on their function and level. Based on the training results, our application provides insight into topics on which additional training is required, per person. This makes learning much more effective and means that the employee always has the necessary knowledge to carry out his profession properly and safely.’

Can you tell us about the assignment for ASPRI in Singapore?

‘During the COVID-19 crisis, we offered companies, which now have many people sitting at home, the chance to train their employees with our product. This action was brought to the attention of ASPRI, an association of more than 200 companies in the petrochemical sector in Singapore, via the Rotterdam innovation platform iTanks. Approximately 10,000 employees of the ASPRI member companies can now start training courses via our application during the lock-down. We are very proud of that! And for me personally, it’s great to do business in Singapore again. My career in the petrochemical industry started in Singapore, where I lived and worked for a while, 28 years ago.’

That’s understandable. How ‘Rotterdam’ is this?

‘I really think this is an example of the typical Rotterdam values such as perseverance, hands-on mentality and coming up with creative solutions under pressure. Together with iTanks, we opened a new market in Asia by turning the Corona threat into an opportunity for our product. In 1 week, we made the training and application suitable for use in Singapore.
#ROTTERDAMZETDOOR provides a good picture of how Rotterdam also shows resilience and perseverance in difficult times. I think this is a good example of that.’

A company in Schiedam that achieved success in Singapore through a partnership with a Rotterdam innovation platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. With innovation, creativity and perseverance as keywords. If that’s not #ROTTERDAMZETDOOR…

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