SINGAPORE: With just two weeks to spare, Marina Bay Sands is gearing up for its opening on April 27.
It has roped in external vendors which have invested millions of dollars to help the Integrated Resort (IR) run with clockwork precision.
For example, a laundry company has been commissioned to not only handle soiled towels once Marina Bay Sands opens, it will also be taking care of all the IR's laundry needs - from guest requirements to F&B, from rooms to staff uniforms.
Marina Bay Sands will have a total staff strength of about 8,000 during its first phase of opening.
The project is so massive that the laundry company has invested S$12 million on new equipment and to set up a new plant in Tuas, in the western part of Singapore.
It has also recruited some additional 50 workers, who have been busy prepping for the IR's opening.
"They actually have to know what are the items coming in, the time, the turnaround, how to manage these products because they are made of different fabrics and things like that," sid Alex Teo, general manager of Zero Spot Laundry Service.
"So there will be some in the laundry, some in the dry cleaning. (The workers also need to know) how do we get it cleaned in the correct manner, how do we press it in a correct manner, how do we hang it in a correct manner and how do we deliver it in a correct manner."
The new plant will be ready by the end of the month solely to serve the needs of Marina Bay Sands, and it is estimated that plant will be handling about 25,000 to 30,000 kilograms of laundry every day.
With Marina Bay Sands coming on board, the company anticipates a yearly revenue of up to S$8 million, about a 50-per-cent growth.
For a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), the project is a coup for Zero Spot Laundry.
"It actually helps our company to grow in the sense that we get a chance to participate in such a project," said Teo. "This helps us to understand the operations of a casino or even the operations of a close to 2,600 room kind of hotel.
"If you are involved in such a mega project I think when you go out overseas, you have a very good profile. It actually brings us to another range of skills. We will have a competitive edge over other companies."
There will be a 24-hour Marina Bay Sands shuttle bus from the airport, running at intervals of 15 minutes during peak periods and 30 minutes during off-peak periods.
Apart from the airport, there will also be shuttle buses linking other parts of Singapore to the IR.
Local transport company Sun-Gee Travel has invested S$5 million to buy and retrofit 20 buses that come with special features, such as coloured interior lights and spacious cargo compartments.
Furthermore, the buses can be lowered to make it easier for the elderly to step on board.
The company has also recruited about 50 extra staff, most of them, bus captains.
"We send all of them for the safety courses as well as courtesy courses and at the same time we also let them familiarise with the route," said Neo Chin Keong, director of Sun-Gee Travel.
"With the help of Marina Bay Sands, we hope we can improve our service as well as the quality of our bus captains."
The company, which has a total staff strength of about 130, expects business to grow by up to 30 per cent by servicing the Integrated Resort.
- CNA/yb
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