Mr Sundaresan Hitlar, 54, describes himself as someone who never stops learning. To date, he has undergone more than 1,000 hours of training with the company, in new construction techniques and workplace safety.

That’s how the head of civil/structural engineering at Exyte Singapore stays on top of his game in an engineering career that has spanned 28 years to date, of which 17 years were spent with the Germany-headquartered firm.

He leads a team of 25 to 30 engineers to design and construct manufacturing facilities for high-tech industries such as semiconductors, biotechnology and data centres. His past projects include building data centres in the United Arab Emirates and solar production facilities in the Philippines. Currently, he is working on a wafer fabrication production facility in Singapore.

Mr Sundar is currently attending courses on building information modelling (BIM), where team members can collaborate in real-time on 3D digital representations of the buildings. 

“These training courses are not just for me, but for all my engineers, so we can be on the same page,” he says.

In order to deliver his projects successfully and without incident, he and his team have to stay up to date with construction trends and safety procedures – and their company Exyte Singapore provides a conducive environment for them to achieve their best work. 

Lifelong learning is one of the top priorities at Exyte Singapore, which is rated among the top employers in Singapore, according to a list by global research firm Statista in collaboration with The Straits Times.

“Continuous learning is crucial in the construction industry due to the constant evolution of technology, building materials and techniques,” says Mr Jerry O’Sullivan, senior vice president of operations (Southeast Asia) at Exyte.

“Exyte is a global leader in design, engineering and delivery of high-tech facilities and will continue to be in the future as the company places emphasis on the ongoing training and development of all our employees.”

Among the wide range of tools available to its global workforce is a learning management system (LMS) platform that allows employees to have access to five providers, namely LinkedIn Learning, getAbstract, ZEIT Akademie, Peritus and Scott Bradbury Limited, to offer employees some 35,000 courses, which will equip them with new skills and increase their productivity at the workplace. It covers different areas, including engineering, design and BIM tools.

“This learning development platform provides knowledge on the latest innovations and digital solutions to keep up with the state-of-the-art execution tools, allowing our employees to offer a cohesive service to our clients,” says Mr Yap Han Chuan, vice president for human resources (Southeast Asia) at Exyte.

Developing different skill sets

Process engineer Christina Chan, for example, was able to make use of the LMS platform to source for a simulation software that helped her to perform hydraulic calculations and equipment sizing to develop datasheets that are required to manufacture the end-product. She is currently working on the construction of a contact lens facility in Singapore.

According to the 31-year-old who joined Exyte as a graduate engineer eight years ago, what sets Exyte apart from its competitors is its ability to both design and construct high-tech facilities as turnkey projects, allowing her to test the system functionality from design phase to commissioning.

“I gained exposure in both engineering and construction,” she says. “This is a most unique experience which I doubt I will be able to acquire at other companies.”

To build a high-tech facility from scratch, an engineer overseeing the project has to wear different hats – from that of a design engineer in the design phase to later becoming a package engineer who ensures, among other things, the efficient use of raw materials during the construction phase.

To help employees do their work well, Exyte also offers sponsorship of further studies in the fields of project management and engineering.

A multicultural workforce around the world

Part of a global network of 9,000 employees and operating in more than 20 countries, Exyte Singapore’s office has attracted a diverse workforce of over 1,500 staff, hosting more than 21 nationalities at the regional headquarters here, as of 2022. 

Ms Chan says interacting with such a diverse workforce has helped her communicate over cultural divides, a skill that is increasingly important in today’s globalised economy. Exyte also offers its employees overseas assignment opportunities in its offices across Asia, Europe and the United States.

To support the staff in taking better care of their physical and mental health, Exyte Singapore has been working with its corporate wellness partner since 2022 to provide online coaching, one-on-one virtual counselling sessions and free health screenings with a mobile app. Exyte Singapore has also collaborated with them to enhance employees’ well-being by organising a step challenge and virtual webinars to share insights and best practices on physical and mental wellness. 

Response has been positive so far, with the majority of employees reporting an improvement in their mental health after seeking counselling.

“Some even reported better stress management and improvement in productivity. We have employees whose diet and eating habits have improved, and they experienced an increase in physical activity and weight loss,” notes Mr Yap.

For Ms Chan, having a good boss has made all the difference. Once, she wanted to tender her resignation for family reasons. Not wanting to lose a good team member, her manager suggested that she take a sabbatical instead. 

“That’s the one thing about Exyte – they really do care about your welfare,” she says.