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| On
the fast track |
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The
success of Eddie Lim’s engineering career
may be compared to that of the multimillion-dollar
national project he manages.
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Eddie
Lim is Assistant Manager of Electronic Road
Pricing Systems in the Land Transport Authority’s
(LTA) Road Pricing Department. He is responsible
for managing and implementing the Electronic
Road Pricing (ERP) system.
He oversaw the first phase of installation of
the ERP gantries in 1998, and continues to chart
and direct the progress of the project to date.
At the same time, he has made headway in his
career.
Going places
Armed with an electrical and electronic engi-neering
degree from Nanyang Technological University
in 1995, Eddie started his career as a systems
engineer in the private sector where he worked
on developing and implementing the ERP system.
Describing his work in systems integration, he
said, “My role was to talk to the client
(LTA) and understand their needs so that our
team could put together a solution for their
use.”
After two years of testing, the system was ready
for implementation. Then Project Engineer, Eddie
oversaw phase one of the ERP installation process,
which kicked off on 1 September 1998.
Having ensured that the project was on track,
Eddie was ready for a new challenge.
“I had seen the system through its gestation till
its birth, and developed an attachment for it,” said
Eddie. “So when LTA was looking for an
engineer in the Road Pricing Department, I thought
I would be a good choice for the position.”
Not only did LTA take Eddie on as an engineer
in the Road Pricing Department, his department
also promoted him to the position of Assistant
Manager within three years.
Smooth operations
“The things I do in LTA are very different from
what I used to do in my previous company as the
contractor for the system. Now, as the owner
of the system, I have greater responsibilities,” said
Eddie.
“First of all, I have to make sure the system
is working well. Secondly, system installation
is a consideration, whereas previously it was
an instruction. And apart from technical considerations,
I also have many other issues to bear in mind.”
During public relations conferences, Eddie often
sits on the panel to answer technical questions
and explain the policy behind the chosen sites
of the ERP gantries. “Even though we do
a lot of consultation before installing the ERP
system, there will always be feedback from the
public because it will definitely affect some
people.”
Another of his responsibilities, in the area
of business development, is hosting numerous
foreign delegations. To date, he has enjoyed
meeting more than 50 foreign delegations who
visited LTA to find out more about the ERP system. “If
you take a map and start plotting the places
these delegations come from, it would seem like
most of the world have been here to see the ERP
system!” he said.
Moving ahead
Eddie shared that one of the most satisfying
moments in his work was when his proposal to
set up a team to look after all the maintenance
aspects of the system was given the green light.
Today, his team plays an integral part in keeping
the ERP system running smoothly.
Looking ahead, Eddie said that he and his team
will persist in finding ways to enhance the system
so that it can continue to smooth the way on
our roads.
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