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ICT mates team up to offer concierge service for NSmen

SINGAPORE — A group of operationally-ready national servicemen (NSmen) have come up with a business idea: A concierge service for the cleaning, storage and delivery of army equipment after each In-Camp Training (ICT).

Helping Arms in Laundry, Packaging and Storage for NSMen in ICT, or Halps. Photo: Facebook screencap /Halps

Helping Arms in Laundry, Packaging and Storage for NSMen in ICT, or Halps. Photo: Facebook screencap /Halps

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SINGAPORE — A group of operationally-ready national servicemen (NSmen) have come up with a business idea: A concierge service for the cleaning, storage and delivery of army equipment after each In-Camp Training (ICT).

One of its seven founders, Mr Weiss Ang, told TODAY that the idea cropped up while they were having a chat during their recent ICT, which ended on May 6. During their conservation, the topic turned to Honestbee, the Singapore-based online grocery retailer which added a laundry concierge service to its offerings last year.

Mr Ang, 35, who works in the IT sector: “We thought that (concierge service) would be a good idea to have for NSmen.”

After expanding their idea to include storage and delivery service, Helping Arms in Laundry, Packaging and Storage for NSMen in ICT, or Halps, was born.

Halps - a play on the word “helps” - has attracted interest from about 80 NSmen, based on email sign-ups and on its Facebook page, said Mr Ang.

Halps’ service will cover three areas: Laundry, where uniforms, and other equipment such as field packs will be collected and cleaned; storage, where items will be stored in a warehouse; and packaging, where servicemen’s items will be replenished, packed, and sent to the gates of the camp at the start of the next ICT.

The group has secured space in a warehouse to store the items, he added.

Halps has not been registered as a business yet, but the founders will do so once they have a better idea of demand, and have ironed out kinks such as pricing, said Mr Ang.

NSmen TODAY spoke to generally welcomed the new service, citing the savings in time, and its hassle-free nature.

Mr Alvin Tan, 31, who is into his sixth ICT cycle, said that the service “would save a lot of time for me after ICT”.

Noting that the storage service would free up a lot of space in the house, he said: “I don’t own a car, so the delivery (of the equipment) to the camp gates helps lighten the load.”

However, others such as Mr Jerome Koh, 29, said he would need to consider the price tag for the service.

“If it is too pricey, I may not want to take up the service. After all, ICT is just once a year,” said Mr Koh, who is into his third ICT cycle.

Mr Ang said while Halps is still finalising its pricelist and hopes to release it in the coming weeks, the team is looking at charging S$360 a year for all three services combined.

Group sign-ups would also be entitled to discounts, tentatively of about 50 per cent, he added.

While the service is currently targeted at army NSmen, the Halps team may extend the service to other uniformed groups in future, although not to Singapore Armed Forces’ regular, or full-time national servicemen.

Mr Ang noted that costs to store the regular, or full-time servicemen’s equipment would go up since they go in and out of camp often.

As the seven ICT mates prepare to roll out Halps’ services, Mr Ang said the venture is not just about making money.

“We are all working full time. So we are doing this really to continue the bond and friendship (forged during ICT),” he added.

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