 | PHAROS user Survey In July, 2002, questionnaires were sent to enterprises and educational organizations where the UNIDO – PHAROS Business Navigator software had been installed during the period 1999 – 2002. The objective of the survey was two-fold: to obtain user evaluation of the software, and gather user proposals on where improvements could be made in the next PHAROS release. As at August 7th, responses had been received from 51 of the 76 enterprises surveyed. These represented users in Chile, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kenya, Russia, Slovakia, Thailand, Uganda, UK, USA, and Zambia (12 out of 22 countries surveyed), and a broad range of industries: food, textile, clothing, wood processing, plastic products, electro technical, electronics, metal processing, leather and shoe production, metal processing, education and consulting. The survey indicates that customer satisfaction is high. The respondents indicate that they were using the software (82%) and all (100%) considered PHAROS a "useful and effective tool for managers". The suggestions for improvements (112) for the next version of the software, indicated a good knowledge of the software gained through usage. The 17 major suggestions have been selected and prioritized. Improvements users can expect to see in the next version of PHAROS include: the simplification of data import form external software into PHAROS; additional flexibility in customization; increased security and authorization; expansion and clarification of the definitions of business objectives accordingly to UNIDO continuous improvement methodology; the introduction of product costing; detailed manufacturing measurements to Industrial Engineering and TPM standards; the simplification of self-benchmarking and comparison with national and international industrial performance levels. Speaking of the next version of PHAROS, Director of GOLEM Austria, UNIDO's partner in the development of the software, Serge Golovanov said, "of the feedback we received from users, our overriding consideration is to keep the software simple and easy to operate". The straightforward nature of PHAROS and the fact that it is simple to learn and use, requiring very little support, were at the top of the list for many PHAROS users, including Rudy Umans, President, Aurora Business Consulting Inc., Florida, USA. In his general comments Mr. Umans referred to the fact that "although USA is considered a highly advanced and developed country, ... the business failure rate is still on average about 70% in the first two years. Some of the most important causes for premature business failure are the lack of cash flow, too late or not recognizing failing business trends within the organization, caused by procrastination or pure arrogance". Bearing this in mind, with respect to UNIDO's activities in developing countries, he said "... it would be good if UNIDO could and would emphasize the importance of business planning in general and strategic planning in particular. Industrial Development starts with business planning and understanding basic business skills. PHAROS especially, is a great monitoring and/or educational tool for entrepreneurs and small business owners to avoid costly mistakes". Peter Balasov, General Manager, MELLI Interiors, a furniture factory in Bratislava, Slovakia was another who considered the "easiness and simplicity of use" an important feature. "Nothing similar is known to us since we had installed it in 1999. We still use PHAROS for monitoring of the company performance, ... we gradually improved our internal procedures for measuring business processes, evaluating major results and overall business performance. Looking back I must say that important consequences of PHAROS installation besides these were not only in the possibility to view the company performance easily at a glance but in the introduction of systematic approach to improvement of our business, overall quality of both production and management as a routine working procedure. We look forward to get new version of PHAROS with its enhanced features", said Mr. Balasov. In addition to a new version of PHAROS, the Austrian company GOLEM, which works together with UNIDO on its development and distribution, is currently working with Mike Dillon Associates (MDA) Ltd to merge PHAROS and MDA's productivity measurement tool Produce-IT© (see story this issue). Gerardo Patacconi, UNIDO, tel: +43 1 26026/3605
PHAROS + Produce IT©The UNIDO - PHAROS software, named after the island of Pharos, the location of the lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, is a business navigation software. It has been successfully implemented in over 200 enterprises in over 20 countries (see story this issue) to monitor business and quality performance. Produce-IT© a product of the UK firm Mike Dillon Associates (MDA) Ltd., is a software for production management and planning. MDA UK specializes in consultancy, training and research on cost effectiveness in manufacturing industries, especially the food industry, and is working with UNIDO on projects in Africa. PHAROS was developed by UNIDO together with the Austrian firm GOLEM Integrated Microelectronics solutions, which has been working with UNIDO for a number of years in the development, training and distribution of UNIDO software. During the last six months, a team of experts from GOLEM and MDA has been working to finalize the specifications for a new software integrating the UNIDO / GOLEM Pharos and the MDA Produce-IT© softwares. In addition to identifying technical solutions to merge the databases and indicators of the two softwares, the team is also preparing a training kit. The PHAROS + Produce-IT package software has been field-tested in various UNIDO projects, such as the PHAROS workshop for leather industry, held in Bogota, Colombia, March 2002 (see UNIDOScope 12-18 May, 2002), Uganda in March, 2002, and in Uganda again in August. The Pharos + Produce-IT package will be an innovative tool for entrepreneurs to carry out detailed business, costing and production efficiency analysis, carry out company benchmarking, introduce continuous improvement practices and achieve significant improvements in their business and production performance. An initial 25 copies have already been licensed to the Regional Centre of Manufacturing Excellence (RCME) of NE Lincolnshire in UK, funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The RCME will use the software to carry out detailed benchmarking in some 1000 diagnostic analyses it is undertaking within the region. Data will be also made available to UNIDO to benchmark enterprises in developing countries against UK firms. There is also the opportunity to promote the new package within the whole RCME network in the UK. PHAROS + Produce IT is already used in the Food Manufacturing Management work-based degree of the Centre of Vocational Excellence (COVE) at the University of Hull, UK. A proposal is currently being submitted to COVE for the software to be used in a vocational skills development course. The final version of PHAROS + Produce IT is expected to be ready by December 2003. A programme with the Mexican Chamber of Industry (CANACINTRA), scheduled to begin towards the end of 2003, will implement the PHAROS + Produce IT methodology and the package in 10,000 enterprises. Another prospective user is the Lithuanian Export Agency, which has requested assistance in benchmarking through UNIDO software and methodology. The UNIDO/EU UEMOA Project is also likely to find PHAROS + Produce IT a valuable tool. The Arab Regional Centre for Entrepreneurship and Investment Training (ARCEIT) in Bahrain will include the training on the new package in its activities. Gerardo Patacconi, UNIDO, tel: +43 1 26026/3605
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