"tHis iS it!": Assignment 2

ANFLOCOR Damosa

Background:

The rise of the ANFLO Group business empire started from a vision of one man, Don Antonio O. Floirendo, Sr., or AOF, as he is fondly called by his employees. AOF's business acumen, inspired by his foresight and gut-feel, enabled him to build a business conglomerate which is proudly Mindanao based.

As the number of companies grew, the need to organize a company that would be entasked to manage the vast business empire became inevitable. Thus in 1977 ANFLO MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENT CORPORATION or ANFLOCOR was organized.

Today, ANFLOCOR manages several companies engaged in growing and exporting of bananas and pineapples, real estate development and leasing, beach resort operation, manufacturing of corrugated boxes, plastic products and labels, processing and/or supplying fresh meat products, growing of citrus fruits, trucking, arrastre and stevedoring, cold storage rental, automotive dealership, financing, retailing, breeding of race horses, hog raising and production of bottled preserves.

In our visit in ANFLOCOR, We were entertained by their ANFLOCOR Senior Manager- IT & Management Services, Mr. Giovanni T. Pimentel. I had learned that their system started using a COBOL. And for their Company’s advantages they had decided to convert their language into Visual Basic 6.0. And because of the need of improvement to their system performance, they shifted to new system. Their current system is run by Visual Basic dot Net. Having this system to their company is a big help in the controls to their business process. Systems are internally developed by their Internal Programmers. He shared that they never experience major problem with their system but they also incident for file corruption and power interruption. With this they secured their data or information by having back up in a daily basis and done off side just like at EMCOR. Back up files is also in other building.

He mentioned that they also encountered risks on changing IS or systems in their company. Challenge to orient their staffs for the new system, they need to train the users of the new system on its function and also how to trouble shoot. They need to purchase software requires for their system conversion. This would be costly, purchasing proprietary software. Also, it takes long time to change IS/IT on a company, as what Mr. Giovanni said they have to make Information System Plan. He also enumerated their steps to be considered on changing IT/IS system; planning, organizing, execute and measure. For his there always business continuity plans.

Photo with Mr. Giovanni T. Pimentel

Visitation ID at ANFLOCOR

EMCOR Bajada

This is the continuation in my first assignment. Because we were not able to have a further discussion in our first visit to EMCOR Bajada, head office, we made a follow up visit there to us to be able gain more knowledge to their system with relates to this study.

The day after our first visit, we had left a questionnaire supposedly to be answered by the MIS manager and Sir Alex (we’re not able to ask his full name because of little time he gave us) but unfortunately they were not able to answer it. But the secretary called the EDP department to seek for approval if we could able to interview their system analyst, luckily he permitted us. After in HRD department we went to the next building to meet Mr. Marcelino Vistal Jr., EMCOR Inc. System Analyst.

It was 1991 when they had their first system run at DOS Base Clipper. But because of system can no longer accommodate transaction and also experience corruption of files, they decided to upgrade and change it into that run GUI in 1995.

Now, most of all process data are computerized or systemized. They have their general HR system, payroll system etc. Having this all system gives advantage to their company. In decision making, information’s needed can be collected in faster way. Also if they have to present a report, they can easily have the data required, compared to manually system they had reports were done one month delay because of time consuming of data gathering and the accuracy were at stake. With this, they can less their manpower because the big help of computerized systems. And because of their systems are in-house support it is cheaper compare in outsource.

It has also a disadvantage having computerized systems in their company. One of he mentioned was the costly connection. They pay 400,000Php monthly for the connection. Also, the maintenance of their computers adds to expenses. To connect all systems they had nationwide they had to buy server to be able to interconnect all their branch systems. The server they had in their department cost 30 million, in which 150 servers connected here in 110 branches in Mindanao.

He had enumerated the steps on how they plan on having their system; gather information, analysis, coding, debugging, implementation, testing and also the maintenance (they considered if the system is in a capacity). For security purposes, they had to back up all their files in daily, weekly, monthly and end of the year for the entire year of data. And back up done off side means in the other building. They also restrict their employee on the data they are going to access that’s why employees have their on user account to avoid intrusion to the company important documents and files.

And now, EMCOR are planning to improve their system. They have converted their old system to a new one with the help of SAP (I had already mention this to my first posted assignment). But the risks they encountered in changing their system are as follows.

It takes long time for it to convert to one language to another.

And according to him, one of their systems that they had converted took almost a year and until now it has not yet finish.

They must specify what are needed data or information must be move to the new system.

It is costly.

Because EMCOR considered as one of the big company here in the Philippines they have many systems interconnected that are needed to convert. So, they have decided to let SAP help them for the conversion.

Training to the staffs that use the new system.

There must be a necessary training for the IT staff and the general staff to run the information system. It also included here how they trouble shoot the system if problem occur. Since it is new system, a new way of operating the system and it must be study well the function of the system.

photo with Mr. Marcelino Vistal Jr., EMCOR Inc. System Analyst.