SVT Electronics

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the R&D Director of the company CATTUS SRL. Cattus SRL is a producer and distributor of medical devices, based in Targu Mures and owned by Alexandru Budai. The company was set up in 2002, but only became operational in 2006, when it began its distribution activity (this 4-year gap was used for preparation and market research).

In 2014 the company began production of its own equipment, using de minimis financial aid from the Romanian government, in order to reduce dependency on external suppliers, increase profitability, and offer highly customized, ‘Made in Romania’ products to their clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SVT Electronics, and what were your goals?

Business need: Given its ambitious development plans, and the perspective of working from three different locations, CATTUS SRL needs to improve the management of the company’s main resource, its employees. The only way to achieve results in the competitive medical research field is to retain, develop, motivate and evaluate employees continuously (task management, KPIs, daily reports, career plans, etc.).

Currently, the company has an HR management system in place (not a software solution), that is focused on tasks and does not function in the absence of middle management (department heads). There is little intrinsic employee motivation, and micromanaging creates a stressful atmosphere and reduces employee capacity to innovate.

CATTUS SRL top management aims to motivate employees in order to be more proactive and responsible, to perform their tasks in a timely and efficient manner, with a focus on quality.

In order to achieve this, the company needs to implement a complex, customized, web-based HR software solution, which would allow management to monitor task progression and employee development, and to make strategic decisions in view of optimizing company activity.

Project Description

Objectives of the consulting services: The overall objective of the project was to improve the management effectiveness of CATTUS SRL by implementing Optimoo HR (https://www.optimoo.ro/), a web-based, customizable software solution developed by SVT Electronics.

The software solution can help CATTUS SRL management keep track of employees’ soft and hard skills evolution, as well as task progression, and it has the following functionalities:

1. Two-dimensional evaluation input screen for each employee. The first dimension is soft skills related; the second dimension is hard skills related
2. Graphical visualization of individual and team performance
3. Goal setting/tracking possibility, related to skill development
4. Daily reports from employees

Specific objectives include:

1. Increasing the individual performances and the degree of training of the employees according to the positions occupied in projects (by at least 10% over 8 months, from a baseline that will be set after an initial evaluation). Performance is measured in 20 categories, 10 of which is related to tech skills, and another 10 to soft skills. Each skill has a scale from -2 to + 2 (points)
2. Reducing staff evaluation time by 60%, while increasing the accuracy and precision of evaluations. 
3. Reducing by 70% the administration time of HR documents on the targeted areas.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The deciding factors were:

1. The company had a good reputation.
2. The company had capacity, sufficient manpower.
3. The vendor promised a short deadline.
4. An important factor for us was that we were able to establish a personal relationship with the vendor company to talk about the project.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The project was implemented in four phases, as described below

Phase I – Functional specifications Elaboration of functional specifications, together with the Cattus HR manager, development team lead, and project manager from the consultant, SVT Electronics. Functional specifications were validated by both SVT Electronics and Cattus. The goal of this phase was to agree on specifications that meet the needs of Cattus:

1. Employee evaluation input screen for 10 soft skills and 10 tech skills. Each skill is weighted on three levels (low, medium, high), depending on the job requirement.
2. Personal dashboard with daily reports and appraisal calendar
3. Team performance overview dashboard – it reflects the performance of a team on a two-dimensional chart (x-axis for tech skills; y-axis for soft skills)
4. Setting and tracking skill development objectives, with deadlines and status input possibility

Phase II - Front End (user interface) concept elaboration A user interface (UI) concept was elaborated according to the functional specifications. It implied 2-3 online meetings with the Cattus project manager. The result of this phase was to develop a UI mockup, for every screen of the web application. The relation between the screens and controls will be defined in the mockup.

Phase III - Front End (user interface) development Software developers effectively developed the UI, based on the UI mockup. The UI related to the existing database and API (application programming interface) back-end. The existing back end (platform) had been built on MySQL database technology and PHP API. The front end was developed in Angular JS technology and was communicated with the back end through the existing APIs.

Phase IV - Test and validation SVT Electronics and Cattus validated the project.

This was done in two test rounds. First, validation online meeting.

• Cattus verified the main functionalities according to the functional specifications
• The missing elements, bugs, and missing functionalities were corrected by SVT Electronics by the next meeting (2-3 weeks)

Second validation online meeting

• Cattus verified the main functionalities according to the functional specifications
• The bugs, missing elements, and missing functionalities, SVT Electronics corrected in the next 2 weeks. After that, the parties issued the final report and reception note

At the end of Phase IV, Cattus had access to a customized version of the web-based Optimoo HR solution. The web application is hosted in a cloud environment. Access to the web app is possible from any kind of web browser, with a user and password authentication.

After deployment, SVT Electronics set up the system for Cattus and created one admin account and as many user accounts as needed. After the project was completed, SVT Electronics applied a monthly fee for Cattus for access to Optimoo HR.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The project manager from the vendor/consultant was Tibor. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, all project activities were delivered remotely. From the vendor/consultant, the project was managed and supervised by the project manager, who kept in touch with the beneficiary through email, phone, and online meetings (at least 2 meetings each month).

The staff designated for the project consisted of a project manager, two software developers, and a user interface designer/tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our company(CATTUS SRL) the year after the completion and implementation of the project achieved the following indicators:

• 10% increase in labor productivity
• 15% increase in turnover
• 15% increase in profit as % of turnover

By using the developed application, employee productivity increased, and their attitude became more positive.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Project Management and Communication was smooth. The vendor supplied documentation after each phase. Deliverables and reporting received: Phase 1 Functional specifications (pdf)

• Week 3 Phase 2 User interface design concept (FIGMA wireframe)
• Week 6 Phase 3 Functional front end on test environment Front end screenshots (pdf)
• Week 18 Phase 4 Test report (pdf) Fully functional and customized web-based Optimoo HR application available to Cattus Front end screenshots of final version (pdf) Reception note, dated and signed by both parties, including link (pdf scan)
• Week 24

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

It was crucial to the success of the project that SVT Electronics took the time, in the beginning, to understand our problem we were looking for a solution to.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They finished their job on time, which is a big thing in software development. Try to keep this in other projects as well!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior marketing and business manager of a semiconductor manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SVT Electronics?

We needed someone to provide us with product development and support us in an IoT capacity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

What SVT essentially provided us is the development and delivery of a microcontroller and silicon devices and product liability for the end customers. The project involved hardware and app design, as well as mechanical and circuit layout.

During our partnership, they helped develop a POC, a manufacturable prototype, and a final software app for mass production.

What is the team composition?

We were directly in contact with the project manager and developers.

How did you come to work with SVT Electronics?

A previous company couldn’t adhere to our requirements and specifications to develop our product, so we contacted SVT Electronics and shortlisted five other companies for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested somewhere between the range of €50,000–€60,000 (approximately $52,000–$62,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from January 2014–September 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They were highly professional in delivering and fulfilling 98% of our contract — the other 2% of the contract was just documentation errors in the final package, but it was only a minor nuisance.

The team was highly communicative and transparent, as they let us know if something wasn’t going to be accomplished within our deadlines and they always came up with preventative and corrective action.

How did SVT Electronics perform from a project management standpoint?

They actually followed the strict rules of the Japanese throughout the partnership, so they performed well from a project management perspective.

Their adherence to our timelines and budget improved during the course of the project and by the end of it, they had figured out how to set priorities and organized their deliverables accordingly.

We typically communicated through email, phone, and video conferencing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their project management infrastructure and IT knowledge base — they were up to date with the level of technology they were using.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to give them a couple of days to digest the requirements and specifications of your project. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the HR director of a company dedicated to manufacturing aircraft parts and components.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SVT Electronics?

We, as a company, are a little more complicated than the average company, and the standard clocking software we were using with our employees was not enough for us. Thus, we needed help with developing an electronic clocking system and the backend software to support it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SVT Electronics has collaborated with us to create an electronic clocking system that accommodates our needs. We’ve already developed some devices where our employees can clock in with their cards, and we’ve worked together in building the software supporting the entire system. We’re not done yet; it is a work in progress.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 4–5 people from SVT Electronics, from whom our main point of contact has been the person in charge of developing the software.

How did you come to work with SVT Electronics?

We found SVT Electronics through a Google search. We also had discussions with several other companies, but we ended up choosing them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SVT Electronics around September 2019. right before the pandemic. However, we had to pause our collaboration because we couldn’t focus on the project. We retook our engagement around July 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Once we finish this project, I’m confident that we will have a much better clocking system than we did before. However, it has been a complex project with its ups and downs, so I’m not entirely satisfied with SVT Electronics' work. Overall, they’ve done a good job, so I would rate them a 7/10.

How did SVT Electronics perform from a project management standpoint?

This has been a collaborative project, and SVT Electronics has had to work with three other companies. This situation has made the project more complex, and we’ve had some communication issues. Still, they’ve performed well, so I would rate their project management an 8/10. We communicate via email, phone calls, and Zoom meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Whenever we’ve had technical issues, SVT Electronics has done their best to solve them; that’s for sure.

Are there any areas they could improve?

SVT Electronics could improve their communication. However, we’re aware that we’re a complex company, and on top of that, we have different, uncommon schedules. Additionally, the platform they’re developing still needs improvement, but we’ve gotten it to a good point and keep working on it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely recommend working with SVT Electronics, but be aware that there might be some communication challenges. Additionally, be very clear about your requirements from the beginning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the business area manager at Malux Solutions; we purchase and sell electronic equipment in four different business areas. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SVT Electronics?

We decided to use SVT Electronics' hardware for our IoT solutions for vehicle fleets.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SVT Electronics has helped us develop tachograph devices with unique features. The devices can also act as vehicle immobilizers and require a driver's card to start the vehicle. We use SVT Electronics' product designs. 

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with two teammates from SVT Electronics.

How did you come to work with SVT Electronics?

I found SVT Electronics through another firm I found on Google. After we flew down to Romania to meet that company, we realized that we should work directly with SVT Electronics. None of SVT Electronics' competitors could do what we needed them to do. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with SVT Electronics began in April 2017, and it's ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We regularly run quota checks and handle service reports from our end users. From those reports, we can see the quality of SVT Electronics' work and their failures. We've been in the business for a long time and we think SVT Electronics is doing a good job.

How did SVT Electronics perform from a project management standpoint?

I can't blame them for not completely meeting our specs because, in the beginning, the project was new for both of us. However, SVT Electronics has met our needs since then — they haven't been better or worse than other vendors we work with. Typically, we communicate with SVT Electronics through email. We can easily discuss and understand the wiring and diagrams through virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SVT Electronics' price to quality ratio is excellent. They're very flexible and are always interested in our various projects. We do a lot of testing and concept discussions with them that may not always result in a product — SVT Electronics is good to discuss project opportunities with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We're pretty satisfied with SVT Electronics' deliverables — they're no better or worse than expected. They're very accommodating to our changes and deliver to them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd advise customers to have a detailed project plan and technical know-how to kickstart their cooperation with SVT Electronics. SVT Electronics is great at quickly delivering prototypes that can be used as proof of concepts for the end uses.