by Lorie Ann A. Cascaro
Senior entrepreneurs, managers and specialists of The Netherlands who recently retired or sold their companies, are offering their expertise to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Davao region, said Jan de Lijster said.
Lijster is the country coordinator for the Philippines of PUM, Programme Uitzending Managers (program in sending out managers) or Netherlands Senior Experts. “The concept of PUM is quite simple. We do have retired experienced businessman in The Netherlands willing to work in less developed countries on a voluntary basis,” he said.
With service centers in 70 countries, PUM has a pool of 3,000 senior experts in all fields. It carries out 2,000 projects every year for less developed countries and majority of them involve private enterprises. Its mostly sought expertise include management, marketing, export, product development, accounting, setting of financial systems, production, and quality improvement of programs.
In the Philippines, PUM has 245 to 250 projects, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao. Lijster said Luzon is out of business mainly because it is already developed. “Enterprises in Luzon can get support from all kinds of organizations,” he said.
It has two areas of focus in Mindanao, Northern Mindanao and the Davao region. “In the last five years, more or less 30 companies have availed of our services, that include 80% private companies, 20% business and aiding organizations and local government units,” PUM representative for Southern Mindanao, Cherry Padua, said.
She added that the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) had asked for a branding expert. It is about “how to market the Davao brand to companies so that they would join the branding project of the chamber.” PUM also assisted the Mindanao Business Council for their IT needs and the Midtown Printing Company for their pre- and post-press.
How to apply?
The application is simple. A company enters the website of PUM, maybe assisted by a local representative, then fills in the application form. Required information, according to Lijster, are name of organization, number of turn-overs, attendance sheets, number of employees, and description of the company’s problem.
Its database in The Netherlands receives the application and in two to three weeks a senior expert will be endorsed to the applicant. The applicant examines the curriculum vitae of the expert and decides whether to accept or ask for another. When the applicant accepts the endorsement, PUM arranges the travel of the expert.
This service is practically free of charge, Lijster said, because the only thing the company has to pay is the hotel accommodation, food and local transportation of the expert during his two weeks stay which costs about US$ 500. “It’s quite cheap for a Filipino company,” he said.
Lijster has been satisfied with the results of their projects so far in Mindanao, saying eight out of 10 were successful and some of them even very successful. “Our system works because we work with private sectors, business owners, technical people who think the same way as our experts,” Padua said.
“The amazing thing about our experts is that they cease to be owners of their companies, CEO of large companies and yet at the age of retirement, they still want to do something beneficial,” she added.
“You can see that the company develops itself better by sending these experts to the company with unlimited period of time and unlimited amount of money… It gives me motivation to continue,” Lijster said.
