Microsoft rolls out Project Vikas for pharmaceutical manufacturers in Hyderabad
Microsoft India today announced the roll out of Project Vikas for the pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster of Hyderabad. Project Vikas is a joint initiative of Microsoft India and the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC), Government of India, that focuses not just on driving IT penetration, but also skill and capacity building, helping the clusters increase their efficiency and reliability.
Project Vikas brings to life Microsoft's vision of enabling a world of Software + Services, where customers have a choice of how to consume and use software based solutions. Hyderabad manufacturers can now choose from the mix of on-premise and hosted solutions offered to the cluster: The ERP solution B2B Lift by B2B Technologies; the hosted CRM solution by Enzen; and the hosted exchange by Global Outlook. Developed by Microsoft partners, these affordable software solutions have been tailor-made to address critical business pain points in each vertical.
Commenting on the Project Vikas initiative, Mr Rajiv Sodhi, Director, Emerging Geographies, Microsoft India, said,“It’s all about giving choice to the customer, both on how he wants to use the software, and how he wants to pay for it. Some customers prefer not to make upfront investments or maintain an IT staff – so a hosted model works best for them; while others prefer an on-premise solution. Project Vikas endeavors to drive efficiency in the SMEs through IT, so we first try to understand the need of each cluster, then customize solutions that fit, and lastly, give the manufacturers choice on how they want to ‘consume’ the solutions.”
B2B Lift developed by B2B Technologies is a sciences software product built on Microsoft Dynamics NAV and AX platform. This solution is relevant for all companies focused on bulk drugs, APIs, formulations, herbal and ayurvedic medicines, biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceutical machinery manufacturers and others. Among the main highlights of this solution is its flexible matrix functionality that enables the user to enter, maintain and view basic item information, sales and purchase prices, technical specifications and order information. It can also keep close track of orders not delivered the reasons for that; view sales order targets and the progress on a daily basis; track suppliers and allow the manufacturers to make correct estimates of the quantities to produce or purchase.
The hosted CRM solution by Enzen is includes a state-of-the-art Data Centre with 10MBps high speed connectivity. It is disaster recovery enabled to account for eventualities and has a dedicated help desk manned by experienced staff. The users can pay-per-use, making it affordable across the cluster. The hosted exchange by Global Outlook is also designed around the pay-per-use model. Email needs are handled by the hoster, which also offers economical services across all facilities, maintenance, hardware, software, resources, and tools. The model involves no up-front investment, and the user gets 24x7 support on demand.
The solutions for the cluster are developed keeping in mind the critical business pain points which, according to an ICT Diagnostic Study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers for Project Vikas, include compliance issues, accountability, duplication, imbalance in tax duties, and lack of integration within different departments. To address the, Project Vikas has come up with tailor-made affordable software solutions in collaboration with several Microsoft partners.
In association with HiTech Institute of Advanced Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmexcil as a knowledge partner, Project Vikas has been working to set up an E-Readiness Centre for the Hyderabad pharmaceuticals manufacturers. To enable the growth of their businesses, the ERC will provide technical training, consulting services, business incubation services, and knowledge sharing platforms to the SMEs. The ERC will also have computer labs, training rooms and video conferencing facilities.
“With the downturn setting in, small and medium enterprises in the manufacturing sector face challenges we have never faced before Project Vikas gives us the opportunity to use IT to increase our efficiency and deliver better services to our customers.”
M. Ventata Reddy, Director, HiTech Institute of Advanced Pharmaceuticals Sciences
“We are honoured to be associated with an initiative that provides manufacturing units the opportunity to succeed in a dynamic economy. The ERC will ensure that the manufacturers are trained and know how best to utilise IT to enable their growth.”
Dr P V Appaji, Executive Director, Pharmexcil
“While regulatory compliance, competition from domestic and international players, dependence on other organizations for being globally competitive have been major challenges, the present melt down calls for a focus on cost cutting. Under these circumstances, embracing IT an enabler of growth is a pragmatic solution.”
~ N Prasad, Vice President, B2B Software Technologies Ltd.
“Enzen is pleased to be part of Project Vikas and share the Microsoft vision of empowering the Hyderabad cluster through IT innovation.”
Rajesh Menon, AVP, Enzen Technologies Private Limited
“Affordability is always a deciding factor for small businesses, especially in today’s economic scenario. By offering a pay-per-use model, where the consumer doesn’t have to put in any up-front investment, we hope to increase the usage of IT in the cluster.”
Koteshwar Rao,Global Outlook