IESC brings experience, knowledge to RI<\/p>\n
By Dean Carignan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Every morning at 7:30, Walt Szczesiul leaves
\nhome and commutes across Jakarta to his office at PT Pharos, much
\nlike he did for 35 years in America working as a pharmaceuticals
\nexpert. The difference is that Walt is not an employee with
\nPharos; nor is he a consultant. He is a volunteer with the
\nInternational Executive Service Corps (IESC), a not-for-profit
\norganization dedicated to bringing American knowledge and
\nexperience into businesses in developing nations.<\/p>\n
IESC brings experienced men and women from American business,
\nmany retired like Walt, to developing nations to serve as short-
\nterm advisors for interested companies. These volunteers serve
\ntours of one to three months, and bring a lifetime of experience
\nto their host company.<\/p>\n
IESC was founded in 1964 by David Rockefeller and others who
\nrealized that economic development requires more than just money;
\nit takes training and the transfer of knowledge and skills by
\npeople who have acquired expertise through decades of experience.<\/p>\n
In the mid-60's, as President Kennedy's Peace Corps volunteers
\nwere appearing in the towns and villages of the developing world,
\nIESC began bringing executives into the cities to give a boost to
\nfledgling businesses. Since then, IESC has completed over 17,000
\nsuccessful projects in more than 120 countries worldwide.<\/p>\n
The program was introduced in Indonesia in 1968, and has over
\n600 successful projects to its credit here. Recently, IESC's
\nIndonesia office has readjusted its focus to include projects
\nwith a positive impact on the environment.<\/p>\n
IESC advisors serve on a volunteer basis, receiving no salary.<\/p>\n
\"Their reward is a professionally enriching experience and the
\nopportunity to contribute to Indonesia's economic development,\"
\nexplains Jerry Hargitt, IESC's Managing Director for Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The costs of an advisor's round-trip transportation from the
\nU.S., as well as administrative costs and living expenses while
\nin Indonesia, are calculated based on the host company's ability
\nto pay. The balance is subsidized by the U.S. Agency for
\nInternational Development (USAID). Small businesses, for example,
\ngenerally contribute only a small portion of their consultant's
\nexpenses, while larger firms assume more of the costs.<\/p>\n
USAID has funded IESC in Indonesia since the 1960s. \"We're
\npleased to fund IESC\", says Jerry Barth of USAID in Indonesia,
\n\"because the program supports two of USAID's primary goals:
\npromoting sustainable economic growth while protecting the
\nenvironment.\"<\/p>\n
IESC is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, where the
\norganization maintains a computerized \"skills bank\" of some
\n14,000 registered professionals ready to bring their experienced
\nto overseas businesses. When a company wishes to receive an
\nadvisor, they first explain their specific needs to a local IESC
\nrepresentative, who prepares a written description of the
\nassistance requested and faxes it to IESC headquarters for
\nrecruiting through the skills bank or through \"networking\" in
\nthat particular industry.<\/p>\n
PT Pharos, for example, needed advice on how to expand their
\npharmaceutical plant in an environmentally conscious manner, the
\nskills bank turned up Walt Szczesiul, whose background with
\nseveral American pharmaceutical giants made him a natural match.
\nWalt served a 3-month stint with Pharos in 1994, which proved so
\nfruitful that the company invited him back for another two
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
IESC volunteers seem to have a lasting impact on their host
\ncompanies. \"Our advisors are not here simply to fix a problem or
\nfill a position,\" says Jerry Hargitt. \"They are here to teach and
\nto pass on the skills and knowledge that will allow the company
\nto operate effectively into the future, long after the volunteer
\ngoes home.\"<\/p>\n
Volunteers often maintain contact with their host companies
\nafter returning to the United States, and many return for follow-
\nup projects.<\/p>\n
Advantages<\/p>\n
What makes the program effective?<\/p>\n
\"IESC has two comparative advantages,\" explains Hargitt. \"One
\nlies in our ability to draw from a large pool of professionals in
\nevery skill area of every industry and bring just the right
\nperson in to do the job. The other is the symbiotic relationship
\nwe have with USAID. Our objectives are complimentary and mutually
\nsupportive. With their support and our skills bank, we can
\nreadily assist Indonesian businesses.\"<\/p>\n
A number of local success stories bear out this claim, among
\nthem that of PT Sumi Asih, a major manufacturing operation
\nlocated in Bekasi Timur.<\/p>\n
Sumi Asih produces industrial and USP grade fatty acids and
\nbiodegradable soaps, a process that requires sizable intakes of
\nwater. A year ago, Sumi Asih's operation was drawing over 1,300
\ntons of water per day from the area's deep aquifers. Deep
\naquifers are the subsurface basins into which surface water seeps
\nand collects. A crucial source of clean water, these basins are
\nincreasingly threatened by overdrawing in Indonesia's densely
\npopulated regions.<\/p>\n
B.K. Hadisoebroto, Plant Manager and Director of Sumi Asih and
\na veteran hydrologist, recognized the environmental danger posed
\nby the plant's heavy demand on deep aquifers. He concluded that
\nthe best way to reduce this demand would be to design a system to
\ntreat surface water, making it usable in the plant's operations.
\nHadisoebroto enlisted the aid of IESC for this task. A search of
\nIESC's skills bank turned up William R. Birchall, an American
\nchemical engineer with 40 years of experience in research,
\nengineering, processing and management.<\/p>\n
Efficient<\/p>\n
\"We knew how to make the basic process work,\" says
\nHadisoebroto, \"but Mr. Birchall had the ability to modify the
\nbasics and design innovations that made it even more efficient.\"<\/p>\n
Birchall designed and helped install a system that treats
\nsurface water, allowing PT Sumi Asih to reduce its daily deep-
\nwater draw by an amount equivalent to that used daily by 7,000
\nfamilies.<\/p>\n
Birchall also worked with Sumi Asih to develop a more
\neffective process for removing waste products from processed
\nwater. He designed a skimming system that provided a more
\ncomplete physical separation of waste. This system not only
\nprevented the discharge of dangerous wastes in to the surrounding
\nwater systems, but allowed for the recovery of several solids --
\ncrude palm oil and various hardened fatty acids -- that can be
\nrecycled and contribute to Sumi Asih's production output.<\/p>\n
Sumi Asih's new skimming system allows processed water to be
\ntreated and retained for several days, sufficient time for
\nconversion of all wastes into safe materials suitable for use in
\nthe wetland farming systems surrounding the plant.<\/p>\n
Birchall also initiated a process in which the treated waste
\nis mixed with pure oxygen, a waste gas produced by the plant.
\nThis process accelerates the rate of waste reduction, reducing
\nthe required time of retention, and improves the quality of the
\ntreated water, allowing increased growth of the crops cultivated
\nin the surrounding wetland.<\/p>\n
\"Everyone benefits in this scenario,\" explains Jerry Barth of
\nUSAID. \"The operation becomes more efficient, the environment is
\nprotected, and the local community profits from the improved
\necology. PT Sumi Asih is an excellent example of how a small
\ninvestment of time and expertise can have a profound and lasting
\neffect. This is just the type of project that USAID seeks to
\nsupport in Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
IESC believes that sound environmental practices mean good
\nbusiness. Several recent projects have shown how environmentally
\nconscious innovations can have a significant dollar-and cents
\nreturn to the company involved. PT Multi Nitrotama Kimia, for
\nexample, assigned Walter Kanat to the project. Recognizing that
\npollutants often result from inefficiencies in the manufacturing
\nprocess, Kanat performed an analysis of every phase of the
\nproduction line and recommended several modifications.<\/p>\n
Amir Sulastiro, Multi Nitrotama Kimia's Technical and
\nProduction Director, noted that the problems Kanat identified and
\ncorrected significantly reduced the amount of free ammonia and
\nammonium nitrates in the wastewater to the point that 90 percent
\nof previous losses were recovered for retention in the plant
\nproduct stream.<\/p>\n
\"Conservatively,\" said M. Tjahjo, MNK President Director, \"we
\nestimate a saving of at least US$150,000 per year as a result of
\nthis 90-day IESC project.\" Kanat plans to remain in contact with
\nMNK to provide assistance to further improve the firm's
\noperation.<\/p>\n
Achievements like MNK's illustrate how the causes of economic
\ndevelopment and environmental preservation can be advanced
\nsimultaneously with the proper skills and training.<\/p>\n
\"In the years ahead\", says Hargitt, \"IESC will continue to
\nassist Indonesian firms in their efforts to achieve this
\ncomplementarity, which is a crucial element of sustainable
\ndevelopment.\"<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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