Objective CIntranet will support company-wide continuous improvement (CI) in small and medium size companies. The project aims to provide a practical software system with embedded methodology to support company-wide application, coordination, monitoring and measurement improvement activities in SMEs. By using this software system the project aims to improve the major business performance indicators (cost, product and delivery reliability, speed) in the participating companies by at least 10 per cent in the first six months from the implementation of the CIntranet results. Another aim is to encourage a continuous improvement culture in smaller companies by providing the assistance they need for a self-help approach to continuous improvement. An indirect benefit will also be the support for the improvement of the competencies of the SME personnel.Objectives:.To examine the needs (and obstacles) concerning the improvement of the performance of the European SME companies through the company-wide application of CI activities..To develop a practical methodology to support company-wide CI (vertical and horizontal) in SMEs. The key of the methodology is its contribution to the gradual improvement of bottom-up communication (reporting of the contribution of CI to company performance) and horizontal communication (dissemination of CI experiences and results), in addition to top-down communication on company strategy and improvement goals. The methodology will be embedded into an intranet-based software system that assists the company-wide alignment, co-ordination and dissemination of CI experiences and results in SMEs..To use the CIntranet software system to increase and show the contribution of CI to the significant improvement (> 10%) of major business performance indicators in the participating SMEs (cost, product quality, delivery reliability and/or speed, depending or their specific needs) within six months of the implementation of the CIntranet results..To exploit and disseminate, using this evidence, the CIntranet software system.The CIntranet results will be disseminated through:User Interest Groups in Greece and The Netherlands.Workshops (two in each country) with the participation of local SMEs.The World Wide Web facility.Exhibitions.Associations.Papers.Work description:The project will make use of methodologies for Continuous Improvement and state-of-the-art ICT tools to develop a practical software system with embedded methodology to support the company-wide application of CI activities in SMEs. Selected results from two other European projects, namely EuroCINet and CUTE will be assessed in terms of their potential contribution to the CIntranet project. The ESPRIT project CUTE (EP-25123) has produced a top-down approach to the implementation of CI, supported by a software system. The CUTE methodology has been shown to be very useful during the initial attempts of companies to learn about CI and become a mature CI company and will therefore be incorporated in the CIntranet tool, possibly in an adapted form. CUTE does not support the bottom-up nor the horizontal communication required to disseminate CI experiences and results. CIntranet is aimed at filling this gap. Furthermore, CUTE and also the EuroCINet (European Continuous Improvement Network; EU-1222) have produced surveys on the current situation of CI in industrial companies and on their needs in terms of CI support. Having already unambiguously shown the need for vertical and horizontal alignment, co-ordination and dissemination, the results of these surveys will be very useful for the successful design of the CIntranet system.In parallel, the users and user groups will be asked for their requirements in terms of CI and ICT support for company-wide CI. A European survey (with assistance from the EuroCINet) will be used to check whether these requirements are more generally valid for European SMEs. The full specification for the CIntranet requirements will be generated by the SME proposers, and the RTD performers will transform this in a methodology, which is then validated by the users and the user groups. The methodology will be embedded within the software system and the first prototype produced. This software system will then be fully validated by the users (earlier versions will have been briefly tested and validated). The results of the project will be widely disseminated using intermediary bodies, workshops and the Internet, and commercialised in the form of an off-the-shelf application. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssystem softwarenatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternetworld wide web Programme(s) FP5-IST - Programme for research, technological development and demonstration on a "User-friendly information society, 1998-2002" Topic(s) 1.1.2.-2.2.3 - Dynamic networked organisations Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CRS - Cooperative research contracts Coordinator INTERGRAFIPAK B.V. EU contribution No data Address BOEKWEITSTRAAT 45 2153 GK NIEUW-VENNEP Netherlands See on map Total cost No data Participants (3) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all FOURNI RODOU Greece EU contribution No data Address 14TH KM, RHODES-KAMIROS AVE 85106 RODOS See on map Total cost No data NORMA Netherlands EU contribution No data Address GRANAATSTRAAT 54 7550 AM HENGELO See on map Total cost No data SIMI AQUACULTURE SA Greece EU contribution No data Address G. SEFERI 108 85100 RODOS See on map Total cost No data
