KIMWA CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Consistently one of the biggest if not the largest supplier of ready-mixed concrete, and quality aggregates in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Employment:

  • 1997 – 1998 | EDP Head
    • Administration
      • SBT Accounting System
      • Novell Netware Network System
    • Development
      • Telephone Directory System
      • Customer Profiler & Quotation System
      • Human Resource Information System
  • 1998 – 1999 | Outsourced to Subsidiary CYL Trading
    • Development
      • Payroll System
      • Water Billing System
      • Trucking Billing System
  • 2000 – 2002 | Heavy Equipment & Transport Supervisor
    • Supervisory
      • Oversee Transport / Equipment and Maintenance
      • Supervised more than 30 personnels
    • Development
      • Equipment Maintenance & Monitoring System
  • 2002 – 2007 | Aggregates Plant Supervisor
    • Supervisory / Management
      • Overall Plant Operation across 2 crusher plants and 3 quarry sites
      • Supervised more than 20 personnel
    • Development
      • Oil & Spare parts Inventory System
      • Plant Production System

Right after my first ever job, I was hired to head Kimwa’s Electronic Data Processing Department.

Way back in the 90’s, it was not that easy to get an I.T. job, that if you can even find one.  I remembered that they needed a Computer Programmer, long story short, I stepped in.  To my surprise, there was no working computer in the EDP cubicle.

The problem was, I graduated a Computer Programming course and my hardware knowledge back then was next to nothing and are all theories.  I haven’t tried assembling one ever.

But then like I said, I considered myself more than lucky to have found the job and so maybe I could fix one.  Needless to say perhaps?  Indeed, I was able to identify the working parts that was just lying all over the place and eventually able to configure and have a working computer after almost a day.

With the help of a none I.T. personnel that unexpectedly has knowledge with the Novel netware, I am finally in the network.  That too is a strange field for me.  Finally connected which was the second goal and was a bonus for me on the same day.  The goal really was to access the SBT Accounting software that was running in the network and was having database index issues.  A Foxpro database index file.

SBT Accounting system.  A system most likely today’s ERP, before it was even called “ERP”.  My primary responsibilty.

Considering that nobody was there to walk me through the technical aspect of the system, It was more than luck that it was built using Foxpro.  However, it does comes with a dozen books or so that helps me up to speed.

For the mentioned developed applications, I built it all using Foxpro programming language too.

The Crazy Part:

Year 1999, the company suffers labor issues and was forced to temporarily shut down almost all main office and main ready-mixed-concrete plant operations and issued a forced indefinite leave to all affected personnels.  Needless to say that it includes me.

For a year, after making a living in my in-laws farm in Mindanao, I got a call from the office, but it was not a recall.  The company still couldn’t restore the EDP Department.  I was only asked to develop a system for the motor pool departments (Transport and Maintenance shop).  The offer was good and so I took it.

That was year 2000.  A system that monitor equipment’s consumptions from diesel down to lug nuts.  It also monitor the routine maintenances from tuneups to oil change and even the number of trips or the operation time for timed based equipments such as excavators and dozers.  It was a good two plus months of development.

During the implementation of the system, an unexpected offer from my boss to supervise the department itself primarily because of the newly built application and since there was nobody that has any computer knowledge in that department nor a supervisor too.  Obviously, it was never his plan since he called me to build and did pay me a good amount for it.  Despite the need to have a job, I was a little scared and definitely shocked.  It was way out of my league obviously.  I am young and knows nothing other than to work in front of a computer, except of course in my in-laws farm since I was born on a small farm too.  But Heavy Equipment and Transport? I don’t even know how to drive at that point… but, I have to give it to him, he persuaded me good, and his right on one thing for sure.  I knew the system because I built it.  So how hard could it be, he said.

Having a kid already, I took the job.  Development updates continues almost all through out while in the position.  And it was a good two years with a satisfied boss.  Satisfied enough that he trusted me on a bigger role for a much needed supervisory/management et al in an aggregates plant.  A remote crusher plant down south Cebu.  The offer includes a service vehicle, a house for me and my family with free utility expenses including gas.

And so I was persuaded once again and lasted for a good seven years.  I was having fun despite a rather crazy operation responsibilities across 2 towns in the south where 2 plants and 3 quarry sites are situated.

The fun part actually was, It became easy when I completed the application that I built specifically to help me do all the necessary recordings and inventory from raw materials to finish products including all the functionality of the Equipment Maintenance & Monitoring system that I previously built and implemented in the company’s motor pool department.

If that ain’t crazy  then I don’t know what is.  Nevertheless, taught me a lot of things.  From learning to drive and operate all the equipments that the company has; to working with educated down to less educated personnels.  Handling the business aspect and even communicating with various government offices and officials as far as permits and collaborations are concerned.

Crazy but more than educational.