The OPTI-TIME scheduling solution handles the human resources and facilities involved in producing Radio Suisse Romande's programme listing. n Consequently RSR can reliably plan 12 months in advance and optimise the deployment of its human resources and facilities in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
Radio Suisse Romande, or RSR, operates four radio stations and an information department that sells its services to the other stations. The production resources and staff are thus shared. "We were looking for a way to schedule more reliably the allocation of facilities and above all the bookings of staff members in accordance with our listings," says Serge ROTH, the head of the project at RSR. The facilities in question comprise various recording studios and mobile studios - around forty elements in all. The human resources consist of the equivalent of close to 500 full-time staff. Eight people are involved in scheduling RSR's listings.
"We chose OPTI-TIME because of its tremendous modelling flexibility that enabled us to retain most of our legacy systems intact," says Serge ROTH. The labour laws and collective bargaining agreements that RSR must abide by are very restrictive. Many of RSR's staff work part-time under specific contracts that guarantee them an annual quota of working hours.
Furthermore, "the management and scheduling of our human resources calls for a delicate touch," says ROTH. "There are affinities between producers and directors, directors and technicians, etc."
RSR was won over by OPTI-TIME's ability to model these criteria as business rules. The other advantage of OPTI-TIME is its ability to react in real-time in case of unforeseen circumstances. If the breaking news requires the listings to be altered, OPTI-TIME can almost instantly find the least disruptive solution, i.e. the one that will cause the least disruption to the existing scheduling.
"Prior to acquiring OPTI-TIME, we used manual scheduling. OPTI-TIME, when faced with unforeseen circumstances, reasons like a human being, like someone in the trade would," says Serge ROTH.
Transparency and publication of scheduling information
Another decisive factor underlying RSR's choice was the ease with which data generated by OPTI-TIME could be published on-line on RSR's intranet. "It makes scheduling more transparent for the people involved," says Ali MAIRE, who is in charge of scheduling RSR's production activities. "The deployment and allocation of facilities and human resources are clearly visible to everyone." Where previously everyone had to seek out information, this is now 'pushed' towards the people who need to know.
In addition to publishing data on the intranet, OPTI-TIME communicates with SAP's human resources and analytical accounting modules. RSR has thus increased the accuracy of its allocation of costs per programme.
OPTI-TIME: an investment that pays off
RSR was also impressed by OPTI-TIME's ability to operate at a low cost. "The initial investment is relatively minor: all it takes is one PC to start off with," says Serge ROTH.
The duly configured software suite was put into production after six months. And the preparatory phase required only one person working full-time. RSR does not yet schedule all its human resources using OPTI-TIME. The radio station is however convinced that the investment will soon pay off. The solution is being implemented gradually across its units, and the optimal point should be reached in around six months' time.
About Radio Suisse Romande. RSR produces and broadcasts four French-speaking radio stations that together account for 55.3% of the market in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. They include La Premire (39.4%), Espace 2 (3.2%), Couleur 3 (4.2%) and Option Musique (8.7%). RSR's Information Department produces programming and sells its services to the four radio stations. In 2004, RSR's operating costs amounted to 124.9 million Swiss francs, and its turnover amounted to 125.6 million Swiss francs. RSR employs the equivalent of 487 full-time staff and produces 43,800 hours of programmes per year.
-Ends-
About DELIA SYSTEMS.
Founded in 1996, DELIA SYSTEMS now employs 35 people, 16 of whom work in the company's Research & Development unit, which is based in Caen, France. DELIA SYSTEMS' registered headquarters and sales team are based in PARIS, France. DELIA SYSTEMS has around thirty blue-chip clients active in sectors as varied as aircraft maintenance (AIR FRANCE Industries, DASSAULT Falcon Services, EMIRATES, HELISIM, TAT Industries FNI, US AIR FORCE), Healthcare (CHU de ROUEN, CHU de PARIS-BICETRE, Hpitaux Universitaires de GENEVE, etc.), Training (AIR FRANCE, AIRBUS, AXA, CEGOS, EUROCOPTER, GNFA, MINISTERE DES FINANCES, etc.), Consumer Services (CARREFOUR, DOMOSERVICES, ECS Solutis, Compagnie GENERALE DES EAUX, QUALIGAZ, TEXA, VEOLIA Water), Business Services (ANAES, MULTIBURO), and of course the Media sector (FRANCE 3, IMEDIA, RSR, RTBF).
About OPTI-TIME.
The OPTI-TIME software suite published by DELIA SYSTEMS is an operational and strategic resource and task scheduling solution that can be used to determine, sequence, co-ordinate and optimise in REAL TIME who does what, when and where. This APS - Advanced Planning and Scheduling - tool features three characteristics that are vital for supply chain management:
- It can dynamically manage changes that can disrupt day-to-day activity,
- It can mobilise, re-deploy and optimise resources in real time
- It can be used to plan tasks even on a very short-term basis.
DELIA SYSTEMS - 17, rue Galile - FR 75116 Paris, France Chairman & CEO: Laurent CAVELIUS - Press contact: Elisabeth GENDRY
Andrew Durkin
MUSTARD PR
The Finlandia Centre
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Bucks, SL9 7RH
Tel: + (0) 44 1753 889100
Fax: + (0) 44 1753 889101
M: + 44(0) 7887998407
email: andrew@mustardpr.com
www.mustardpr.com
© Press Release 2004
