ERROL HANCHARD DREAM – JAMAICA THE TELEHEALTHCARE MECCA

2009-03-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

Errol Hanchard, the Chairman of Jamomes Developers Limited (JDL) and DigITourism Society Limited (DTSL), is the innovator of a knowledge-based industry concept called DigITourism, has worked assiduously to advance the concept through his project management firm Nnekasha Associates. Errol Hanchard, the founder and principal of Nnekasha Associates has built a successful career as an engineer through hard work, talent, discipline and self-motivation. Hanchard is the driving force behind plans to position his beloved country, Jamaica, as a major player in international trade driven by Telehealthcare services.

A past senior member of both the Institute of Industrial Engineers (USA) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineer (USA) and a Project Management Professional (PMP) from 1988 to 2006 certified by the Project Management Institute (USA). He obtained his B.Sc. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of London in 1972. Prior to that he was the recipient of the ‘Lightbourne Apprenticeship Scholarship’ to England where he earned an Ordinary National Certificate whilst serving his apprenticeship with Sigmund Pulsometer Pumps Limited as a mechanical fitter and turner.

He accepted an EEC scholarship in 1979 to attend the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, where he completed a Masters Degree in Management and Technology. His first exposure to information technology was the research work for his dissertation with Rolls Royce Aero-Engine Division in Bristol. His assignment was to ‘Formulate a Management Scheme’ for the use of techniques and data collection which allowed for improved control of maintenance services. As a result of his research for his Master’s Thesis, he was tapped by Rolls Royce Aeroengine Division to explore “Condition Monitoring for Machine Tools” as a Ph.D. candidate. The following year Hanchard and A. Davies presented a Paper on “System Analysis Using a Cusum Monitoring Technique.” This paper was presented at the “Manufaction 80" Conference held in Budapest. Hanchard was not able to pursue his Ph.D. programme at the same university until 1995. He subsequently had to abandon the programme in 1997 because he was wrongly arrested and charged in December of 1997 for the work he did in creating and implementing the capital market fund in Jamaica to finance the development of the physical and intellectual assets for the foundation of DigITourism.

In 1981, he brought his talent to the United States where he started working with General Defense Corporation’s (GDC) subsidiary Lead Fabricators Inc. Within two months, Hanchard improved productivity at Lead Fabricators Inc., by more than 100 percent. The following year Mr. Hanchard was transferred to another of GDC-subsidiary, Flinchbaugh Products, Inc., a munitions factory that manufactures Kinetic Energy Projectiles. He quickly perceived the “problem” that the company was having with its introduction of robots to the production line as a “challenge”, and successfully installed the company’s first two robots. At Flinchbaugh he also spearheaded the successful completion of a “Prove Out Test” for the United States Army to demonstrate the production rate capability of a manufacturing system to produce acceptable metal parts of Kinetic Energy Projectiles. Whilst at Flinchbaugh, he was invited by The Pennsylvania State University in October 1982 to be a part of research projects in the area of robotics and automation.

The idea of Jamaica playing a prominent role in international trade has been a lifelong dream for Hanchard. Since 1983, Mr. Hanchard has spearheaded the design and development of the knowledge-based industry concept. In 1995 the concept was named “DigITourism.” ). It has evolved over the past 15 years into the preliminary stage of a knowledge industry integrating tourism, entertainment, wellness and Infomatix-Technology (a proprietary technology) fused together with JAMOMES Infomatix Communities physical and virtual integrated industrial complexes. The combinations will deliver DigITourism Goods & Services (DCG&S) as the brand Worlddigibeat ONE HEALING (WDBOH) thereby creating the platform for the inter-regional trade concept Jamaica: the Inter-America Trade Link to Africa Europe and Asia (JIAT-LAFEA).

Infomatix-Technology is the core technology for the JAMOMES as digital homes. This proprietary technology will be a global interactive Internet-based multimedia online information services on demand facilitating global business and domestic transactions. He has worked diligently over the past 25 years to develop the virtual component of DigITourism which is now being manifested as the integrated websites Worlddigibeat.com, Wdboh.com and Dtslonline.com.

He has traveled to countries in the Caribbean and has gained support for the earlier concept of DigITourism from various government ministers and agencies such as St. Kitts, the Commonwealth of Dominica and Cuba. He was a co-presenter along with Ken Bleakley on the topic “A strategic Plan for The Development of DigITourism” at the conference of “Tourism Investments in the Caribbean: Issues & Opportunities” organized by MIGA of the World Bank Group, held in Washington in June 1996. He also presented a paper entitled “Regional Economic impact of Telecommunications and/or Information Technology in Development of Tourism Sector” in December of 1996 at the 20th Annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean and Latin America held in Miami. The concept is now in the preliminary stage of implementation with global potential for inter-regional trade.

In 1993, Errol Hanchard design, developed and implemented the JDL-JCSA Capital Market Programme which was a co-venture with the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA). It was governed by a Trust Deed and its target market was public sector employees. This capital market programme resulted in a commitment by 7,000 public sector employees to buy approximately J$100,000,000 of JDL securities. JDL received approximately J$70,000,000 during November 1993 to December 1996 before the programme was interrupted by the then Securities and Exchange Commission in November 1995. Errol Hanchard and another Director of JDL along with an officer of the company were arrested on a non criminal charge “Conspiracy to Defraud by Mismanagement.” The trial was eventually abandoned on 2nd of February 2005 by the Director of Public Prosecution on the instruction of the Resident Magistrate. A significant portion of the balance of the J$100,000,000 is being held by various Government Agencies and is yet to be handed over to JDL;

Some of the compelling attributes of Mr. Hanchard leadership skills in developing and implementing the transformation process for DigITourism are his strength of character and his deep understanding of strategic management and programme management. It is these attributes, among others, that have helped him to transcend the challenges of the traumatic ordeals associated with the criminal trial and the subsequent maligning of his character and integrity. Even though he could have taken civil action against the Government of Jamaica for the miscarriage of justice, he chose to continue effort to seek the government support for DigITourism and is implementing a plan to repay all the investors in the JDL-JCSA Capital Market Programme (http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20090104T020000-0500_144430_OBS_JAMOMES_TO_REFUND_THOUSANDS_TO_
CIVIL_SERVANTS_.asp.).

Operating through his project management consulting firm, Nnekasha Associates, Hanchard has effectively used the body of knowledge associated with DigITourism and the JDL-JCSA capital market fund to now guide the development and implementation of the DigITourism Capital Market Programme. It will finance further implementation of DigITourism for national economic development and growth by putting in place the infrastructure to position Jamaica as the Telehealthcare Mecca.

ERROL HANCHARDS DREAM DIGITOURISM

ERROL HANCHARD DREAM – JAMAICA THE TELEHEALTHCARE MECCA