Nicotech Foundation Story. 1991-1999.

Due to friendship relations between twin-cities Goirle (The Netherlands) and Krasnogorsk (Moscow reg.) in April 1991, two young programmers from RIEMIE (an IT company from Krasnogorsk) Andrey Sikoulev and Vladimir Sentchilo visited Goirle together with the group of people from Krasnogorsk.

One of the agenda item was visiting IT company L+T Informatica in Eindhoven. The company L+T was one of the biggest suppliers of the software for local and central government sector in the Netherlands at that moment. The meeting took place in the office of L+T in Eindhoven, in the meeting presented also Jan Eijsermans (a Dutch businessman and one of the founders of Goirle-Krasnogorsk friendship relations) and Jaap Sombroek (City Council of Goirle, Financial department). After information exchange between participants, it was discovered that RIEMIE and L+T have many common strains. The main of them is that both companies develop software for local government.

In 1991, L+T has just started software development on IBM's AS/400, the very new IBM's midrange computer series. The business of L+T was growing fast and the company needed new extra resources for developing new software and for migrating from previous IBM S/36 platform to AS/400. Thus, Harrie Gooskens, a director of L+T, made a proposal to come very soon to Moscow together with some Dutch IT experts and investigate the possibilities to start a Dutch-Russian joint-stock company, which has to organize in Moscow a software house and participate in software development projects of L+T.

In May 1991, Harrie Gooskens, Jaap Sombroek and Henk Bos (a director of Dutch Consultancy Company) visited Krasnogorsk and during a number of meetings with the management of RIEMI it was signed an agreement between RIEMIE and L+T to start activities for organizing a Dutch-Russian joint-stock company in Moscow.

But, due to problems in Russia in the beginning of 90'th that agreement had no continuation. RIEMI stopped it's existing in the end of 1991. Andrey and Vladimir started to work in Krasnogorsk City Counsil in the newly organized department for automation of business processes in the City Counsil. To that moment, some people of RIEMI organized a small Russian software company NICOTECH, the company was founded by Serguei Smaguine (a former deputy of RIEMI director), Alexander Sokolov (a chief of a software department in RIEMI), Alexander Pikshuev (a software engineer), Andrey Sikoulev (a software engineer) and Vladimir Sentchilo (a software engineer).

But, L+T management in spite of all kinds of problems in Russia decided to proceed begun activities for organizing a joint-stock company, but this time with a new Russian company Nicotech. For L+T it was even more attractive to deal with initiative group of people than with a big bureaucracy organization like RIEMI. Thus, on a new meeting in Moscow between L+T and Nicotech it was decided to transform Russian company Nicotech to Dutch-Russian joint-stock venture The Company Nicotech Ltd. and in the beginning of 1992 the company was finally founded, but all legal documents the company were received from the state only in June 1992. But, the first shareholders of The Company Nicotech Ltd. became not L+T and Russian Nicotech, but L+T and some people from Russian Nicotech, they are Serguei Smaguine, Andrey Sikoulev and Vladimir Sentchilo. Thus, Russian Nicotech stopped it's existing and some people from Russian Nicotech didn't join the new company.

On the first shareholders meeting in Moscow, where presented Harrie Gooskens, Charles de Wuffel, Serguei Smaguine, Andrey Sikoulev and Vladimir Sentchilo - Serguei Smaguine was appointed as a first director.

In spite the fact that organizing formalities took very long period, the real cooperation started some earlier, in October 1991. It was the first project in L+T for two Russian guys Andrey and Vladimir. We spent there 2 months and it was a project where we had to prove that Russian programmers can develop software not worse than Dutch programmers. The name of that project was VLAM (in translation from Dutch to English - a flame); it was constructed from the first name letters of the people involved in it: Vladimir Sentchilo, Louis van Hoef, Andrey Sikoulev and Mat Kijers.

L+T has just started to develop their new production line GLOBIT based on the corporate standards SAS for developing software on COBOL/400 for IBM AS/400. Together with Andrey we were involved in the realization of some new functionality for SAS and later we moved to another project CDKB (Centraal Debiteur and Krediteur Beheer) with the project leader Toine Verkoijen. It is necessary to say that even now, after many years, SAS was and is a brilliant idea of people from L+T, which allowed to develop software very fast and reliable, any programmer who knows SAS could very easy allocate problem place in the source code of any function and correct it. Thus, using SAS conventions, company L+T has almost no problem with programmers, like many another software houses that strongly depends on their 'brilliant' programmers and their mood or desire to work or not to work.

VLAM project finished with success, thus it was like a prove for L+T that it's wise to continue with Russian people in this direction. Mat Keijers as a project manager made a final evaluation of VLAM project. He counted very precisely all project expenses and subtracted from the benefit we could bring to L+T as if we were L+T starter programmers. The first two week of our staying were counted as education and 25% productivity, the next two - as 50% productivity, the next two - 75% and than - 100%. Thus, in six weeks we had to show productivity as a Dutch programmer from L+T.

So, the end result of the project was positive, in spite the fact that we spent almost 2000 guilden!!! on phone calls to Moscow.Nobody told us that it is very expensive, I remember Louis van Hoef after we asked him - is it possible to phone Moscow and how to do it from the office, answered immediately that it's very easy, you just have to dial 00+7+095 etc... Once it was so easy, we started to call Moscow rather often spending on line about half an hour every time. When Mat Keijers showed us the print out of our phone calls to Moscow with their duration and cost - we were just chocked. We were happy they showed us that costs somewhere in the middle of the project, if it were somewhere in the end - the result of the project could be very negative and who knows what could happened in such situation

Besides the interesting job in L+T, we also had very pleasant weekends and evenings. Harrie Gooskens announced in L+T that two Russian guys are on practice in L+T and if somebody has interest to talk with them, show them the Netherlands etc. - they can directly go to us and make an agreement. From that moment, many people came to us and offered many interesting ideas what to see and where to go.

Once, in our room came a lady and told us that she and her boyfriend like to have a dinner with us in their flat in Deurne. Of course, we were glad and accepted the invitation immediately, we agreed that we meet each other on the L+T reception near the map with the blue lamps at 6 o'clock. We were downstairs exactly at 6 and saw Yoke Deeckers and her boyfriend. He came to us and said on almost pure Russian language: "Eb tvoju mat', poshel na khuj'" ! It was like a cold shower, we were chocked. But, later we knew from where Paul Wigmans knows such nice Russian expressions. His father during the Second World War and after the war was in Russian concentration camps during more then 7 years! He was in many camps in many Russian cities and in Krasnogorsk too!

Besides contacts with L+T people, we had already very good relations with many people from Goirle: Jan and Riet Eisermans, Jan and Wilma Loonen, Els van Kemenade and so on... All of them we knew due to our relations between Goirle and Krasnogorsk. But, with Jan and Riet Eijsermans the relations were the best, I think not only because we were their guests and lived in their house during our first visits in the Netherlands in Aprill and July 1991, but also because they are very good and open people, they liked Russia, Gorbatchev, believed in "Perestrojka" and wanted to help, together with another members of Krasnogorsk-Goirle "Jumelage", people from Krasnogorsk, because we had a very difficult situation in Russia that moment.

In November 1991, we were back in Krasnogorsk and continued working in Krasnogorsk City Council. But, for us with Andrey it was clear that we wish to continue working with L+T. Thus, in March 1992 we retired from City Council and again came to L+T. This time we were planned to spend in the Netherlands three or four months. This second business trip was also very interesting, we knew some new people and not only from L+T. One of them is Erick van Hoek, we saw him during our first visits to the Netherlands when we visited Jan and Riet Eijsermans, Erick worked in Jan's company that time. But, only during our second time in L+T we knew him much better, he is a good guy and we met and visited him very often, he was a fun of autỏs, we were also and on this field we became friends. As the result, we drove back to Moscow in June 1992 by three cars: Andrey and me with wifes on Lada's and Erick with Rud Meuers on Volvo. Erick and Rud planned to sale Volvo in Russia and start car selling business in Moscow. It was very nice trip with some adventures and a lot of fun, especially on the border in Brest.

Because of the success of the first steps in cooperation between L+T an Nicotech, it was necessary to hire new good people for Nicotech. As always, the first people who came to Nicotech were our friends or people whom we knew well. During the last two weeks of our staying in the Netherlands (March-June 1992), two new people came to Nicotech: Robert Mammaev and Igor Morozov. We had to give them some initial knowledge of SAS and they had to participate in a new L+T project. Robert and Igor started their AS/400 education already in Moscow, thus they knew already AS/400 and basic SAS principals. As for Robert, he was very fast in studying SAS and started productive work in L+T even faster than it was planned by the L+T management. Robert worked before in an IT company and had already good experience in working on mainframe computers. And later Robert became one of the best developers in Nicotech.

Thus, the "software conveyer" started to work, every newcomer invited new people etc. Thus, in several months many our friends joint Nicotech: Michael Konovalov, Victor Piskovsky, Dmitry Lobanov, Alexey Sikoulev, Andrey Gouriev, Nick Vassiltchenko and many others. Some people were still students in universities, but participated in our projects. Konstantine Smaguine joint us even when he was a second year student of the Moscow State University. During his holidays, he also worked in L+T. I remember nice situation in L+T, I came next time to L+T and had to continue with the project Globit-DIS. Konstantine and Alexey Dedov worked before me in that project. When I came to the room I had to work, I saw a big and long sheet of computer paper. On the paper was written some main strong Russian expressions with Dutch transcription. And all Dutch people from Globit-DIS almost freely could say those phrases, of course, I hoped, without good understanding. But, once we were sitting in a room together with Andrey Gouriev, Wim Mevissen and Pieter van Haaren. Suddenly, our project leader came. We were talking about some activities, cleared up some questions and when he said - Ok, guys I go, please, go on. Wim Mevissen told him in Russian: "Poshel na khuj'". We tried not to laugh with Andrey, but when the project leader went off, we where just crying with tears on eyes, because Wim said it with a very good accent and intonation and in a very good moment! So, I think that some L+Tiers understood very well our strong Russian expressions.

During years 1992-1996, all of us very often worked in L+T, totally we could spent almost 6 months in L+T during a year, it was the maximum allowed period for Russian people to be legally in the Netherlands. Sometimes, we spent there even longer period, Andrey Gouriev and Alexey Sikoulev even spent once 9 months in a year! There were also periods when about 10-12 Nicotech employees worked together in L+T in different projects, we rented that time 3 houses in different Dutch cities and villages. But, the most interesting was the house in Lage Mierde on the central plain of the village and the flats in Hoogeloon. Also we lived a long period in a house in Veldhoven. Once, we even managed to drive our Opel Omega with 10 or 11 people in it to a restaurant in Veldhoven and back. Robert was our driver and Opel survived after that trip.

Besides renting houses, Nicotech had to rent some cars for people transportation, because in the Netherlands you are mostly biking or driving a car. Many people who came to the Netherlands didn't have driver license or if they had - many of them had no driving experience. Thus, in the Netherlands almost all Nicotech employees got their first driving lessons from our people who could drive and finally they got good driving experience in the Netherlands.à Everyone had to start driving and everyone wanted to drive a car. Thus, sometimes people made schedule who drives to L+T, who drives back and so on. Mostly, we had a leased car from L+T, but later we bought Lada 2108 and Opel. As for Lada, I think all Nicotech employees, who started to drive in the Netherlands, started their practice on that car.

That time in Russia cars was still difficult to buy and all Nicotechers tried to buy a car and drive with this car to Moscow. Serguei Smaguine once counted the total number of cars bought in the Netherlands and transported to Moscow. The approximate amount was more then 50! Another nice story is about croquets in the canteen of L+T. Many our employees during the lunch time bought in the canteen 2 or 3 croquets in a day. Serguei also counted them and got the amount in several thousands! So, Nicotech people made very good profit for Van Hecke - the name of the L+T restaurant.

In 1996 the first problems started, L+T almost stopped supplying Nicotech with the workload and Nicotech had to start working with some another companies. One of them is JBA Germany and its branches in many countries around the world. Charles de Wuffel introduced Serguei Smaguine, our director, to the management of JBA and we started working with JBA System 21 software package. From that moment, we started visiting also Germany, Czech Republic, Ireland, Croatia and UK. Somewhere in 1996, Nicotech invited many new people from Moscow State University: Nick Adrianov, Andrey Ivanov, Andrey Markine, Eugene Kharine, Eugene Zhiglov, Seruei Gornostaev, Igor Doroshko and many others. Andrey invited Max Lezhnev and Robert invited his brother Shamil Mammaev to Nicotech. Shamil was one of the nice guys in Nicotech, I remember once we sent with him the result of our work by e-mail. It was the time when the maximum connection speed was about 4800 bps on a very bad phone line and to send 1 Mb - we had to split up a big file on many small parts and almost manually to control and send every part. We spent several hours and finished it very late in the night.

Later, when Internet started to grow Nicotech switched to work with L+T and JBA via Internet connection. Thus, from that moment we could participate with our abroad colleagues in the same project synchronously. Before, we had to do some work in Moscow, send it to L+T, they tested, sent back bug reports and so on...

Some later, when Nicotech started a big project with the Ireland department of JBA - JBA Park House in our company came Dmitry Tonkogubov. It was a project for developing GUI interface for System 21. We also hired many students, because the work was rather simple, but very bulky. Everybody had to develop visual component for every AS/400 screen of System 21. The total amount of screens was nearby several thousands. Dima was still a student of MSU and in his free time made VC's very fast, accurate and always with good quality. Later, when he finished MSU, he came to Nicotech and became one of the best our employees who was always ready to do any work, interesting or not, difficult or not, etc... From the first days he was very enthusiastic studying everything new for him from IT and computer sience.

In 1997, we stopped with renting houses in the Netherlands and sold all our belongings there, to that moment Nicotech had a lot of small assets there, all went as a presents to some Dutch people and the rest to the "Kring Loop"- a shop which accepts different goods from people and another people can buy them for symbolic prize.

In that year, atmosphere in Nicotech was rather nervous, only a few amount of people had workload and thus, a good salary. Because, we were paid for the hours spent in a project. Many people left Nicotech: Victor Piskovsky, Nick Vassiltchenko, Dmitry Lobanov. Victor and Nick went to the company FORS, Dmitry moved to Australia, Alexey Dedov moved to US.

Also, in the summer of 1997 many people together with Robert left Nicotech and started a new IT company Cinimex. Some earlier Andrey Sikoulev left Nicotech because of the conflict between him and Serguei Smaguine. Together with Andrey and Robert, Nicotech lost: Alexey Sikoulev, Andrey Gouriev, Shamil Mammaev,Max Lezhnev and Volodia Godovanchuk.

In the end of 1997 and in the beginning of 1998, L+T again started using Nicotech resources and the situation a little bit improved. But, still the most workload we had from JBA and in spite many people left Nicotech it was still not enough to load everybody at least on 75%. And in the end of 1998 another big group of Nicotech people left the company. Nicotech lost: Michael Konovalov , Igor Morozov, Dmitry Khailov, Alex Shishkov and some newcomers who were invited to Nicotech by these guys before. They organized the company Bibractis.

Thus, in the beginning of 1999 in Nicotech worked a few people, but with several of them it was possible to overcome any difficulties. They tried to get knowledge about any new software technologies and only due to that people Nicotech could start again the business with the company Civility Eindhoven (former L+T Informatica). I have to mention them here: Nick Adrianov, Andrey Ivanov, Dmitry Tonkogoubov, Eugene Kharine, Eugene Zhiglov, Andrey Markine and Nick Barykine. Nick Adrianov and Andrey Ivanov were our software experts, they knew all Nicotech's software technologies as well as many others, they generated a lot of ideas, knew very well many projects of Civility from inside and even could surprise people from Civility by their deep knowledge.

In February and March 1999, we had in Moscow shareholders meetings, after the second one Serguei Smaguine decided to leave the company and continued with teleworking project in one of the departments of UNIDO (or something like that, not for sure). From this moment started another page in Nicotech's history, but this is another story...

Vladimir Sentchilo. October 2003.
Moscow.