The Pooya Story
In February 1979, Pooya began designing and manufacturing a hard-wired processor, which was later used in the electronics laboratory at the National University (now Shahid Beheshti University). This marked the inception of a group called “Harmonious Group,” considered the starting point of Pooya. The group then boldly designed and manufactured a multipurpose computer named “Pooya-I” (Micro Programmed), which won the first prize from the Supreme Council of Informatics in this field.
The project initiated by the Planning and Budget Organization, aimed at using satellites to obtain information about terrestrial resources, led to the transformation of Harmonious Group into “Pooya Company” on November 30, 1982. The project involved capturing images of Iran at specific times, sending them to a receiver in Merdabad, Karaj, processing the data, correcting geometric and radiometric errors, and making it available for users. Pooya played a key role in setting up and managing the most complex aspects of this project.
Following this, Pooya took on a project for the Center for Preparation and Distribution of Construction Metals, focusing on creating the necessary application systems. Pooya subsequently designed and produced similar systems for various factories and companies, including Isfahan Tile, Iran Khodro’s Spare Parts Center (SAPCO), Gohar, Qazvin Glass, Shahab Yadak, Ziba Pulley, Iran Yasa, Pars Yadak, Derakhshan Company, and Bagh-e-Rahat Laboratory.
Pooya’s first banking project, initiated in 1986, involved automating the Rial branch systems for Bank Mellat. This system was used in Bank Mellat branches until around 2001. The success of this project led Pooya to increase its presence in the banking and finance sector.
In 1993, Pooya developed an exchange system under the Unix operating system for Bank Saderat. This system has been continuously updated and is still in use today. Simultaneously, Pooya began designing and producing an updated Windows-based version of the system starting in 2001 to address the needs of Iranian banks for comprehensive banking solutions.
This system was implemented in the Currency Department of Bank Mellat and is still in use there. It is also currently used by Refah Bank, Ayandeh Bank, and Kish Bank.
In addition to its software activities, Pooya’s hardware division provided computers and specialized hardware along with their support, ensuring a unified solution for customers and continuity in service.
At the sixth Elecomp exhibition (1999), Pooya introduced smart cards to the invitees and the IT community of the country. The booth showcased various applications of smart cards, such as ID cards, fuel cards, bank cards, ration cards, and specific drug permits, all demonstrated using a single smart card.
Additionally, a card reader designed and manufactured by Pooya was utilized. The smart card played a central role as a replacement for installment books in the comprehensive facility system that Pooya designed and implemented for Bank Maskan.
UPS, or Uninterruptible Power Supply, has always been a crucial requirement for computer centers to prevent undesirable power fluctuations and to ensure the continuous operation of equipment during power outages. This need was strongly felt in the 1990s. Pooya, with its approach to providing comprehensive services, designed a UPS with unique features and began its mass production in 1999 by establishing a factory in Shiraz. A significant number of these UPS units were sold to Bank Saderat and Iran Telecommunication Company. Pooya continued its UPS activities under an independent company.
Following the smart card, another achievement from the R&D unit of the company drew attention. Using PLC technology, Pooya designed and produced hardware and software systems and equipment that allowed for remote reading of electricity meters in a city via the power grid. This system is known as Automatic Meter Reading (AMR). Samples of Pooya-equipped meters were installed and remotely read in Falavarjan, Isfahan, Al Ain in the UAE, and a city in Ontario, Canada. Despite significant interest, due to the advancement of technology and the decreasing cost of wireless telecommunications, this power line-based product did not reach mass production.
Years of experience in banks provided Pooya’s experts with thorough knowledge and mastery. Comprehensive familiarity with banking business and understanding the nature and sensitivity of banking work equipped Pooya with powerful tools to participate in various tenders and offer innovative solutions to current banking problems.
Pooya’s Facility System, implementable on cash deposit machines, was first executed in the country in 2005 to solve the issue of installment payments for Bank Maskan. Pooya’s cash deposit machine accepted cash from customers and credited it to their accounts in real-time. At that time, some ATMs received cash in escrow, and its deposit into the customer’s account depended on branch staff operations the next working day. The cash deposit machine not only facilitated installment payments but also introduced a new approach to using automated devices for simple banking operations. The housing facility system of Bank Maskan was designed, implemented, and delivered.
The reception of the cash deposit machine and its resolution of some serious banking issues engaged Pooya’s R&D experts even more in this area. Consequently, in 2007, for the first time, Pooya designed and built a smart desk for Saba branches of Bank Tejarat as an employee-free branch.
In 2009, Pooya established a high-tech factory in the Caspian Industrial City (Qazvin Province) and began producing the first Iranian cash deposit machine, designed and prototyped by Pooya’s R&D unit. Pooya was recognized by the Ministry of Industry as the sole producer of cash deposit machines in the country.
Pooya’s Comprehensive Forex System has always been a focal point for various banks due to its comprehensiveness. Over the years, this system has continued to thrive, adapting to the needs of different banks with modifications. The support team for this system has also grown in proportion to the increased workload.
Keeping pace with technological advancements and utilizing them to offer products and services that meet the present and future needs of customers has always been Pooya’s approach. In this context, Pooya developed the Bank Maskan Deposit System with a new service-oriented architecture and a new J2EE web-based infrastructure. This system manages all deposits for Bank Maskan’s customers. By 2013, approximately three years after its launch, one out of every seven Iranians was a customer of this system.
Throughout these years, Pooya has operated as an economic enterprise, as mentioned. However, internally, as a family, it holds a thirty-plus-year story of young, active, and motivated individuals coming together to serve the country. This family has grown to approximately 200 members, with new talented young people joining and others departing, each leaving a legacy.