Vanguard Magazine

44 DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com gaMe CHAnGER See the full interview online Q What is your role at your organi- zation today? As CEO, my job is to set the vision, evangelize the company and find great people to work with in order to build the best team that works toward our mission of creating the world's largest industrial network, backed by digital products that enhance workflows for manufacturers across the globe. Q What was your most challenging moment? Stepping into an industry with no prior knowledge or know-how but quickly adapting, learning and growing our team to meet the needs of the people, companies and market. In this case, it's understanding our customers and man- ufacturers who need tools to do things better and more efficiently. Q What was your 'aha' moment or epiphany that you think will resonate most with our reader? I've walked into dozens of manufactur- ing plants, and in many of their offices, you see whiteboards and simple spread- sheets used to run critical operations like scheduling, logistics, inventory manage- ment and much more. I knew there had to be a better way; with the industry on the cutting edge of technology on fac- tory floors, it only makes sense to bring equally smart software solutions into the front offices to help manage and direct those operations. Q What is the one thing that has you most fired up today? The rapid changes happening in our world, thanks to the internet, mobile and cloud computing. Manufacturers have just not caught up to the technol- ogy shift in the last 10 years. We aim to modernize an entire industry by linking them all together on one platform. The industry is moving to adopt new tech- nology because the old way of doing things is breaking and not efficient. The only alternative to embracing technol- ogy is to slowly become irrelevant in the coming years. Q What is the best advice you received? The "inversion" technique: always in- vert the problem. Planning for the opposite of what you want to happen could give you a competitive advantage in anything you do. Sometimes know- ing what not to do is more useful than knowing what to do. Q What is the habit that contrib- utes to your success? Getting things done now–not procras- tinating. I've learned that opportunities are only available for a limited time, and there may be a critical chain of events that sometimes you don't realize, but the truth is that windows close. People go on vacation or change jobs, and things get pushed off and get costly if you don't do things now. I never want to miss an opportunity that's right in front of me, so I act fast and make sure it doesn't slip away. Q How has innovation become engrained in your organization's culture, and how is it being optimized? Innovation is in our DNA. Coming from the technology background, most things we do are considered innovative, especial- ly in an industry that typically only makes incremental improvements. We are build- ing a software platform that we believe the next generation of professionals in the industry will not only be automatically fa- miliar with, but will be demanding of their employers in order to stay on track with the new normal for workplace productiv- ity and connectivity. Q What technologies, business models, and trends will drive the biggest changes in your industry over the next two years? "Internet (network) + Mobile + Cloud Computing = Rapid Change". The 'network model' is the most impor- tant thing for any business to grasp go- ing forward as a framework to think about their business. The internet is fundamen- tally a network that was originally called "ARPANET." Many people don't know but the inter- net that we know today got its roots from the U.S. Department of Defense. Their mission was to create a network 49 years ago, and this model of thinking is more applicable today than any year prior. Q What is your parting piece of advice? Always be asking. You never know unless you ask; ask clearly, ask specifically, and ask intelligently. You usually get what you ask for if you have intention and emotional intensity behind your ask. DaviD uRaM CEO factory bucket inc.

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