(P) Traceability as a success factor - How a Romanian software developer and a German entrepreneur want to conquer the market for traceability solutions
Traceability – Romanian-German IT Start-Up Takes Innovative Paths - an interview with Klaus Heller (in picture left), Founder & CEO of NC-Vision and Florentin Szomoru (in picture right), CIO at NC-Vision.
Traceability – Romanian-German IT Start-Up Takes Innovative Paths - an interview with Klaus Heller (in picture left), Founder & CEO of NC-Vision and Florentin Szomoru (in picture right), CIO at NC-Vision.
The topic of traceability has been making headlines more and more in recent years, mostly in connection with dramatic recalls. Why is Traceability currently so hotly debated?
KH: Yes, there are a lot of dramatic cases. For example, almost all car manufacturers have had to carry out very expensive recall actions due to defective airbags in recent years. The Japanese company Takata, manufacturer of airbags and once one of the largest automotive suppliers worldwide went bankrupt as a result.
These quality problems damage customer confidence, which can quickly become critical to business. In addition, due to the impact of Industry 4.0 and due to the current global economic development, the pressure to increase efficiency and reduce costs is getting higher. More and more companies are realizing that good traceability systems can help protect against these risks and help solve these challenges.
You are both passionate about traceability. How did you get to know each other and how did you get the idea to found NC-Vision together? How did your previous professional experience contribute to the foundation?
KH: I have been working as an entrepreneur in the software industry for over 30 years and was looking for a new and exciting challenge. I have known Florentin for quite some time. By chance he approached me about his product idea. I was immediately enthusiastic about the potential and it was clear that the project had to be implemented. I am contributing in NC-Vision with my entrepreneurial experience and Florentin with his technological know-how.
FS: In my past, I have worked intensively on software technology and traceability. In all my previous projects, for many reasons, I had to make compromises instead of implementing the best solution. With NC-Vision I have the ideal platform to realize my vision of the perfect product.
Were there any unexpected stumbling blocks during the foundation?
FS: For my area, the stumbling blocks were definitely the recruitment of suitable software developers. Over time, we gained the right colleagues from our network, through personnel service providers and word-of-mouth propaganda.
KH: Financing a software company in the start-up phase is a real challenge. We found a solution by extracting pre-seed funds in combination with bootstrapping. Winning the first customers was also not easy in that phase of the business. Because of our product, our vision and a lot of effort, we were able to solve that too.
