Meet SMARTPM
Mission: To maximize the productivity of assets (people, equipment, tools, IT) in machining companies – directing them towards the development of smart factories, which learn and adapt in real time to a changing environment in search of maximum quality, productivity, with greater autonomy and a minimum impact on the environment.
To deliver on this mission SMARTPM has developed its MIC (Manufacturing Intelligence Core) platform: it is a software platform that orchestrates self-improving and autonomous manufacturing lines, offering real-time insights and increased productivity, improved profitability and greater flexibility.
We caught up with founder, Jose Castellanos, to see how they are getting on with the Sixth Sense programme so far…
How does Sixth Sense compare with other accelerators you have been on?
“This is the first accelerator we have been part of with SMARTPM but I have experienced some with other companies I have launched and I think things are moving along very nicely with Sixth Sense.
“The team – Milan, Richard, Zoubida and Oliver – have been very accessible. They have created a very nice atmosphere within the programme which we appreciate a lot. The potential for valuable connections with other start-ups on the programme is strong and we’re looking forward to nurturing those further”.
“In some ways these relationships have come quite far into the programme – I see lots of synergies with the other companies but the opportunity to align efforts with them might have arrived late, which at the end is quite normal as we didn´t know each other five weeks ago”
Half way through, what have you learned so far?
“We’ve had some meetings with internal Hexagon teams, such as the architecture and software teams, which have been super useful. The presenters were incredibly pragmatic and told us in no uncertain terms how they felt we could improve our offer. We’re still digesting the comments properly but it was all really useful.”
What has been the highlight?
“A highlight is probably the visibility we’re getting. One of our goals was to increase our traction in the market and get our name out there. We’re having lots of interactions with other businesses that is super helpful. The international nature of the programme is also fantastic– it’s really broadening our horizons. We’re looking forward to Demo Day in London for that reason.”
What are you hoping to get out of the rest of the programme?
“More interactions with Hexagon customers. We’d really like to increase engagement with Hexagon´s commercial network – leveraging their capabilities. The way we see it, there is a clear win-to-win approach for both organisations and we can be the automation platform to boost Hexagon’s positioning in the creation of the factory floor of tomorrow—one that is self-sufficient, self-monitoring, self-optimising and self-repairing”
Our product portfolio complements very well, to the extent that we have already integrated some Hexagon´s products, software based and hardware based, within our platform.
“We’re hoping to explore a little more about public relations and digital marketing. We can learn a lot from Hexagon here. One of our challenges is to shape our message to each customer segment showing a proper customer-product-fit”
“Last but not least, another key area for us is to narrow down our go-to-market strategy. Our approach is quite ambitious and broad but perhaps we need to be more targeted in the way we introduce ourselves to the market. We need to learn how to package our product in a way that customers can easily understand what we do and they can see the value we will bring.”