Maxim Shpakov (CTO) and Oliver Hupfeld (CEO) reveal our secret recipe and explain the advantages of manufacture over mass production.
Others want it as simple as possible, but you aspire after complex and complicated projects. Why should the clients confront you with the highest possible demands?
Maxim – Because we like to solve problems that not everyone can solve. At Inno-Tec, we have an enormous pool of knowledge and skills. We want to use this pool and for this we need equally need complex and complicated tasks.
Knowledge and skill, is that your secret?
Oliver – More like the foundation. Our secret is the capability to combine both.
And just like you can that spill your secret?
Oliver – This secret cannot be copied just because somebody knows the recipe. It is because for years, a lot of talented people have been working together on one thing. A pool like that cannot just be built overnight, it grows organically.
What distinguishes a complicated from a complex project?
Maxim – Complicated projects require a particular knowledge. Without this knowledge, a complicated project will never succeed. Complex projects are those that not everyone can lead to success even though you know in principle what needs to be done. You need the skill for complex projects. We strive for both, because we have the knowledge for complicated projects and the skill for complex ones. We master both worlds.
Why do your clients come to you? They could go to one of the big players in your industry instead. How can you keep up?
Maxim – “Keeping up” almost sounds too modest to me. It is not the size of the organization that is determining, but what it has to offer. And we offer more than others. Our clients come to us when they need special software trades that no one else can make for them. Besides, the clients know that they receive customised solutions from us, nothing ready-made. We are a software manufacturer, not a software mass producer.
As a manufacturer you cannot have the human resources of a group.
Oliver – Instead of that, we offer agility and flexibility. We contribute these to deal with changing requirements or new issues quickly and to the point. In terms of the number of employees, we don’t play in the league of a group. But we don’t have to hide in terms of our skills, and we are always ahead when it comes to speed. Large organizations behave like sluggish tankers, who find it difficult to spontaneously change course. For us, it is not difficult.
Is this how you always manage to offer individual solutions?
Maxim – Yes, thanks to outstanding employees and an established network of competent, reliable partners with whom we cooperate. This is based on our ability to scale quickly and to always pool the right skills in project teams. Enthusiasts come to us who prefer to work with other enthusiasts and want to prove their skills. Those who are agile, creative, and keen on technology feel at home with us. It applies for employees and clients in equal measure.
And as soon as a technical trend develops in the industry, you jump on the bandwagon?
Oliver – We are the engine! The latest technologies are our daily bread, we are enthusiastic about them, use them and know our way around them. That is one of the reasons why our clients trust us with complex projects. We see things like “Industry 4.0” or “Big Data” as pure marketing terms. What counts for us are techniques, architectures, and methods.