The Future and Innovation are in Supply Chain and Operations

We talked to Amir Harandi of Artintech Inc on how a technology development company focuses on resolving business challenges with the power of artificial intelligence and this is what he had to say.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times? 

Amir Harandi: Thanks for asking. We are doing well. Try to keep ourselves active while following protocols and social distancing, hoping for a better year to come. 

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded Artintech Inc.

Amir Harandi: I started Artintech back in 2016 to address issues faced by SMEs in process streamlining. We started by working on a small Inventory Management system and gradually added new modules and applications. Now Artintech software applications cover an extensive range of business processes from Procurement to warehousing, manufacturing, and sales and distribution. 

How does Artintech Inc innovate? 

Amir Harandi: We usually have two main paths. Sometimes, we are approached by innovators and entrepreneurs who have ideas in line with our technologies and business scope. We sit down together and see how we can use the ideas to improve our clients’ business processes or resolve an issue that companies are facing. Sometimes, the idea comes from our clients. They have an issue, and they approach us to solve it for them, and we meet our team of developers and the brainstorm to find the best solution. Many of the modules in our Supply Chain Management software have been developing to resolve a current client issue. 

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?

Amir Harandi: The first month was difficult. We had to reconfigure our systems and set up a collaborative system to work from home as a team. However, after a couple of months, everyone was comfortably working in the new setup and to be honest, sometimes we are even happy that we are not wasting our time in traffic jams. 

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

Amir Harandi: We had to strategically re-evaluate our priorities and manage our resources in the COVID time. It is always painful to postpone or cancel an innovative project. Still, by postponing some of our projects, we could reallocate our resources and focus on the highest priority projects and products. It was a positive thing because it helped us be more focused and better develop our essential products. 

How do you deal with stress and anxiety, how do you project yourself and Artintech Inc in the future?

Amir Harandi: I think stress is an inevitable part of entrepreneurs’ life. Time management, delegation, and team building are probably keys to reduce stress. However, sometimes lovely music or a short celebration of achievements works as good. 

In the future, we hope to be able to use more innovative solutions in our products. Hopefully, one day, the whole operations of a factory can be run by our technologies. We have many ongoing research projects and products in AI, Robotics, and IoT. Besides our Supply Chain and Operations software applications, we will be known for our robotics and AI solutions soon. 

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

Amir Harandi: There are many companies doing parts of what we do. Our main strength is an openness to change and innovation. When some competitors are slow, we move fast. When they are too established, we offer flexibility. Keeping a very close relationship with our clients and winning their word of mouth is probably our best weapon in the competition. 

Your final thoughts?

Amir Harandi: I think investing in future technologies is the best innovation we can make today. AI, IoT, Robotics, 5G, and Autonomous vehicles are the future of the industry and the more we learn how to use them, the better we can harness the power of technology for a better future. 

Your website?

www.artintech.ca