Xemelgo ’ s founders , Rich Rogers , CEO , and Akhila Tadinada , CTO , started the app-based company for manufacturers to develop tools and solutions to improve their businesses . These veterans of Hitachi and other high-tech companies knew one thing would be mission critical to get their business off the ground — they needed to approach manufacturers ready to observe and listen .
Before they did that , however , they noticed something about other startup companies in the arena . “ Many IT experts were trying to jam their IT experience into manufacturing . But they didn ’ t solve a real-world need ,” said Rogers . In other words , they saw pre-built applications being pushed by others , but they decided their offerings should be co-created to ensure they provide substantial value to a manufacturer .
He said they have developed what they call co-creation partnerships with the manufacturers that they work with . “ When you do a startup , you are making a huge sacrifice of your time . You can waste months and years if you build the wrong thing . None of our team members had worked on a factory floor . We didn ’ t have domain expertise . We listened to manufacturers to ensure we were building a solution to help them and other manufacturers .”
In its fifth year now , the company has developed customer relationships with big-name businesses in major industries like aerospace , medical , test and measurement , agriculture , defense , and space .
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