Meet Felix Reinshagen, NavVis's CEO and Co-founder, who tells us about the NavVis approach to topics such as innovation, sustainability, and more.
1. Can you discuss NavVis’ approach to innovation and how it fosters a culture of continuous improvement?
I think we are at a very amazing stage where innovation is inspired by our capability of driving fundamental technological progress and just making things happen. We have always had a strong vision and deep technological capabilities, but now we can mirror that with much more insight into the markets, our customers, and their used cases and needs.
2. How do you approach decision-making within the company and how do you involve your team in the process?
The question in return would be what kind of a decision is to be made. It is usually a matter of striking a balance between responding quickly to certain contingencies and ensuring that we have considered all the most critical aspects for our team, partners, and customers.
3. Can you tell us NavVis’ approach to sustainability and how it integrates environmental and social responsibility into operations?
When it comes to environmental responsibilities, our product allows customers to save tons of CO2 emissions by getting things right the first time. Creating the most accurate digital twins of physical entities enables organizations to avoid mistakes. Mistakes usually mean tearing things down and building them back again - therefore, high CO2 emissions.
Our efforts to reduce our own environmental footprint are very broad, starting from our sourcing choices to mobility. We worked with an external party and carried out a deep sophisticated analysis to figure out the biggest areas that need our focus. It didn’t come as a surprise to us when we discovered that it was production and sourcing. We will be announcing a couple of initiatives very soon.
Finally, regarding social responsibilities, a positive work environment is absolutely essential for me. This has been built into our company's values and guidelines from the very beginning. But of course, it is not enough. We have reached a stage where it is a matter of carrying out regular checks and intervening when things are not functioning smoothly for our team. We have also begun to conduct more engagement surveys.
4. How have COVID and other probably geopolitical events affected the business and how did you handle it?
That’s always an additional challenge and a complexity one needs to handle. On the other hand, it is exactly what makes our business strong and our team at NavVis successful in dealing with the unexpected. I remember how quickly we could move into a new hybrid way of working when COVID hit us all. We did that with minimal disruption and were also able to unlock additional productivity.
5. What would your thoughts be on the competitive landscape right now?
I think the fierce competition we face will not go away and now the new ideas of the industrial metaverse and large-scale augmented reality are becoming much more broadly known. We must position ourselves very well. People also fully understand the importance of the larger technology ecosystem, and there will be competition coming from unexpected sources based on new technologies. We must stay ahead of the game which in turn will require a lot of focus – we can't win everywhere. We have to set new areas of focus where we want to win. Of course, we are a committed set of believers at NavVis who want to make that happen. I think we are in a very good starting position.
6. How do you stay informed about the industry and evolving trends? Also, how do you adapt to them?
I read a lot and from many sources. I also enjoy visiting forums and websites related to our industry and the expansion of technological innovation and do my best by being present at industry-relevant tradeshows and events. I also make it a point to have several customer meetings every week, because I believe it’s essential to stay close to the front line and hear directly from the field. It is very important to know what our customers feel is relevant and how they see the future. These include both laser scanning customers as well as large automotive companies. I also stay very close to our internal development and stay aware of the different technological and research developments happening right now.
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