“The bottom line is that we have a deeper understanding of the underlying science and technology and we are able to come up with creative and cost-effective solutions.” Word has traveled well since 416 Automation’s launch in 2009. A quick visit to the ‘Clients’ page at 416Automation. com is a virtual who’s who tour of the automotive world. “The majority of our customers are tier-one, major sup- pliers, vendors in the automotive industry like Adient, Lear, Faurecia, and Magna. But a lot of times we have the opportunity to interact directly and do business with our client’s customers who are the OEMs [original equipment managers] such as Ford, GM and Chrysler,” Sam explained. “It’s easy to only provide solutions that the customer asks for. What we do is go above and beyond the customer’s requirements and try to think of ways to make things better. Sometimes, we approach the customer with a solution to a problem that they haven’t even considered because they thought it wasn’t possible.” “We have an extensive engineering expertise that enables us to design our own electronics instead of buying off-the- shelf solutions.” One such example is SeatBOT. Sam explained how Mimmo worked with students and faculty from his latter alma mater, Humber College, to create SeatBOT. “We were the first in the industry to fully automate automotive seat testing using a robot. Everyone likes technology, but Mimmo – and everyone here – loves solving difficult problems. They designed this unmanned system, something new in robotic technology that tests seatbelts, power seat options, levers, the track bar, all at the end of the assembly line. It’s a great example of a unique solution from 416 Automation and some young up-and- coming talents.” For Sam, one of the key factors in 416 Automation’s success has been their solid business relationships with vendors. “As I mentioned before, so much of our business comes through referrals, 100% actually, so it helps when our
vendors believe in our capabilities. Even when we’re exer- cising our imaginations, our ingenuity, everyone works very hard to finish jobs on time. We wouldn’t have it any other way. We take every job very seriously. That’s why we look for people who have a positive attitude and dedication to success. But we also know how to maintain a relaxed, friendly working environment.” While things have been “extremely busy” at 416 Automa- tion these days, Sam explained that they do consider the time they take for team building as another part of the job. “The lunches and things like that are a lot of fun, but for the Christmas party last year, we all went to a Raptors game. That was memorable,” he said with a grin you could hear over the phone.
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JULY 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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