Mar 27, 2023
Video version
About the Podcast
Today I invite Ofra Kalechstain, CEO of Matics, to “State of Readiness”. Ofra started off her career as a computer programmer at SciTex where she helped develop applications for aiding in oil and gas exploration. Afterwards, she worked for over 26 years at Paradigm where she moved-up through the ranks until becoming the Executive Vice President of Product Development until 2014. She then turned her attention to being an active investor in start-ups. She took a particular interest in one of her investments, Matics, taking an active role; first as the Chief Technology Officer and then as CEO.
We start the conversation with Ofra discussing the impact of Industry 4.0 on manufacturing. And while many applications have been developed for the largest companies in the world, there is a void for affordable and easy to use applications for the middle-market; and it is here where the opportunities abound. And it is to address the needs of the middle-market that Matics has been specifically developed; a Management Execution System (MES) for the SME’s.
I ask what some of the symptoms, the tell-tails, of a company that might benefit from the digitalization component of an Industry 4.0 strategy and the answer was as simple as it was to make a determination at one’s business; if you are capturing and tracking information using pen and paper, there is probably an opportunity for digitalization with the need being especially acute if the information being captured should be captured and acted upon in real-time.
Ofra then shares a brief tour of how Matics works and how the solutions can help you to collect, analyze and collaborate in real time to gain production efficiency in your operations and offer the ability to remotely manage of the health of your operations.
A very interesting conversation with a very interesting person from a company whose value is as needed as it is timely. Give a listen.
About Ofra Kalechstain
Ofra Kalechstain has been the CEO of Matics since 2019, previously serving as the company’s CTO. Prior to Matics, Kalechstain was the Vice President of Product Development at Paradigm, a globally distributed organization where for over 26 years she led the product development business unit, overseeing an annual budget of $45M.
Kalechstain has been instrumental in growing Matics and instilling a culture of competitive excellence throughout the organization. She has helped build a durable organization which has and can continue to withstand change. Kalechstain holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion). Since 2015 she’s also been an active investor in tech startups, leading several companies to financial growth and successful product delivery.
Company: Matics
Website: https://matics.live
Headquarters: Haifa, Israel
Year Founded: 2017
Company Type: Software Publisher specializing in apps that manage production
Specialties: Matics develops software that is used by factories to digitize the production process. Their software combines pervasive technology and manufacturing know-how to monitor and capture the complete digital production journey for full auditability, repeatability and knowledge capture; a smart digital manufacturing platform that provides unprecedented visibility and control of your manufacturing process – anytime, anywhere. Designed for SMEs, Matics’ secure cloud-based RTOI solution enables fast, non-disruptive, modular and scalable deployment.
Matics’ digital manufacturing systems are installed in hundreds of production floors worldwide, connecting thousands of machines, in highly demanding production environments. From planning & scheduling, through all production stages and work procedures, all the way to the warehouse, we provide a comprehensive production management solution.