Tradiebot: collaboration is essential to industrial innovation
Immersive technology company Tradiebot Industries is developing software and hardware solutions for training and information delivery in the manufacturing and trade sectors
Mario Dimovski, Founder and CEO of Tradiebot, boasts over 25 years’ experience in the automotive repair industry. He started working in automotive repairs as a welder when he was just 16 years old, and went on to run his own service company. Today, he is recognised as one of the industry’s leading innovators and, last month, was named by IBIS (International Bodyshop Industry Symposium) as their first Global Ambassador.
As a business owner, it was his first-hand experience of skill shortages that encouraged Dimovski to establish Tradiebot in 2018.
“Industry has to start developing education programs and training the next generation of workers. The technology that we’re using advances so far and fast that university degrees just can’t keep pace with industry,” said Dimovski.
“That’s why Tradiebot specialises in immersive technology—like augmented and virtual reality—for training and skills assessment. We’ve developed the Next Gen program, as well as several tools that replicate trade applications like spray painting and metal welding. Our tools convert the skills needed for these trades into a virtual form that school students, job seekers and members of our future workforce can use for training purposes.”
Building Next Generation Skills
Tradiebot’s Next Gen program is designed to help address the growing demand for skills in areas such as augmented and virtual reality, 3D modelling and mobile app development. The program offers school students access to educational courses, as well as an avenue to explore multiple career pathways and employment opportunities.
“Our Next Gen program is designed to help school students develop in-demand skills. Facebook alone has over 3,000 positions vacant for augmented reality technicians,” said Dimovski.
“We’ve partnered with one of the local high schools so that students can undertake training and short courses on augmented and virtual reality and 3D modelling. We’ve already identified three students who are extremely talented and very suited to becoming developers.”
“Kids are already using virtual and augmented reality in their day-to-day lives, gaming on virtual reality consoles and using mobile apps. Next Gen gives kids the tools they need to embark on a career that they will love. Plus, it allows us to grow, expand and feed in the talent that we need, and that we’ve developed ourselves,” said Dimovski.
collaborating to deliver industrial innovation
Tradiebot’s partnerships extend beyond their highly successful skills programs, to include research and development into new and innovative products. Tradiebot has worked with Deakin University on research into smart technologies, and teamed up with Swinburne University on the development of Repairbot, an automated plastic repair system for car parts.
“We regularly work with industry partners, universities, and government bodies to develop the very best industrial innovation and digital transformation solutions,” said Dimovski. “Many of our industry collaborators are actually the end users of our products. So we’ve worked together with companies like PPG, Axalta, 3M, AMA Group and the New South Wales Government developing the solutions that they need to better attract the future workforce. ”
Advancing and Accelerating Results
“Collaboration is vital. It brings together experts from diverse fields to pinpoint and solve pain points. We know our industry—and know it well—but we don’t know the ins and outs of the education industry, for example. So, as you collaborate with experts from other industries, you find out what it is they need and what is most important to them.”
“Together, you can maximise results, instead of trying to solve the problems that you think exist. Having experts from diverse fields involved in a project helps to advance and accelerate results,” said Dimovski.