Jeffery Trumble spent 30 years working at Ford, helping manage factory floors and helping the automaker integrate technology into its manufacturing. In that time, he noticed the needs of the people on the factory floor weren't always being met, so he decided to meet them with his own start-up
Trumble Inc.
The Livonia-based software firm is creating a platform that is more proactive than reactive. The idea is to spot problems early and help eliminate inefficiencies where the manufacturing takes place, on the factory floor.
"It's a floor tool for floor people," says Trumble, president & CEO of Trumble Inc. "We're very, very focused on the factory domain, specifically the factory floor."
Trumble points out that most manufacturing software platforms depend on users to query the system for answers before anything happens. Trumble Inc's platform will recognize a problem in the manufacturing process and alert the right worker to fix it.
"We have come up with a way to identify the responsible person and push that information to that person so they can take corrective action," Trumble says.
Trumble Inc has been developing this platform for five years, and is now working with some major manufacturers like Ford and General Motors to perfect it and prepare it for a broad launch. It recently hired one person, expanding its staff to 10 employees. It is also looking for an intern. Trumble expects his staff to double this year, hiring sales and project management personnel, as it targets OEM mnufacturers and other automotive suppliers.
"I see it growing very, very rapidly over the next 12 months to meet the demand," Trumble says. "We're getting a very positive response from suppliers in both the U.S. and Canada."
Source: Jeffery Trumble, president & CEO of Trumble
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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