I was born and bred in the region. Grew up on the lake and now live in Newcastle.

Why did you study computer engineering?

I enjoyed technology as a teenager and it seemed like an interesting degree.

Why follow it up with a Masters in Business Administration?

Historically, working in technical engineering roles put a ceiling on where a career could go and it was necessary for engineers to move into management or commercial roles to progress. One of the most positive changes in recent years has been a shift in this mindset, now subject matter experts are being recognised as hugely valuable within organisations. When I did my MBA, I was being pulled into the business operations side of engineering and the MBA seemed like a good way to learn some fundamentals.

You worked for two firms before forming IMC. What does it do and who are its clients?

IMC work with camera systems. More specifically computer vision and video analytics systems. The most common application people would be familiar with is face detection on mobile phone cameras. IMC develop software to solve industrial-scale problems using cameras. Most of our work is with cameras that see outside of what the human eye can see, for example thermal imaging camera technology.

Why did you found Pitcrew AI last February?

Within IMC we had developed several technologies centred on the inspection of vehicles. There is an obvious long-term trend towards autonomous vehicle fleets. Billions of dollars have been spent on autonomous driving technology, but human drivers have functions beyond just driving. As a driver, you and I can easily tell if something is wrong with our vehicle when we hear a rattle, feel a vibration or smell smoke. Autonomous drivers don't perform these functions yet. This limitation has become very obvious in the mining industry where autonomous vehicles are common. Pitcrew AI aims to become the autonomous inspection solution for autonomous fleets.

What software and intelligence does the platform use; who are its clients?

Major mining companies that run autonomous haulage fleets are our common client. The software has been developed by our engineering team in Newcastle over a number of years. Custom built image libraries have been used to train deep learning models to provide automated condition monitoring of haul fleets.

Pitcrew AI recently struck a deal with Canada's Kal Tire that will allow autonomous detection of problems on mine sites with machine tyres. Can you explain the deal?

Kal Tire are one of the largest off the road (OTR) tyre service providers for mine sites globally, operating on more than 150 mine sites across five continents. Our agreement with Kal Tire is an enormous boost, it will increase access to diverse site operational conditions and accelerate the maturation of Pitcrew AI inspection technologies. We are excited about upcoming developments that the partnership enables.

What value has the deal to your company and how will it alter operations?

As the rollout to Kal Tire sites progresses over the next few years we will increase our engineering pool in Newcastle. For a data analytics standpoint, the depth of historical data and access to real time field data that the Kal Tire deal brings has enormous value. There will be significant benefits for mine operators hidden within the gathered data that we will be developing systems to uncover.

Will this deal to open up other contracts?

It has certainly put us on the radar of several global operators and we have partnership requests flowing in from all over the world. There is enormous potential for increased adoption of the technology within Australia and a major part of our focus will still be on the domestic opportunities.

Does your platform have potential in other sectors?

Absolutely. We have systems installed into the surface of roadways that are used to inspect the underside and brakes of road trucks and heavy vehicles. Other systems are under development and plenty of ideas to follow those.

Best part of your job?

It is immensely rewarding to see a product that was nothing more than an idea a few years ago delivering tangible value to clients on the other side of the world.

And most challenging?

The last year of on-off remote work has been tough. Engineers need to huddle together around white boards, it is their natural habitat. There's no digital replacement for that yet and keeping the team functioning remotely has been a real challenge. We've all been in that together though and hopefully the end is in sight.

What's in the pipeline following the Kal Tire deal?

Deliver! Our focus in the short term is really on making sure we can deliver above and beyond expectations. There are massive supply chain issues impacting many of our suppliers. We've got a lot of work to do to ensure we can meet our targets. Then we have got a pipeline jammed full of new features to the existing product and new solution ideas.

IN THE NEWS

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: