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ph: 604-688-2398 fx: 604-688-1963
CAN'T FIND SOMETHING? |
Business in Vancouver December 30, 2008-January 5, 2009; issue 1001 Sharon Barnes CEO, RFind Systems Inc., Age: 38 Looking for stuff not only costs manufacturers time, but money. Lots of it. So it’s not surprising that a whole industry has formed around the task. When it comes to finding things, both on and off the assembly line, manufacturers are increasingly turning to sharp-eyed Sharon Barnes, whose company has made its mark only three years after starting out in Kelowna. “The number 1 non-value-added cost of manufacturing is the time spent looking for something,” said the Honolulu-born, Phoenix-raised tech expert. “Any manufacturer will tell you that they spend an enormous amount of time looking for things, and that cost is not recoverable through profit margins because it brings no value to the product.” After moving to Vancouver as a teenager and later studying computer systems technology at B.C. Institute of Technology, Barnes worked as a consultant on communications protocols for the high-tech sector, and started RFind with a business partner as they both had experience working in industrial manufacturing implementing locating systems. Users of the company’s Tag to Tag communication technology include Swedish car, truck and construction equipment-maker Volvo and one of the world’s largest car manufacturers. When a vehicle rolls off the assembly line into a parking lot, it can take a while to find it again among a thousand others that look exactly the same unless it is has a locating tag. Ditto for inventory in a warehouse that is needed quickly on a production line. RFind’s radio frequency identification tag is placed onto an asset and communicates with reference tags placed elsewhere in a facility, thereby telling a server where it’s located. Having met her target this year to secure contracts with seven major manufacturers, Barnes, who counts leadership and mentoring as some of her business strengths, expects the 12-employee company to be in a positive cash flow position in 2009. • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii Where do you live now: Kelowna Highest level of education: MBA in project management Car or chosen mode of transport: Toyota Camry hybrid Currently reading: A Story-Gram from Vinyl Cafe Inc. by Stuart McLean and Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman Last CD bought or music downloaded: Lucky Old Sun by Kenny Chesney Favourite movie: Rat Race Favourite local restaurant: Old Vines restaurant at Quail’s Gate Winery Profession you would most like to try: Mentorship and coaching to small businesses; teaching at a local college Mentor: Margaret Pound, retired VP of TD Canada Trust and Vern Neilson, CEO of Flight Motion Simulators Toughest business or professional decision: Walking away from a desperately needed early financing package after an investor group made last-minute unethical changes What’s left to do: A lot! Continue to grow RFind and establish its technology as a standard platform within the industry. Continue to learn about business and the global economy and to share that learning with others |
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