Winner of One Benchmark Value Award 2023: Innovative
Geert Rombaut | Job Role: Product Manager of Artemia and Live Food, Nutrition | Location: Belgium
Geert Rombaut
Geert embodies our Innovative values. He spearheaded the successful global launch of SnappArt with our partner Aris, demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovative drive.
SnappArt has enhanced cost efficiency through standardisation and has positioned INVE as an industry leader in innovative technologies.
The tool went quickly from first prototype to the commercial launch at EAS in Austria, followed by releases in the Philippines, India, and Ecuador through close collaboration with and support from the IT, finance, and the regional teams.
As part of a series of Q&As with our LOV Award winners we interviewed Geert to find out more about his role and what the Innovative value means to him:
Can you describe your role at Benchmark?
As the Product Manager for the Artemia and live food portfolio at INVE Aquaculture, my role is multifaceted and pivotal in ensuring the success and growth of our Artemia and Live food related products, making sure that we deliver innovative products that meet the needs of our customers, maximizing profitability, and maintaining a competitive edge in the aquaculture market.
As a product manager I am responsible for identifying market opportunities, conceptualizing new product ideas and overseeing their development from idea to launch. We also play a crucial role in managing the lifecycle of existing products by ensuring they remain competitive and continue to deliver value to our customers over time.
Our department fosters a culture of cross-functional collaboration. By working closely with teams across the organization such as the technical support team, R&D, marketing, sales, regulatory and operations, we ensure alignment and collaboration across functions in support of our product objectives to drive product success.
Can you tell us what you enjoy most about your work?
What I enjoy most about my work is the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse team of individuals who share an entrepreneurial approach to solving challenges. Being part of a team that embraces innovation and creativity allows us to tackle opportunities in our market.
Besides the teamwork, one aspect I particularly value is the uniqueness of our product portfolio and the opportunity to work on innovative products & solutions that have the potential to make a significant impact in the market is both motivating and fulfilling.
Overall, I feel privileged to be part of a team that thrives on collaboration, embraces innovation and is dedicated to making a positive difference in the aquaculture industry. Working in this environment is motivating and inspires me to push the boundaries of what is possible.
What does innovative value mean to you?
To me the innovative value embodies the essence of growth. At its core, innovation is about continuously challenging the status quo and exploring new ways to improve products, processes, or services. It’s about questioning conventional wisdom and identifying inefficiencies in the production processes. By embracing this mindset, we can uncover hidden opportunities for innovation and drive meaningful change.
It’s important to recognize that the success of innovations is often the result of hard work and resilience in the face of failures. These failures aren’t setbacks but are instead stepping stones which generate invaluable insights and guide us toward breakthroughs.
Innovation isn’t just about the creation of revolutionary inventions or breakthroughs; it can also be a sum of incremental improvements. Every small enhancement with a direct or indirect effect on the different aspects of a product can contribute to the overall innovative value proposition, driving sustained growth and competitiveness of our company over time.
After the successful launch of SnappArt, what avenues do you see for future use of the technology in future product development in INVE?
Following the successful launch of the SnappArt, our team at INVE conducted a brainstorm session to explore future avenues for the technology and potential product development. This session brought together internal stakeholders, as well as our partner ARIS, who collaborated on the development of SnappArt. The goal was to use the collective expertise and insights to identify promising directions for the existing SnappArt platform to advance our offerings in the aquaculture industry. The outcome of this collaborative brainstorming effort was a shortlist of ideas that have the potential to revolutionize the way hatcheries produce larvae and make their processes more consistent and cost-efficient.
One key area we identified was precision feeding. This would involve leveraging the capabilities of SnappArt to optimize feeding regimes making cases of overfed or underfed larvae less common at critical developmental stages. We also aim to provide hatcheries with insights which they can use to enhance their feeding strategies by integrating real-time monitoring and data analytics.
Additionally, the SnappArt technology serves as a tool for data management, laying the groundwork for using larger volumes of data in hatchery operations. By collecting data on environmental conditions, larval behaviour, and feeding responses, we can analyse this data and use it to develop predictive models and optimize production outcomes. Taking a data-driven approach enhances operational efficiency and enables hatcheries to adapt to changing conditions in real time.
In summary, the successful launch of SnappArt is just the beginning of a journey towards precision feeding and data-driven management in hatcheries of marine fish and shrimp. With a strong foundation in place, we are excited to continue innovating and collaborating with our partners to shape the future of aquaculture and deliver value to our customers worldwide.
