Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1111672
66 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2019 Johnson: What is one thing you would want every customer to understand about delivering a job to your shop? Irfan: Generally, customers have to deal with a lot of different suppliers to take a concept to production and product launch. One thing we like our customers to know is under our one- stop shop model, Whizz has all of the capa- bility in-house from concept to hardware and mechanical design, thermal, CAD simulations, and world-class manufacturing. All of these facets interact with each other through the crit- ical phases of the project. We want our cus- tomers to know that they can engage with us and hand off the project at any stage and have one company responsible to deliver the end result all under one roof. Sometimes, customers shy away because they don't know where to go for a complete package, or they think, "I have half of this in- house. How do I deal with another company only taking full turn-key projects?" But we truly want them to know we're an extension of their team. We give them the flexibility to pick Whizz Systems on Knowing Your Strengths and Building Customer Relationships Nolan Johnson speaks with Whizz Systems Inc. President Muhammed Irfan about know- ing your strengths, engaging startups, and building strong customer relationships through education and preparation. Nolan Johnson: Muhammad, can you start by introducing yourself, your role, and Whizz Systems? Muhammed Irfan: My education is in electrical engineering and computer science. Right after graduation, I met Manny Karim in '89 and we both joined a startup. We developed an engi- neering services and product development business model, taking ideas into the mar- ket and navigating the initial stages of man- ufacturing. Early on, we understood the pain points and offered to turn that into a business to help customers launch products. Our busi- ness continued to grow, and through acquisi- tion, we ended up being part of Celestica. Manny, my business partner, and I left Celes- tica and funded and founded Whizz Systems Inc. in 2000. We complement each other well. Manny handles all of the operations, materials, and manufacturing as the CEO. Meanwhile, I handle engineering and some aspects of busi- ness development, such as customer relation- ships, strategy, and where to lead our business for the future. Muhammed Irfan