<p>The formula for a successful business revolves around the problems it’s able to solve. Recognizing pain points for potential customers is key, but the formula for how those issues are addressed is what differentiates an average product from a great one. When it came to mountain bikes, there were a lot of brands in the world, building good bikes, but none of them were providing the highly specialized components that some avid riders were looking for.&nbsp;</p><br><p>To really make a dent in an industry requires more than a passive interest in the product. You have to have an obsession, something that really drives you towards evolution. You have to want it even if you’re only creating for yourself. It takes vision to solve a problem, but it takes a visionary to solve it well. And if you build it, they will come.&nbsp;</p><br><p>My guest today is P.J. Tolentino, Founder and Head Engineer at Rurok Industries. Tolentino is the textbook example of someone who transformed their passion into a career. He and his team have built a successful company by dreaming up all the ways to make mountain bikes better, and then actually doing it. Their hyper-focused attention to detail has made their bikes stand out from the crowd.</p><br><p>In this episode, we talk about how Rurok Industries got their start and the team’s unparalleled passion for the sport. Their dedication to constant innovation continues to pedal this specialized brand of mountain bikes forward as they swiftly gain global brand recognition.&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Some Questions I Ask:</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>How did Rurok get its name? (1:03)</li><li>What’s different about your bikes? (2:45)</li><li>What challenges did you face when you started the company? (5:00)</li><li>What is generative design and how do you use it? (9:25)</li><li>What challenges do you anticipate in the future? (16:20)</li><li>How are you scaling up from a local brand to a global brand? (17:58)</li><li>What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs? (22:25)</li></ul><p><br></p><br><p><strong>What You’ll Learn in this Episode:</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>How a passion for sport became an idea for a startup (1:35)</li><li>The super human concept of swarm optimization (6:46)</li><li>How Siemens' Solid Edge Software is being used in their design process (11:45)</li><li>How Rurok has found a silver lining during the pandemic (13:27)</li><li>An overview of the Rurok product line (19:32)</li><li>What working too hard might be trying to tell you (23:07)</li></ul><p><br></p><br><p><strong>Connect with P.J. Tolentino:</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li><a href="https://rurokindustries.com/team-rurok/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rurok Industries</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/rurokindustries/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rurokindustries/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Connect with John Fox:&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhfox/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/johnhfox" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Resources:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_zASCaM3BM&amp;trk=organization-update-content_share-video-embed_share-article_title" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Performance bike manufacturer Rurok uses Solid Edge to streamline prototyping and development time</a></li><li><a href="https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/de/our-story/customers/rurok-industries/69846/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Siemens Article on Rurok Industries</a></li></ul><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Crises give birth to opportunities and there’s a handful of smart people around the world who don’t get discouraged in the face of challenges, but instead see an empty space in the market and come up with ways to fill it up - and Siemens is always there to help them achieve their goals.</p><p>As the current pandemic spread globally, one obvious issue that came up was the shortage of protection equipment, especially the worldwide need for efficient masks that could ensure the safety of all individuals. The demand rapidly outpaced the supply of N95 masks so solutions needed to be found.</p><p>Luckily, as a part of the Siemens Hardware Startup Program, Sabrina and the ‘Fix the Mask’ team have been tirelessly working to supply better masks in the fight against COVID-19. She and her business partner, Megan, came up with a way to adjust the regular surgical masks to fit the safety requirements an N95 mask did, and they ended up creating an even better product that ensures greater protection against aerosolized viruses. The best part of all of this is that their solution is so simple that can be replicated by anyone around the globe.</p><p>Listen to the <strong>first episode</strong> of <strong>The Hardware Startups: Digitalization to Realization </strong>podcast to learn more about this innovative concept, its impact on the health industry, and the role Siemens played in helping Sabrina and the Fix the Mask team to design and develop the product.</p><p><strong>Some questions I ask:</strong></p><ul><li>How did you come up with this idea for Fix the Mask, and the product concept? (00:51)</li><li>Can you talk a little bit about the process that you went through to validate the actual effectiveness of the design? (06:05)</li><li>Can you tell us a bit more about what do you feel you're achieving with this mission? (11:23)</li><li>Making sure that there's a good seal on the mask, how exactly did you simulate that or assess that with your 3D models within NX? (16:06)</li><li>What other support did Siemens Digital Technologies provide to you? (22:32)</li></ul><p><strong>In this episode, you will learn:</strong></p><ul><li>The process of how Sabrina and her team adjusted a surgical mask to make it even more efficient than an N95 mask. (07:00)</li><li>The challenges they faced early on as a company, both from a business and a product development perspective &amp; the challenges she anticipates to meet in the future. (08:21)</li><li>How Sabrina leveraged the Siemens solutions to do the design and development work of her product. (12:51)</li><li>Sabrina’s vision for Fix the Mask, for the next five years. (15:08)</li><li>How she successfully gathered people from all over the world, to work on her idea. (19:18)</li></ul><p><strong>Connect with Sabrina</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.fixthemask.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/fix-the-mask/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/fixthemask/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/FixTheMask/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/FixTheMask" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li></ul><p><strong>Resources</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/industries/small-medium-business/startups/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Siemens Startups Program: from idea to market leader with the right tools</strong></a></li></ul><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>