"How to enter new year with a bang?" - Interview with Marek Wieteska, CEO of SelfMaker group

You are just reading first #selfevolution interview in the new 2021. The beginning of the year is usually an opportunity to start a new chapter in history, to undertake new activities. What 2020 was for SelfMaker, and what 2021 is going to be, will be told by the CEO of the SelfMaker Group - Marek Wieteska

Mateusz Jarzombek: Hello Marek!

Marek Wieteska: Hi. What are we going to talk about?

MJ: It will be a conversation about the past and the future at the same time. Let's briefly summarize that very interesting 2020, and then let's look ahead and talk about what is waiting around the corner.

MW: Everyone knows what 2020 was. The enormity of human tragedies, both in the sphere of life and business. An outbreak of a pandemic on such a large scale was a situation that could not be predicted, but, as we have shown, it was possible to react to it appropriately. That is why we, as SelfMaker, will remember last year as one of the best in the company's history. We have developed like never before, created many new devices, enlarged the team, started moving to a new headquarters, and most of all we have launched an innovative company tokenization project, which is unique, especially in Poland. Thanks to this, we have acquired investors from all over the world.

MJ: Will 2021 be equally effective in terms of growth?

MW: It will be even better! (laugh). As I mentioned, there are situations that cannot be predicted, so we don't make assumptions. Instead, we are prepared for most scenarios. I can only say, that 2021 starts very strong. May it be like a Hitchcock movie: we start with an earthquake, and then it will be even more intense.

MJ: Please tell me what this „earthquake” will be.

MW: We are starting cooperation with SUNMI, a company known on the Asian market, which is a manufacturer of devices that automate points of sale. Like us, they manufacture terminals, cash registers, kiosks and any other peripheral devices that enable the operation of such systems. Their machines are currently used in more than 1.5 million points of sale around the world. This is a huge number.

MJ: Impressive indeed. Tell us more about this cooperation.

MW: A new brand has recently been created in the SelfMaker group. This brand is iMretail.pl and it will, among other things, offer SUNMI devices to customers from the European market. We hope that in this way we will reach many customers by showing them how the positive side of the Internet of Things and the automation of sales processes looks.

MJ: Why did SelfMaker become a partner of such a large Asian company?

MW: I think that together with the management of SUNMI we have a very similar view of the trade and services automation market. Our innovation, many years of experience and great knowledge of the needs of the European market were also appreciated.

MJ: Does this collaboration mean that SelfMaker will now focus less on its own solutions?

MW: Absolutely not! Cooperation with SUNMI will not be a form of replacement of our proprietary devices, but only an extension of the offer. As a result, our clients will be able to choose from a much wider range of solutions than before. SUNMI devices will also be more attractive in terms of price, which will allow us to reach smaller enterprises.

MJ: Why do the SelfMaker appliances and their SUNMI counterparts differ in prize?

MW: Our partner is an Asian giant with a very large technological background. Thanks to this, those devices are mass-produced, on a much larger scale than in the case of the SelfMaker. Large production batches do not offer such personalization possibilities as our native devices.

MJ: So it can be assumed that an entrepreneur looking for standard solutions will receive a new and attractive offer, and those who require more, can still benefit from tailor-made SelfMaker devices?

Exactly.

MJ: You mentioned that iMretail.pl, a new company from the SelfMaker group, will be responsible for selling SUNMI devices. Will you tell more about it?

MW: In this way, we wanted to separate our R&D activity from that focused precisely on offering technological solutions for trade and services industry. iMretail.pl is a place thanks to which we constantly meet the needs of enterprises looking for modern improvements for their businesses. Such a separation will allow us to sell and service devices more efficiently.

MJ: Indeed, this solution seems logical. Everything you say shows the continuous, dynamic development of the entire SelfMaker ecosystem.

MW: Yes. We grow in every sphere that is important to us. We hire new employees, create new prototypes, build new facilities, such as new production and office complex to which we are moving soon, or the Warsaw showroom.

MJ: It's very nice to hear that. I think I can invite our readers to visit these facilities when it is safe, and I wish you, Marek, and the entire SelfMaker group, to successfully implement all plans for 2021.

MW: Thank you very much!