CEO in the picture: How CEO Raf Peeters is building the Qcify of the future

It all started with team member numero uno: our CEO Raf Peeters. An innovative thinker who doesn’t believe in hierarchy, Raf’s mission is to build a cutting-edge company that puts people first. Here’s what he has to say about his role and his vision for Qcify:

The birth of Qcify

The idea for Qcify was born in 2006 when Raf worked at sorting technology company Best. “We were doing really cool things with vision technology to be used for sorting machinery. But I thought we should be able to use that technology for quality control too. In 2015 I started developing just that, and finally we got there,” he says. To start out with, he didn’t want to collaborate with engineers from the sorting world: “I had a certain bias about their mindset. I find that they stick to a certain approach, and in the sorting world that meant adding 2D vision and numerous sensors.”

To work with advanced automation, Raf knew he needed to think in 3D. He also wanted to capture the potential of AI and deep learning early on, which was virtually non-existent in the sorting world. “That’s why I sought out an engineering company as an external party,” he says. In February 2016 the first Qcify prototype was ready to meet future customers. “You get to the point where you have your baby and you take it into the world, your child is ready to take its first steps,” says Raf. “Funnily enough, I now feel the same way about our newest machine, which we’re preparing to ship to California now. It’s a feeling I can get addicted to.”

Working toward Qcify 2.0

Raf doesn’t believe in hierarchy. “I want to be generally informed of course, and adjust course if necessary,” he says. “But it shouldn’t be a company where one person rules. That’s why I give employees a lot of autonomy, and I let others make decisions too. Everyone should be given that opportunity.”

The main thing the CEO wants to ensure is that Qcify becomes a better version of itself every year. He stimulates our team to grow, both in numbers and in knowledge. “There’s no better learning curve than the harsh reality of running a startup,” Raf says, laughing. “I’m also keen on evolution, and continuous self-improvement. I really feel that the people we have on board now are the pillars for Qcify 2.0.”

Are those the principles reflected in Qcify’s mission statement? “Mission statements are the biggest baloney a company can produce,” Raf insists. “Formulating who we are in one paragraph, that’s ridiculous. We are a work in progress. What I do think is that, especially in tech companies, everything revolves around people, so I think it’s important to continue to invest in that.”

A future built on passion

Raf hopes that Qcify can continue to expand the team with strong profiles, and that everyone will continue to have fun and be excited about what we’re doing. “Our growth doesn’t necessarily have to be fast, but it has to be sustainable,” he explains. “We also want to keep helping customers in a serious way, where we are profiling ourselves in the first place as a partner. A partner who helps find ways to optimize their quality control. The bottom line is we have to help customers make more money. We’re not about smooth sales pitches, we’re about creating results.”

At Qcify, giving back to society is an equally great responsibility. “It’s clear that this is the role of companies,” says Raf. “If we can put our hearts and souls into it instead of feeling like we’re just doing our jobs until we retire, then I say: mission accomplished.”