“We’re introducing the ability to harness information that either doesn’t exist or that’s locked away in an Excel spreadsheet. Taking advantage of that data is extremely powerful.”
We’re thrilled to introduce Yogi Rana, the latest addition to the Covalent team. In his role as Director of Product Strategy, he oversees the direction of the core product in addition to searching for and developing net new opportunities that we can use to expand our offerings. He focuses on using strategic vision to drive innovation and add real value for our customers.
A Proven Track Record
For the majority of his career before joining Covalent, Rana worked with innovative tech across the manufacturing value chain, from design to engineering to manufacturing to service. During his time at major companies like PTC, Rana held a range of roles, including strategy, product, and go-to-market positions.
Most recently, he led a team that took a value-driven manufacturing augmented reality (AR) and digital twin technology from the initial prototype stage to delivering it to customers for use on the shop floor. In addition to developing the skills needed to create new products, Rana also learned about the real issues that frontline workers face in their day-to-day work.
Because of his direct engagements with manufacturers, he realized that they lacked the technology they needed to be more efficient, explaining that “because of the lack of tools, expertise sits in silo. To prevent these silos, we need to introduce tools to distribute knowledge in a much more dynamic, data-driven way.”
On Innovation
As Director of Product Strategy, Rana is tasked with doing just that, by building off of Covalent’s core product and adding innovation.
“Innovation needs to be tied back to the economic business value of using the tool,” says Rana. “Whether it’s reduced scrap and rework, improved proficiency, improved productivity, or reduced downtime, there needs to be an economic value to solving a problem that can only be solved with a particular technology.”
Rather than starting with the tech and looking for a problem that it can solve, Rana flips the equation by beginning with the business challenge and going from there. He describes how he applies a logical framework to bringing products to market.
“We first need to understand why we need that innovation in the first place by discovering the right opportunities, pain points, and problems that real end users have and that are valuable to solve,” Rana explains. “Then we need to design a solution and apply the right innovation by leveraging the right tool sets. Finally we need to develop and deliver that solution that meets those requirements.”
For him, that solution is found in design thinking and human centered design, which points to the intersection of desirability, viability, and feasibility. Of course it needs to be technologically feasible, but it’s just as important for the technology to add tangible business value while also being a solution that end users want to adopt. He calls this the innovation sweet spot.
Looking Ahead to Innovating with Covalent
Rana has a passion for technology, he is excited to bring new opportunities to market, and, most of all, he wants to do his part to solve manufacturers’ toughest workforce challenges. He’s diving head-first into his new role by developing a roadmap to bring new products to market.
Since he began working with Covalent, Rana has created a step-wise strategy for developing innovation that meets real market needs. From identifying and discovering new opportunities to conducting research and learning more about the challenges that manufacturers face every day, Rana is setting the foundation to build out new products and bring them to market.
We’re excited to see how Rana adds valuable innovation to our product offerings, and we’re confident that he has the skills and customer-first mindset to get the job done.
Want to learn more about how our software improves workforce management for leading manufacturers? Contact us today.
