Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself,’ as George Bernard Shaw once said. This adage perfectly encapsulates Marina Fliamer’s journey, who is the Founder and CEO of Techno Robotics. Grown up in Norilsk , a small town in the former USSR 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, Marina Fliamer is a recent Israeli repatriate. Marina was greatly impacted by the industrious engineers, miners, and industrial workers in her town as she grew up in an area characterized by harsh cold, protracted winters, and the unusual phenomenon of polar nights. Her mother, a literature teacher, and father, a mining engineer, created a home where learning and a love of one's profession were valued. Marina's early love of invention and strong work ethic were ingrained in her by this environment.

Marina majored in industrial automation at first, then switched to economics, where she finished her dissertation. Her career path took her to the nuclear and energy sectors, among others, where she worked significantly in strategy, business development, and corporate communications. Marina worked for years in a uranium mining company, making her one of the only female employees in the Middle East to operate a kilometer below the earth's surface. She was motivated to publish a book about women's empowerment in Russia after being inspired by the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Marina's varied experiences and commitment to creativity and teamwork serve as the foundation for her work.

Embarking on a distinctive exchange with The Global Women Leader magazine, Marina divulges the intricate facets of her journey as a prominent leader in Israel. Let's explore further.

What inspired you to establish Techno Robotics? What are its key areas of expertise?

My involvement in an industry where small and medium-sized enterprises were having difficulty with manual, repetitive work gave rise to the concept of Techno Robotics. The physical demands of packing and palletizing were brought to my attention while assisting at a women's cooperative that made natural organic cosmetics. The response I received when I proposed inexpensive robots as a solution was sad— they believed robotics to be too complicated and out of reach. This led me to see that small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), the foundation of many economies, had been overlooked by traditional robotics.

Developing readily deployable, intuitive automation solutions with low programming knowledge is our main goal. We offer a bundle of services that includes safety assessments, planning, and training, and we integrate robots with other machinery, such as programmable logical controllers (PLCs). We have even created an efficiency calculator to assist business owners in making well-informed decisions about automation.

What are the various responsibilities you shoulder as Founder and CEO of Techno Robotics?

My main duties include developing the company's strategy, expanding the company, and encouraging teamwork. I think that strong collaborations are necessary to change the world, as no one person can do it alone. Leading inventors from Israeli institutions, the global Phoenix Contact Group for logical controllers, and Aubo for collaborative robots manufacturing are just a few of the innovators with whom I have built partnerships. My goal is to assemble a team of people who are all more knowledgeable, astute, and proficient in their fields than I am. This guarantees that we are always pushing the envelope.

"We are enabling SMEs to become more competitive & move into automated production in the future by democratizing robotics and making it more affordable"