Damian Jemioło: ConnectPoint is today a technology firm and systems integrator, specialising in advanced IT solutions for industry, energy, and the utilities sector. With a team of 140 experts, we bridge IT and OT technologies, supporting the digitisation of processes, data management, and operational optimisation. What was it like back in 2010? What inspired you to start the company? 

Dawid Pilc: As far back as I can remember, my dream was to start a company and build something new, something unique. I always struggled with fitting into rigid structures and being just a cog in the corporate machine. This later translated into ConnectPoint, where for over 10 years we had virtually no organisational hierarchy, keeping formalities to the bare minimum. The business began with an idea to build fibre-optic networks, but that project fell through. What remained, however, were industry contacts and the search for a new idea, which took nearly three years. 

Damian Jemioło: Today, we’re a leading player in technologies for the Manufacturing and Utilities sectors. Do you recall a pivotal moment when the decision was made to “go in this direction”? After all, it wasn’t the plan from the very start. 

Dawid Pilc: It started quite typically. A client had a need, and the market lacked the right expertise. Around that time, I met Jakub Tomiczek, and we decided to build a company focused on bridging the worlds of OT and IT, delivering organisations insights into their production processes. We signed a partnership agreement with OSIsoft, began developing our industry knowledge, and started building a team specialised in processing streaming data. 

Damian Jemioło: Alongside our extensive service offerings, we’re also developing our own products. The Smart RDM Platform is particularly close to your heart – “your baby”. How did the idea for this tool come about, and how has it evolved over the years? 

Dawid Pilc: Now we have more “babies” at ConnectPoint that complement each other perfectly and allow us to meet most of the utility market’s needs.

Smart RDM is now fully independent. The product is doing very well and is being developed by an excellent team. The idea originated with one of our clients, and our consultant suggested we could turn it into something much better, done our way. A second client picked up on the idea, and a third sparked its rapid growth. I remember these words: “Give us something that lets us access all our data from one place, see it in real time, edit it, and report it to the board.”

Today, we have a full application based on containers, available in on-premise and cloud versions. It uses advanced algorithms to support maintenance and production continuity, and, of course, AI.

What’s most important, though, is that our clients trusted us and have been helping us develop the product for years. 

Damian Jemioło: We both know that despite the rise of AI, ConnectPoint’s success still hinges on people. How has our team evolved over these 15 years? After all, some of our colleagues have been with us almost from the beginning. And how has managing a team grown from 10 to 140 people? 

Dawid Pilc: The difference is immense because there’s no longer time to chat with everyone. We have team-building events that allow for brief exchanges, but combined with the widespread trend of remote working, it doesn’t make things easier. We manage this through team leaders. Most of them were appointed internally, they know the company well, and I think they’re doing an impressive job of meeting our goals. 

Damian Jemioło: Our client base has changed over the years. Do you have any particularly memorable stories from projects or client collaborations? 

Dawid Pilc: After so many years, there are quite a few stories, but instead, I’ll share some good quotes:

  • A major energy project: “The delay was due to both sides. Unfortunately, we didn’t pull our weight, but ConnectPoint didn’t account for our inertia.”
     
  • A big utility project: “We need a company with passion.”
     
  • A large manufacturing project: “Finally, someone sorted out our Excel mess.”
     
  • I especially like the second one. And I still wonder how to keep that passion alive in the team as we grow. 

Damian Jemioło: Technology has undergone a massive transformation – AI, machine learning, IoT… Yet, we keep up with the changes and align with new trends. 

Dawid Pilc: It’s complicated because whether you’re keeping up or not is quite relative. Essentially, we try to stay slightly ahead of market needs, which isn’t always a good thing; sometimes clients, especially in Poland, aren’t ready for it. We do a lot for international companies, and particularly in the broad energy sector, it’s worth tapping into our experience from completed projects. 

Damian Jemioło: “Saving the world through technology” – that’s a slogan that fits ConnectPoint. Our solutions improve efficiency, protect the environment, and help build a sustainable future. A few words on that? 

Dawid Pilc: It just so happened that most of what we do serves some form of optimisation. Efficiency always leads to reduced resource use, which in turn benefits the environment. It’s gratifying that our solutions contribute to this, but above all, they help clients cut costs and achieve quick returns on investment. 

Damian Jemioło: We’ve talked about the past and present – what about the future? What are ConnectPoint’s plans for the coming years? 

Dawid Pilc: Our main goal is to improve service quality and employee satisfaction – that always leads to happy clients. We plan to heavily invest in expanding our services and products in the market, establish a stronger presence abroad, make our products more independent, and build a partner network. So far, when we’ve really wanted something, we’ve made it happen, so I have strong faith in these plans too.