An Interview with José David Ospina, Nediar Co-Founder and CEO: ‘The Purpose of the Development of our Products is to Achieve Better Levels of Training, better the Experience from the Maintenance Processes in the Industry and Allow a High Level of Internalization of Knowledge in the Procedures Required by a Client’

“We develop products for the aeronautical industry in order to support maintenance and operations processes through the Industry 4.0. Likewise, we provide consulting services and scheduled maintenance.”

Nediar is an aeronautical company with the ability to innovate in different projects while offering safety, reliability, and training in each one of them.

Some of its clients include Avianca, COPA Airlines, LATAM, Viva Air, Easy Fly CORONA, Impointer, SODIMAC, SENA, IFA, CPEA Flight School and Aviation Excess.

The company was incorporated in 2011 and is headquartered in Medellín, Antioquia.

José David Ospina, Nediar Co-founder and CEO, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review. Below is an excerpt.

Q. Brief us about the services your company offer.

Nediar focuses on providing customized business solutions in engineering and technological innovation through two business units:

NVP 4.0 Unit: We develop technological solutions through the use of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and 3D Modeling, providing our customers with innovative products that generate a great impact on their productivity, efficiency, and job security though the virtual simulation.

Technology and Aeronautical Services Unit: We develop products for the aeronautical industry in order to support maintenance and operations processes. Likewise, we provide consulting services and scheduled maintenance.

Nediar has the ability to provide solutions to a wide range of technological needs through innovation.

Besides, our work axis is based on interdisciplinary, allowing us to develop different projects, among which the integration of technologies and the training of apprentices from various sectors of the city stand out.

Q. Who or what has shaped who you are?

Mainly my family; my parents, siblings, wife, and children! My father always worked with responsibility, discipline, and love in what he did in his daily work. I have learned it from my father to be responsible and diligent. I really owe everything to my parents and their devotion and drive to see to it that their children had the right education and guidance.

Besides this, I set goals, enjoy what I do every day, surrounded myself with good people, and seek help from them.

Now, I am glad to have the best team to work in Nediar, each day I learn, and I enjoy a lot from them.

Q. Describe a time you had to make a tough decision. What did you do and what was the result?

Several months ago, I made a tough decision when I had to terminate three people from the organization due to a situation that arose due to the pandemic. We had to restructure our teams in the face of the new challenges that tested us over time; however, with the economic recovery, things are falling into place and they came back to the job.

Q. What other CEOs do you look up to? Why?

I admire Richard Branson. As an entrepreneur, I am passionate about what he does. He’s a leader with a lot of perseverance.

Q. If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

The best advice that I can give to a person who is starting out: Be resilient and responsible. Sometimes, I see very excited budding entrepreneurs starting their business, but in a short time, they decide to discontinue it because this wasn’t something they really wanted to do. Do a lot of research; decide what you really want to do. Once you launch a business, do not turn back as there might be roadblocks bothering you. So, be resilient.

Q. What do you think is the most memorable moment in your career?

The most memorable moment in my career was when I finished my studies in Mechanical Engineering and decided to pursue MSc. in Technological Management (Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana). The master’s degree allowed me to understand better what innovation was and how I could start to make innovation a better tool for my professional life.

In the last three years at NEDIAR, we have achieved very good results in innovation management, so much so, that we have been recognized as one of the ‘20 Most Innovative Companies in Colombia’ and have just been recognized as one of the ‘20 Most Tech Companies In Latin America’ by CIO Review Magazine.

José David Ospina: A Trusted Leader

José David Ospina, Co-founder, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of NEDIAR. With 15 years of experience in the aerospace sector, he has worked in simulation projects and training to train cabin crew for passengers, simulation with Virtual and Augmented Realities for training processes, development of aeronautical parts, and quality processes for the industry. He is passionate about innovation and industry 4.0. Nowadays, He is the chairman on the Board from CAESCOL – Cluster Aeroespacial Colombiano (Colombian Aerospace Cluster) and an advisor in the FEDIAC – Federación de la Industria Aeroespacial de Colombia.

“We develop technological solutions through the use of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and 3D Modeling, providing our customers with innovative products which generate a great impact on their productivity, efficiency, and job security.”