Ivan Jivkov took the plunge into his own business in 2004 and hasn't looked back. Since then, his steel detailing company, Jitech Fabrication Technologies, has made its impression on the industry. In 2007, it was the recipient of the West Island Chamber of Commerce Award for best new business, and in 2006, it won the Best Solid Steel Competition for the best commercial steel building.

Getting the job done and winning awards has, however, not always been easy for Jivkov. In fact, the greatest of all challenges has been finding qualified people to complete the projects. His latest idea, to implicate a series of robots in the steel detailing process, would put and end to this problem. “In Canada there is a real shortage of skilled labor such as metal workers, welders. We just don't have the people to do the work. There are two alternatives. We can outsource oversees, but due to the distance, the turnaround of the project becomes very very long. So we're stuck with automating.”

Consequently, Jitech has devoted a lot of time to this idea as well as received government grants to go ahead with research. Jivkov believes in its benefits so much so that he supplements grants with personal and company funds to its development and adaptation. “We are working with the Institute of Aerospace Research combined with Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. What they do is they have industrial robots that they are working on for the aerospace industry; metal is metal and the robot doesn't know the difference whether he does airplanes or he does buildings....so we are tapping onto their resources and their knowledge to pursue our project. It's still in the early stages of development. We believe we will have something in 2009, and something great in 2011,” says Jivkov. “The major challenge of the project is to be able to have robot software read information downloaded the 3D models that we create here in our office automatically and do specified tasks. Some of those specified tasks are drilling, cutting with higher definition plasma, marking, assembly and welding.”

Research has allowed Jitech to grow and remain at the forefront of technological developments. Its continued application of IT and EDI have allowed for these kinds of up-to-date solutions.

In fact, it was one of the motivating factors behind Jivkov's decision to leave his job four years ago and start his own business. The idea of automating simple tasks fueled his desire be a leader, a business owner and creator. He has honored his life motto -- that each man is ultimately “master of his own destiny.”

In this case, man masters his own destiny and that of the robot too.