The human side of innovation: Sumesh M R

Every innovation has two sides: the undeniable technical achievement and the measurable impact. But equally important is The Human Side. The one who dares to try, tests uncertain ideas, fails and tries again, and challenges “the way we’ve always done it”. It’s about curiosity and courage. This article series celebrates Kalmar colleagues who live our core behavior, Experiment.

In this feature, we celebrate Sumesh M R, Machine Learning Architect at Kalmar, an Innovation Role Model and a co-winner in the 2025 Kalmar Innovation challenge, who truly shows us what Experiment looks like.

Sumesh, what is your background?

“I am a Machine Learning Architect within the Kalmar’s Digital Solutions team. My career began in 2004 as a software engineer, and I spent the first half of my career focused on software product development before transitioning into AI and data in 2013. My journey with Kalmar started in 2017 as an external consultant, and I officially joined the company as an employee in 2022.

When the AI and LLM (Large Language Model) boom accelerated a couple of years ago, I began actively experimenting with these technologies. Today, I am deeply passionate about the immense possibilities AI and data bring to fundamentally transforming our business. Specifically, I am focused on how we can leverage these tools to solve complex challenges and how we must modernise our operational processes to turn those possibilities into reality.”

What does experimenting mean to you?

“I find experimenting incredibly rewarding because it forces us to step outside our standard ways of thinking. I am always keeping an eye on the latest tech trends and love diving in hands-on whenever a promising new tool drops. On the Analytics & AI team, experimenting is simply part of our DNA. We work closely with the businesses, exploring data and AI to solve their biggest headaches.

Speed is everything here. We try to test ideas quickly, but we also know the immense value of 'failing fast.' Sometimes you test a concept and realise the tech just isn't there yet, or our current processes cannot handle it. It is incredibly important to recognise that early on.”

What motivates you to keep innovating?

“My primary motivation is the continuous opportunity to learn new technologies and explore the possibilities they present. The current pace of technological advancement is nothing short of remarkable. We are already achieving things today that were completely unimaginable just a few years ago. Because of this rapid evolution, we must adapt our mindset and remain agile. The era of building a software solution and expecting it to remain unchanged for a decade is over, and I find that dynamic environment highly motivating.”

What interests you about AI at the moment?

“This is truly a fascinating time, and we are witnessing a fundamental shift in software development. Increasingly, AI agentic software tools are helping us brainstorm ideas, prepare specifications, write code, generate test cases, and create documentation. I am particularly excited about these developments in AI agents and how they can enhance our offerings, as I firmly believe that agent-based solutions represent the way forward. The AI space is experiencing rapid advancements, especially with LLMs, so we must actively experiment today rather than wait for the market to stabilise.

A critical challenge in this space is that LLMs are non-deterministic by design. Therefore, how we control hallucinations and tune these models to make intelligent decisions within our processes is key. Because data is the oil to AI, keeping our data clean and reliable is absolutely vital. However, quality alone is not enough; giving the AI agent the relevant context is also essential.

The core challenge includes creating tools for agents, building an organizational 'knowledge factory', and developing a semantic layer for our data assets. Accomplishing this will give AI agents the exact context they need to access the right information and make informed, accurate decisions.”

What advice would you give to future innovators?

“The best advice I can give is to stay totally open to change. With how fast technologies like AI and LLMs are moving, you need to keep a close eye on the tools you use every day. Always ask yourself how you can leverage these new advancements to improve your work and help push business to the next level. Make experimenting a daily habit. Try things out quickly, and do not be afraid to fail fast. If a concept does not work out, just learn from it and move right on to the next idea. Making your every move count.”