Mobile app for streamlining company processes

At the beginning of our project, Havator was about to introduce a new ERP system, for which they needed to collect details of their fleet’s current state. For each of their 250 cranes, they needed to collect data about use, maintenance and faults, among other things. Our job was to design and develop a mobile app that our client could use to easily collect this data. Going forward, the mobile app could also be integrated with the new ERP system.

Goal: Streamlining the company’s internal processes

Up until now, the cranes' operators and maintenance personnel had been collecting the data on pen and paper. Using a mobile app would speed up the collection process, as the operators and maintenance personnel would be able to walk right up to the crane, located either outside or in a depot, and save the details directly onto a mobile device.

Our challenge

Our client worked as Product Owner in the project and defined the requirements based on feedback from their personnel. In the MVP version, we chose to implement minimal features that would serve the current purpose of the app. In this stage, the app only needed to collect information. However, we built the app technically in such a way that the functionality would be easy to expand to data management in the future. The light solutions implemented in the MVP version support more advanced solutions that will be needed, for instance, when integrating the app with the ERP system.

When designing the user interface we focused on simplicity. For the end user, the app would have to be easy and clear to use. During the project, our client tested the app with end users, and we iterated the design based on the test round.

We created the app’s Front End using React Native. The Back End is implemented with Java, GraphQL, and Postgres. Sign-in and user management is handled using Azure AD integration. Users can sign in to the app using their Havator email address.

In the app, users can easily save the latest information about the fleet’s current state. Users can access an individual crane’s details by scanning the crane's QR code or manually entering the serial number. They can add further details, save or update information about maintenance, and report inspection details. If there’s something to fix, the app generates a fault report, in which the user can report the fault and its level of criticality, and take or upload a photo.

Our client has been pleased with our work on the project. "Managing a fleet in an organization this size requires a system to support day-to-day operations with data from users about machinery. The challenge with developing an app was the lack of a previous equivalent operating model or system, which meant that the project had to be built from the ground up without any benchmark, while the development of the new ERP system was still in its early stages," says Havator Fleet Manager Joakim Mette.

"Our starting point was always user-friendliness and the app's potential to dynamically expand to continuous development needs. In my view, the end result is both clear and easy to use, and it exceeded our expectations. During the project, we received a multitude of ideas from Sangre on how we could develop the app to better serve our needs, brought about by their holistic understanding of our problem areas and goals," Mette continues.

We continue to develop the app based on our client's business needs.

"We received a multitude of ideas from Sangre on how we could develop the app to better serve our needs, brought about by their holistic understanding of our problem areas and goals."

- Fleet Manager, Joakim Mette, Havator Group