Custom ERP development and IoT integration for a Leading Swiss Industrial Heating Systems Provider
About the client
The client is an industrial and commercial equipment leasing company founded in 1976.
The company also develops software and hardware providing it as a service for machinery insulation, fire fighting, dehumidification, and heating.
The company’s primary goal is to equip industrial facilities with ecological, flexible, innovative, and energy-efficient solutions.
In 2017, the company faced the need to optimize its operational processes across departments and leverage IoT devices for remote heating systems managing and monitoring.
The client agreed on adopting the Paperless approach to be aligned with the leading company’s values – sustainability and innovation.
The project scope
The client hired the IntelliSoft development team to address the following challenges:
- Improve transparency across the client’s departments
- Automate heating systems operations and monitoring
- Track fuel level in heating system silos using IoT
- Digitalize accountant paperwork for fuel ordering and invoicing
What we did
Custom ERP Development
The first challenge for the IntelliSoft team was to deliver a custom-made Enterprise Resource Planning system for the client’s employees. For this task, we provided a CTO to the client to cooperate with two dedicated developers from IntelliSoft.
To meet the client’s global goals, we created the Custom ERP that includes the following modules:
Project Management. Allows monitoring ongoing projects on industrial and commercial equipment leasing.
Visual project planning. Enables users to create gun charts to schedule SILOs and IoT devices for rent.
Time Management. Allows setting the operating time of heating systems.
Tracking and Reporting. Tracks the operating time of heating equipment.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Includes all the information about clients and deals.
Clients. Allows adding info about new clients and managing their details.
Contracts. Keeps digital agreements with customers and fuel suppliers.
Invoicing & Billing. Allows to automatically create invoices for fuel supplies and sends bills to suppliers.
Inventory Management. Enables the Head of Operations monitoring parts stock inventory across warehouses.
Once we delivered the custom ERP, the client wanted IntelliSoft
specialists to become a dedicated development team for further
advanced functionality integration.
As the dedicated development team, we did the following tasks:
IoT devises connectivity
We integrated IoT devices using OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) to collect information about the fuel level in heating systems. OPC UA is a machine-to-machine communication protocol used for industrial automation.
Fuel consumption forecasts
IoT devices send notifications to the platform once the fuel runs off. We used received data to develop a forecasting model and empowered it with automated fuel ordering and invoicing solutions.
Air heaters IoT integration
IntelliSoft developers needed to integrate IoT for air heaters for warehouses and universities in Germany. We developed and integrated a Google-like calendar where managers can schedule lectures curriculum so that the heating system automatically knows when to turn on and off the heating.
For IoT devices integration, we used OpenVPN, which ensures securing all data communications and extends private network services. The VPN tunnel provides encryption and privacy to protect the client’s software against eavesdropping and Internet attacks and isolate the client’s IoT network from other sensitive business data.
Water heaters IoT integration
We also needed to integrate water heating IoT sensors and adjust them for the client’s customers for the remote sensors management.
The client’s team provided an API for water heat sensors that we integrated into the platform using JavaScript. The system sends the request for the entry point via API and collects information about water heating IoT sensors.
Heated floors IoT integration
The client’s team needed our help with heated floors IoT integration for one of their clients in Switzerland. In this case, sensors are used after braces filling, and each IoT sensor requires a personalized approach for integration into the system.
Once we integrated, we enabled the software to set up a working schedule for each IoT to ensure they corresponded to the required heating temperature.
Tasks IntelliSoft is carrying out now
To date, the IntelliSoft developers are working on the following tasks:
MQTT integration
MQTT is an OASIS standard messaging protocol for IoT, designed as a lightweight publish/subscribe messaging transport that is ideal for connecting remote devices with a small code footprint and minimal network bandwidth.
Migration to Angular 12
The module that automatically created and sent proposals was initially written on AngularJS 1.8 Version. In 2018, the Angular
development and support team announced the end of AngularJS 1.8 support after the 31st of December, 2021. We have migrated
its code to Angular 12 Version to ensure further module operations.
We use the TypeScript compiler to turn the existing code into JavaScript, avoid differences in AngularJS vs. Angular 12, and ensure correct cookies migration.
The TypeScript compiler is a strict syntax of JavaScript and adds optional static typing to the language. TypeScript supports definition files containing type information of existing JavaScript libraries, much like C++ header files can describe the structure of existing object files.
Abacus and DocuSign Integrations
The client needed to integrate the ERP platform with Abacus Financial Accounting, a double-entry bookkeeping application for automated expense reporting, digitalized bookkeeping, and taxes. We connected the software for accounting with the client’s ERP using REST API.
Next, we integrated DocuSign Agreement Cloud, which allows preparing, acting on, and managing agreements online and securely storing agreements and other client-related documents on the Owncloud.
Apart from the cloud storing solution, we connect the ERP with the eSignature module. This module allows placing digital signatures on documents and automates sending and signing agreements.
Tech stack we used
JavaScript
Angular 12
TypeScript
OPC Unified Architecture
Open VPN
Abacus Financial Accounting
Owncloud
Opc_ua
DocuSign
Dokuwiki5
Our results
The IntelliSoft team provided the client with custom-build ERP, equipped with intelligent components that have automated and digitized various processes such as project management, maintenance services, supply of raw materials, invoicing, and billing.
Users can view and control operating data anytime and anywhere on an app, organize operating times, and use a service panel to set up and fix errors.
The ordering process for additional pellets is also automatically initiated when the fill quantity is critical.
In addition to geographical and historical data, a dashboard also shows performance details in real-time, saving maintenance times and costs, significantly minimizing the risk of a machine failure, and thus ensuring a longer lifespan for the pellet heating system.
Thus, the functionality we integrated, such as IoT sensors, remote management, predictive maintenance, and digitalized fuel ordering via the Admin panel omitting paper invoices, have become solid competitive advantages for the client.
