HyperSense Software
We Are a Trustworthy Custom Software Development & IT Consultancy Company
Next-step Chemical Logistics
Trusted Carrier is a company that provides verified digital data of the transport partners directly in the systems of your customers. They aim to provide a faster and more secure handling with efficient documentation. Trusted Carrier offers three products: CTC Wallet, CTC Asset and CTC vCard.
The screenshots used in the case study contain fictious cotent and are purely illustrative purposes.
Client
Trusted Carrier
Location
Germany
Industry
Chemical Industry
Collaboration period
2019 - Ongoing
Trusted Carrier is a company that provides verified digital data of the transport partners directly in the systems of your customers. They aim to provide a faster and more secure handling with efficient documentation. Trusted Carrier offers three products: CTC Wallet, CTC Asset and CTC vCard.
CTC Wallet is a digital wallet that allows you to store all your important documents in one place. It is a secure and convenient way to keep track of your documents and access them whenever you need them.
CTC Asset is a vehicle master data management system that provides all data quality-assured and digitally from a single source – for faster and more efficient process runs. It is specifically designed for the chemical industry.
CTC vCard is the trusted business card for transportation partners. It can be filled out with a profile picture (e.g. your logo), a meaningful description of your company and a link to your website. Please note that the website must be entered in the left column.
Trusted Carrier's overarching mission is to revolutionize the transportation industry by offering innovative digital solutions that streamline documentation processes and enhance security. The company's primary objectives and goals are:
OBJECTIVES
Trusted Carrier aims to significantly reduce the time and effort required to manage and access transport documentation. By offering products like the CTC Wallet, CTC Asset, and CTC vCard, the company enables its customers to have instant access to important documents, eliminating the need for manual searching or redundant data entry.
In summary, Trusted Carrier's objectives and goals revolve around providing innovative digital solutions to enhance efficiency, security, and industry-specific needs, while also streamlining the bureaucracy and promoting environmental sustainability in the transportation sector.
Trusted Carrier's solutions are designed to cater to the complex needs of the transportation industry. By focusing on digitalization and process optimization, the company's products and services aim to address the challenges faced by shippers and transport partners alike. In this section, we outline the scope and target audience of Trusted Carrier's offerings.
Trusted Carrier's product offerings encompass a comprehensive suite of digital solutions tailored to the unique requirements of the transportation industry. These solutions include:
Documentation Management
The CTC Wallet enables users to securely store and access essential documents, streamlining the process of document retrieval and exchange.
Data Quality Assurance
CTC Asset, a vehicle master data management system, provides quality-assured, industry-specific data from a single digital source to improve efficiency and reduce the likelihood of errors.
Enhanced Business Visibility
The CTC vCard serves as a digital business card for transportation partners, offering a professional and trustworthy means of sharing company information.
Trusted Carrier's target audience is primarily focused on two key groups within the transportation industry:
Shippers
Shippers are responsible for managing the transportation of goods from one location to another. They often face challenges related to documentation management, data accuracy, and partner identification. Trusted Carrier's solutions enable shippers to streamline these processes, reduce paperwork, and improve operational efficiency.
Transport Partners
Transport partners are the companies that provide transportation services to shippers. They require efficient and secure ways to share and access essential documentation and maintain up-to-date records of their fleet and services. Trusted Carrier's products, such as the CTC Wallet and CTC vCard, offer transport partners the ability to manage their documentation digitally, enhance their professional image, and foster trust with shippers.
Truck Drivers
Truck drivers play a vital role in the chemical logistics chain, and their needs are also addressed by Trusted Carrier's ecosystem. The platform offers drivers easy access to essential documentation and other resources, ensuring smooth interactions with shippers and transport partners. Additionally, the mobile app provides offline functionality, allowing drivers to operate even without an internet connection, enhancing their overall experience and efficiency on the job.
As a leading technology solutions provider, HyperSense recognizes the importance of addressing the evolving challenges faced by businesses in various industries. In the case of Trusted Carrier, several key business challenges and needs emerged in the transportation sector, prompting the initiation of the project. HyperSense was brought on board as a strategic partner to help Trusted Carrier develop innovative digital solutions to address these challenges. The following section details these challenges and the rationale behind the collaborative efforts of Trusted Carrier and HyperSense.
Inefficient Documentation Management
The transportation industry has long been burdened by the time-consuming and error-prone nature of managing paper-based documents. Shippers and transport partners needed a more efficient way to store, access, and share essential documents securely. This challenge led to the joint creation of the CTC Wallet by Trusted Carrier and HyperSense, a digital wallet designed to centralize and streamline document management.
Ensuring the accuracy and security of transport data is critical for maintaining trust and preventing fraudulent activities. Traditional data management methods, however, often lacked proper safeguards and validation mechanisms. To address this need, HyperSense collaborated with Trusted Carrier to develop CTC Asset, a vehicle master data management system that provides quality-assured, digitally verified data from a single source.
Data Accuracy and Security Concerns
Industry-specific Requirements
The transportation industry comprises various sectors with unique needs and regulatory requirements. For instance, the chemical industry has specific safety and compliance standards that must be met. To cater to such niche requirements, HyperSense worked with Trusted Carrier to design CTC Asset, ensuring the system provides industry-specific data management solutions that users can rely on for accurate, up-to-date information.
Identifying and establishing communication with reliable transport partners is a crucial aspect of the transportation business. Traditional methods of sharing business information were often insufficient, leading to inefficiencies and miscommunication. Recognizing this need, HyperSense partnered with Trusted Carrier to develop the CTC vCard, a professional and standardized way to share company information.
Streamlining Partner Identification and Communication
Environmental Sustainability
The transportation industry has been under increasing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices, including reducing paper waste. HyperSense identified this need as a driving force for the partnership with Trusted Carrier, resulting in the development of digital solutions that help minimize paper documentation and contribute to a more environmentally friendly industry.
In response to these pressing business challenges and needs, HyperSense collaborated with Trusted Carrier to devise a suite of digital solutions that address the pain points experienced by shippers and transport partners. By understanding the unique challenges of the transportation sector and developing targeted solutions, the partnership between HyperSense and Trusted Carrier has positioned the latter as an industry leader in digital innovation.
For the development of the CTC app ecosystem, our team at HyperSense adopted an Agile software development methodology to ensure a flexible, iterative, and collaborative process. This approach allowed us to rapidly respond to the changing needs of Trusted Carrier and its users, while maintaining a high level of quality and efficiency throughout the project.
Key Principles of Our Agile Development Methodology:
Iterative Development
By organizing our work into 1-week sprints, we ensured that progress was swift and continuous. Each sprint consisted of planning, development, testing, and review phases, allowing us to regularly deliver new features and improvements to the app ecosystem.
Collaboration and Communication
Our Agile approach emphasized close collaboration between team members and stakeholders. Internal daily stand-ups, led by our PO/Tech Lead, facilitated open communication and ensured that everyone was aligned with the project's goals and priorities. We utilized Slack for team communication and Redmine for task tracking, while relying on coda.io for documentation purposes.
Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD)
We employed a CI/CD pipeline implemented on AWS CodePipeline to automate the integration, testing, and deployment of the app ecosystem. This enabled us to rapidly identify and address any issues, ensuring that the app remained stable and high-performing throughout the development process. We set up environments for development, staging, and production to streamline the deployment process.
Adaptive Planning
The Agile methodology allowed us to be flexible in our planning and prioritize features and improvements based on user feedback and changing requirements. This adaptability ensured that the app ecosystem remained relevant and valuable to Trusted Carrier and its users, even as their needs evolved.
User-Centric Design
By incorporating user feedback and usability testing into our development process, we ensured that the app ecosystem was designed with the end-users in mind. This focus on user experience helped us create a solution that was both functional and enjoyable to use.
Quality Assurance
We placed a strong emphasis on quality, integrating testing and quality assurance activities throughout the development process. Our QA process included both manual and automated testing to ensure the app ecosystem met the high-quality standards required by Trusted Carrier and its users. For end-to-end automated testing, we utilized Katalon Studio to validate the system's functionality, performance, and compatibility.
By adopting an Agile software development methodology, our team at HyperSense was able to build a robust and scalable CTC app ecosystem that met the needs of the transportation industry. This approach allowed us to continuously improve and refine the app, ensuring that it remained cutting-edge and relevant in the rapidly changing transportation sector.
The CTC app ecosystem was developed using a diverse and robust technology stack, specifically organized into Backend, Web Frontend, and Mobile Application microservices and components. By selecting the appropriate tools and frameworks for each component of the system, we ensured that the ecosystem was scalable, maintainable, and efficient, while delivering a seamless, high-performance user experience.
Backend
Node.js with LoopBack
Node.js with LoopBack: The backend was built on Node.js with LoopBack, a powerful and extensible Node.js framework. LoopBack provided a well-structured, scalable, and maintainable foundation for our API development, ensuring the system's stability and performance.
MySQL
MySQL: As a popular and reliable open-source relational database management system, MySQL effectively managed the large volume of data generated by the CTC app ecosystem.
Microservices and AWS Deployment
Microservices and AWS Deployment: The backend was architected as a collection of microservices, promoting modularity, maintainability, and scalability. Deploying these microservices on Amazon Web Services (AWS) ensured a secure, high-performance, and cost-effective infrastructure.
Amazon S3
Utilizing Amazon S3 for file storage provided a highly available, secure, and scalable cloud storage solution, enabling low-latency storage and retrieval of large amounts of data.
Web Frontend
Angular: The web frontend was developed using Angular, a widely adopted and powerful web application framework. Angular's rich feature set and emphasis on modularity and maintainability enabled us to create a responsive and dynamic user experience tailored to the transportation industry's needs.
Mobile Application
Flutter: The mobile applications for iOS and Android were built on top of Flutter, a popular cross-platform mobile application framework. By using Flutter, we developed a single codebase for both platforms, reducing development time and ensuring a uniform experience for all users. Flutter's extensive library of pre-built widgets and tools facilitated rapid development and iteration.
End-to-End Testing
Katalon Studio: To ensure the quality and reliability of the entire app ecosystem, we employed Katalon Studio, a comprehensive test automation solution, for our end-to-end (E2E) testing. This tool enabled us to validate the system's functionality, performance, and compatibility, ensuring that all components worked together seamlessly and efficiently.
The CTC (Trusted Carrier) app ecosystem is designed to improve efficiency and security in the transportation industry. It provides a platform for drivers, transport partners, and industrial sites to exchange information, validate credentials, and perform various tasks related to logistics. This chapter highlights the key features and functionalities of the CTC app ecosystem.
CTC Wallet
The CTC Wallet is a mobile app for drivers, allowing them to capture and send registration data to external systems, such as industrial sites. The app supports both Android and iOS devices, and can be used on single-user devices (personal smartphones or tablets) or multi-user devices (Android devices shared by multiple drivers).
Driver and Transport Partner Linking
Drivers can link their profiles with one or multiple transport partners, indicating they are working for these companies. This link must be confirmed by both parties, and when a registration is performed, the registration object will contain the name and CTC Company ID of the transport partner.
CTC Asset
This service validates vehicle master data, ensuring that information about vehicle components is accurate and up-to-date. Vehicle owners input the data, and CTC Support checks and approves it. This validation is global across the CTC platform.
Driver Master Data Validation:
The CTC app ecosystem allows validation of driver master data by site personnel after reviewing relevant documents. Validated data includes first name, last name, date of birth, nationality, driving license validity, ADR license number, ADR training courses, ADR validity, ISOPA license number, and ISOPA validity. Validation occurs on a per-site basis and lasts for a configurable time period.
Driver Identification:
The CTC Wallet ensures the proper identification of drivers through device IDs, generated during the first login on the app. If a driver is not identified, they cannot access validated driver master data.
Manufacturer on-site Registration
The registration process in the CTC Wallet is central to its functionality. Each registration has a unique "registration_id," which serves as the primary key for communication between the app and external systems.
CTC vCard
The CTC vCard service validates company master data for transport partners, making sure that the information is accurate and supported by relevant documents. The process is conducted by CTC Support, and having a completed vCard is generally required for access to Wallet and Asset services.
Push Notifications
The CTC Wallet sends an extensive set of push notifications to drivers, such as responses to registrations, registration drafts, files, messages, QR codes and others. These notifications help streamline communication between drivers, transport partners, and industrial sites.
CTC Kiosk
The CTC Wallet features an alternative solution called CTC Kiosk, specifically designed for drivers who prefer not to use a mobile app. This separate application is tailored for industrial sites with a high volume of shipments and serves as an alternative to the CTC app when a driver doesn't have one configured. The CTC Kiosk app operates on dedicated in-situ terminals, allowing drivers to capture and send registration data at specific locations seamlessly.
Biometric Authentication
The registration process in the CTC Wallet is central to its functionality. Each registration has a unique "registration_id," which serves as the primary key for communication between the app and external systems.
Guest Mode
The CTC Wallet offers a Guest Mode for drivers seeking limited access without account registration. This feature enables users to enjoy key functionalities, providing a smooth and streamlined experience without the commitment of a full account.
Manufacturer Certificates
Industrial sites can create certificates using the CTC Web Frontend to enable or disable profile selection in the mobile app. These certificates contain information shared with external systems during registration, allowing verification of a driver's authorization for specific processes. Furthermore, these certificates optimize the process by enabling manufacturing sites to create fast lanes for recurring drivers, streamlining their access and reducing wait times.
ERP Seamless Integration
CTC enables direct API integration with manufacturers' existing systems, minimizing the need for additional training and promoting higher adoption rates. This bidirectional communication allows CTC to send notifications and receive requests from third-party systems, ensuring efficient and cohesive interactions throughout the ecosystem.
These key features and functionalities make the CTC app ecosystem a robust and reliable solution for managing and streamlining processes in the transportation industry. By facilitating secure and efficient communication between drivers, transport partners, and industrial sites
Our collaboration with Trust Carrier began in 2019, and we embarked on the journey to create a comprehensive and robust solution for the transportation industry. Working in an agile manner, we organized our development efforts into 2-week sprints, ensuring that progress was swift and efficient.
We successfully released the first production version of the CTC app ecosystem in 2020, marking a significant milestone in the project. Since then, our team has continually refined and expanded the app's features and capabilities, tailoring it to the evolving needs of Trust Carrier and its users.
Throughout the project, we have delivered more than 15,000 hours of development effort, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to building a high-quality and sustainable solution. As the collaboration between our team and Trust Carrier continues to grow, we are increasing the scale of our partnership by extending the team, ensuring that the app ecosystem remains cutting-edge and relevant in the rapidly changing transportation industry.
We assembled a highly experienced team with a diverse range of skill sets and ensured allocation flexibility to meet the changing demands of the project. The team was led by a seasoned tech lead with over 15 years of experience in the industry, providing strong technical guidance and project management throughout the development process.
Flutter Developers
Focused on creating cross-platform mobile applications for iOS and Android using the Flutter framework. Their expertise in mobile development ensures that the CTC app ecosystem is accessible and user-friendly for all types of mobile devices.
Tech Lead
Responsible for overseeing the technical direction of the project, ensuring that the technology stack and architecture are sound and align with the objectives of the app ecosystem. The tech lead also plays a crucial role in coordinating with the stakeholders and various teams spread across multiple fields, and keeping the project on track.
Backend Developers
Tasked with building a robust and scalable backend infrastructure using Node.js, Loopback, and MySQL. Their work is critical in ensuring that the app ecosystem can handle the complex data management requirements of the transportation industry.
Frontend (Angular) Developers
Responsible for building the web frontend using the Angular framework. They work closely with the designers to create a seamless and intuitive user interface that enhances the overall user experience.
DevOps
Responsible for setting up the AWS infrastructure, managing CD/CI workflows, and participating in the app's architectural design. They ensure seamless deployment, monitoring, and scaling of the app ecosystem, optimizing performance and security.
QA Engineer
The quality assurance engineer is responsible for conducting comprehensive testing of the app ecosystem, including functional, performance, and security testing, as well as End-to-end (E2E) testing. Their role is crucial in ensuring that the app ecosystem is free of defects and meets the high-quality standards required by Trust Carrier and its users.
Designers
Their role is to create a visually appealing and functional design for the app ecosystem, taking into consideration user experience and usability principles. They collaborate with frontend developers to ensure the implementation of their designs is consistent and visually appealing.
Throughout the development of the Trust Carrier (CTC) app ecosystem, our team faced various technical challenges. In this chapter, we will discuss some of these challenges and how we addressed them to deliver a seamless and robust app ecosystem.
Data Security
Ensuring the security of sensitive data was a primary concern. To address this challenge, our team researched and implemented the best security techniques available. We selected Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) for secure key exchange and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to protect data during storage and transmission.
Bridging the Gap between Industrial Field and User Experience
The transportation industry, especially within the chemical sector, has specific requirements that needed to be addressed. Our team carefully analyzed these requirements and worked closely with industry experts to design user flows and experiences that catered to the unique needs of this sector.
Offline Functionality
The mobile app needed to operate without an internet connection. To achieve this, data is stored locally in an encrypted SQLite database and implemented complex business logic to automate processes when the app is offline. This ensured that users could continue their tasks even in areas with limited or no network connectivity.
ERP Integration
Integrating the CTC app ecosystem with the chemical plants' ERP software required a deep understanding of various ERP systems and their data structures. We developed custom connectors and APIs to ensure seamless data exchange between the CTC ecosystem and the ERP systems.
IT Security Compliance
Handling IT security compliance for large-scale players in the chemical industry, like BASF and others, required strict adherence to industry-specific security standards. Our team conducted thorough assessments and made the necessary adjustments to ensure that the CTC ecosystem met all relevant security requirements.
Access Control Integration
Integrating the CTC app ecosystem with the access control software of large chemical plants in Europe was essential to provide easy access for drivers on their industrial sites. We developed custom integrations that allowed the CTC app to communicate with various access control systems, simplifying the check-in process for drivers.
Complex Process Automation
The most challenging aspect of the project was implementing complex process automations for all actors in the CTC ecosystem. Our team worked extensively to understand the intricate processes and then designed and developed custom automation solutions tailored to the needs of the CTC ecosystem. We tackled this challenge by breaking down each process into smaller, manageable components and then meticulously designing and developing automation solutions to streamline operations across the ecosystem.
By addressing these technical challenges, we were able to deliver a high-quality, feature-rich mobile app that meets the needs of Tinka's customers and supports their continued growth and success.
The development of the Trust Carrier (CTC) app ecosystem involved several organizational and communication challenges. Here, we discuss these challenges and their resolutions.
Cross-functional Team Collaboration
By organizing our work into 1-week sprints, we ensured that progress was swift and continuous. Each sprint consisted of planning, development, testing, and review phases, allowing us to regularly deliver new features and improvements to the app ecosystem.
Remote Work and Time Zone Differences
Coordinating meetings and communication with remote team members in different time zones was challenging. We scheduled regular stand-ups and video conferences at convenient times and relied on asynchronous communication tools for updates.
Client Communication and Expectations Management
Clear communication with the client and managing their expectations were essential. We conducted regular progress update meetings, shared project reports, and encouraged open dialogue to maintain transparency and keep the client informed.
Knowledge Transfer and Domain Expertise
Developing a deep understanding of the chemical transportation industry was crucial. We organized workshops, training sessions, and worked closely with industry experts to gain the necessary domain knowledge and expertise.
Scaling the Team and Resource Allocation
As the project evolved, increasing the team size and efficient resource allocation became necessary. We used a flexible resource allocation model, enabling us to bring in skilled professionals as needed and assign them to tasks based on their expertise.
Monthly Business and Organizational Sync
To ensure alignment between HyperSense and Trust Carrier's leadership teams, we held monthly business and organizational sync meetings. These meetings facilitated strategic discussions, identified potential roadblocks, and enabled both parties to share valuable insights and feedback. This regular communication not only strengthened the partnership but also ensured that the project continued to meet both organizations' objectives and expectations.
We can identify several quantitative results that demonstrate the project's success and impact:
In terms of qualitative results we can identify the following:
The Tinka mobile app has delivered both quantitative and qualitative benefits, showcasing the power of a well-designed and executed mobile solution in driving performance improvements, cost savings, and user satisfaction.
Throughout the development of the CTC app ecosystem, several valuable lessons and best practices have been identified, which can be applied to future projects and collaborations:
Be a Partner, Not Just a Supplier
Foster a strong relationship with the customer by being an integral part of their team, offering valuable insights, and saying "NO" when necessary. This partnership ensures that both parties work together towards the best possible solution.
Prioritize Code Maintainability and Continous Refactoring
As features evolve and change, focus on maintaining clean, modular code that can be easily updated or modified. This will reduce the complexity of managing updates and ensure that the application remains scalable and adaptable.
Plan in Small Steps with a Focus on the Vision
Adopt an incremental approach to planning, breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable steps. This allows for flexibility in responding to evolving requirements while maintaining a clear focus on the project's long-term vision.
Schedule Regular Meetings Between Leadership Teams
Establish a schedule for meetings between the leadership teams of both companies, ensuring they sync on business and strategic items. This open line of communication fosters a stronger partnership and enables effective collaboration.
Assign a Strong, Experienced Liaison with the Project Owner
Engage a knowledgeable and experienced team member to work closely with the Project Owner, refining functionalities and managing Sprint planning. This collaboration will result in a more efficient development process and better alignment with the project's objectives.
Implement Sprint Freezing for Evolving Specs
When project specifications tend to change frequently, using Sprint freezing can help maintain stability and prevent disruptions to the development process.
Maintain Comprehensive Documentation and Use “Design as Specs”
As the project grows, create and maintain up-to-date documentation that is easily accessible and understandable. Using design as specs can help streamline communication and ensure that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the project requirements.
PoC development
Our approach focuses on optimizing cost and time by prioritizing features, proposing minimum viable products (MVPs), and developing proof of concepts (PoCs). This strategy enables us to test customer and investor responses, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively and valuable feedback is incorporated into the product development process.
The CTC app ecosystem, a comprehensive solution for the chemical transportation industry, has been a resounding success. Starting with a collaboration between HyperSense and Trusted Carrier in 2019, the project has evolved through numerous iterations, driven by a robust development methodology and a strong partnership between the two companies.
Over the course of more than 15,000 hours of work, the project team successfully delivered a range of innovative features and functionalities, addressing key challenges in the industry, such as data security, process automation, and integration with existing systems. The mobile applications, built on top of Flutter for cross-platform compatibility, have empowered drivers to work efficiently, even in areas with limited or no internet connectivity.
The development of the CTC app ecosystem has provided valuable insights and lessons learned, which can be applied to future projects. By focusing on planning in small steps while maintaining a clear vision, the team has been able to navigate complex requirements and deliver a successful solution.
The experience has highlighted the importance of strong relationships and open communication between development teams and their customers. By acting as partners rather than just suppliers, the team at HyperSense was able to offer valuable guidance and contribute to the success of the project.
Through the implementation of best practices, such as prioritizing code maintainability, engaging experienced liaisons, and maintaining up-to-date documentation, the development process has been streamlined and efficient. These insights will undoubtedly prove valuable in future endeavors and serve to strengthen the capabilities of both HyperSense and Trusted Carrier as they continue to innovate and address the needs of the chemical transportation industry.
As the CTC app ecosystem continues to grow, onboarding new users and companies every day, the focus will shift towards monitoring usage, performance data, and system stability. The team will transition from ideation to querying and learning from user feedback, ensuring that the platform evolves in response to real-world needs and challenges.
Maintaining the scalability and flexibility of the system is a top priority. To accomplish this, the team will work diligently to update all components, guaranteeing reliability and security as the platform expands. New products are already being envisioned, and large-scale customers are joining the ecosystem, reinforcing the impact of the CTC app on the global chemical transportation industry.
The future of the CTC app ecosystem is promising, and the team at HyperSense is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this groundbreaking effort. By continuously improving and automating processes within one of the world's largest and oldest industries, they will drive innovation, efficiency, and positive change for years to come.
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