INTEGRA SOURCES

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a startup that makes an Internet of Things solution for businesses to track physical goods: vehicles, pallets, and people. We make a connected hardware solution that has both hardware components that are connected to the cloud and then we have a cloud component as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integra Sources?

Since half of our product portfolio is hardware, which almost always implies firmware, we were looking for firmware development expertise. And that's not easy to come by, especially not at reasonable price points. You can get app and cloud developers across the board, and there are a lot of choices there. We were looking for a company that had the ability to work on specific microcontrollers from different companies. Integra, although located in the middle of Russia, had the exact kind of expertise we were looking for. I think we’ve gotten over the geography challenges during the last 18 months we’ve been working with Integra, and they’ve been doing pretty good work for us. They’ve mainly done embedded programming for us, as well as some design and development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We make Bluetooth beacons that are different from other Bluetooth beacons because they are deployed in enterprise assets, so there’s a high level of reliability, monitoring, security, etc. Integra wrote the firmware for four or five models of Bluetooth asset beacons. We also have a little gateway device that scans for these beacons and talks to the cloud. Integra's engineers also developed the front-end portion of the firmware.

We give Integra the hardware design, and then they do the firmware on top of that, even though I think they have some expertise on the hardware side as well. I have firmware engineering expertise, but I don't have the time to do that anymore. I would say we depend almost entirely on Integra for firmware work.

How did you come to work with Integra Sources?
I use Upwork a lot, so that’s where I found Integra. My usual practice with Upwork is to create a mini-project — something that’s not expensive or time-consuming — and then have two or three companies or freelancers work on it and then I pick one out of that list. I remember doing this project about 18 months ago. I had a firmware developer in India, another one in the United States, and then Integra. Right now I work mainly with one developer, but over the last year I've worked with at least four people. They all have been able to solve some fairly complex challenges that go beyond just reading the documentation and reading the code and that’s always impressive.

Price was one of the most important aspects in choosing Integra. We did some firmware work with companies here that were north of $140 and $150 an hour, and that was incredibly expensive. I wasn't necessarily looking for the cheapest provider out there, and Integra isn’t, but I think they offer a pretty good balance. In addition to being closer to our point of affordability, Integra's skills are even better than some of the companies I've seen here.

How much have you invested with Integra Source?

I think we spent about $20,000 with Integra last year, and this year we might do at least that, if not more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We probably started working with Integra in January 2016, and the project is ongoing. Right now, I'm waiting for some folks to come back from vacation, so we can kick off the next phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We are a small startup, so we don't keep many metrics. If a solution works, we’re happy. There has been more than one occasion where, especially when we work with fairly new products and/or chip sets, that the lead documentation is insufficient. I have told the Integra engineer to do whatever it takes to solve a problem — go onto public forums or the discussion forums related to that product and post their questions to get the right answer. They have done all of that. I’ve gone to forums, and I’ve seen questions that looks remarkably like what we’ve been asking, only to later find out that our engineer posted it. I think that’s good initiative. Integra is willing to seek out solutions to problems that are not cookie cutter and are important to what we do. We have fairly important clients today for whom we would not have had a solution without the Integra engineer’s creativity.

How did Integra Sources perform from a project management standpoint?

I usually prefer to work with only one developer on a project, but there’s usually another person who fills a project management role. I don't know if that’s what they do as a matter of course, but I always ask for one developer for a certain period of time, so we can get totally immersed and get the job done. I haven't had any problems with Integra’s project management. I usually just tell the project manager to stay out of the way. I’ll say, “I need the engineer for this broad task that may take a couple of weeks.” That way, the project manager knows that, for two weeks, it’s full-time. Toward the end of that period, I might get a message from the project manager saying, “Do you think this is going to go on for another week, or are you ramping down?” and I provide some guidance. We have to shift products back and forth often, and the project manager has taken care of that fairly efficiently. Sometimes the shipment aspect of our work is frustrating, but Integra certainly is not responsible for those political boundaries.

What did you find most impressive about Integra Sources?

I can only speak for the other companies I looked at insofar as them being competitors. I looked at a couple of companies in India, and I think they just wanted to check the box and run. I also worked with another fairly specialized embedded design and programming shop in Portland, but they were extremely expensive, and I'm not sure they would have been comfortable with going out of the box. I think the larger firms tend to stick by their requirements and not stray from them too far. We sometimes don't know what the solution is going to look like, and I certainly think that flexibility is helpful.

Are there any areas Integra Sources could improve?

This isn't all Integra’s problem, but it was difficult getting packages to them in Russia. I think the shipping rules change quite frequently. There have been times when I have followed last month’s instructions only to find that the rules have changed again, and the shipment gets returned to me. That’s happened a few times, though I think we’re past that now.

As a startup, I am very happy with what I'm getting from Integra. If I were a much bigger company, I would probably be looking at a more structured firm, but I actually don't want that much structure. I want problem-solving rather than a straight engineering project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of GeoMoby. We’re an Australian company based in West Perth and we specialize in location-data intelligence. We’re using technologies like geolocation and geofencing for clients in different industries. At the moment, we mainly focus on construction, mining, and oil and gas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integra Sources?

We provide a retail Android and iOS app but were working with one specific client who wanted to improve our productivity tracking solution. The challenge we had was to build some sort of wearable device based on our technology, which would be carried by personnel on their helmets. We had absolutely no idea about how to create it since we were being asked to work with a completely different technology compared to what we had been using. We started looking for a company which could work on both hardware and firmware.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially worked with an account manager from Integra Sources’ side who filtered our requirements and decided upon the team size and skill sets we needed. After that phase, we were assigned one developer for the firmware, and a couple of specialists for the hardware, as well as a project manager who talked with us on a daily basis to make sure that the timesheets were up to date.

We needed to enhance our Android and iOS SDK [software development kit] and planned the next phase with our account manager. Integra Sources had mobile developers on the team, and we started a new project on this front.

How did you come to work with Integra Sources?

We found Integra Sources through an online search. We were looking to identify five or six companies which had experience in building hardware, but that also had software skills in terms of Android and Python. We looked at Integra Sources’ website, sent them a contact request, and started talking.

How much have you invested with Integra Sources?

The wearable had a cost of around AU $80,000 [US $60,192].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Integra Sources in September 2016. We’ve completed a few phases of the prototype so far, and Integra Sources is working on the radio frequency stratification at the moment. The Android and iOS SDK development is also ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The reason I accepted to do a reference interview for Integra Sources is that they’ve been very good end-to-end. They were proactive in asking what we wanted and in making sure that we had the right people in the right place.

We managed to create a prototype for our wearable device in only two months, even though we had no experience in the field. It was quite a challenge; the firmware could work fine with a passive GPS antenna, but when we tested it on our side, it wasn’t working for some reason. We needed to use the GPS in remote areas in North America, and Integra Sources proposed using an active antenna and managed to completely revamp the library for this purpose in only a couple of days in time for our client meeting. It’s now working perfectly in the area we’re operating in.

The hardware part has been good as well. The first printed circuit boards worked fine, and we could use the prototype sent by Integra Sources on the field as a trial. I’ve been impressed by the quality of both their hardware and firmware.

How did Integra Sources perform from a project management standpoint?

Integra Sources put a framework and processes in place, which helped us enhance the communication. We were a bit worried about the fact that they are based in Russia and we’re in Australia, and we had had some negative experiences working with other offshore teams. What really struck me, in the beginning, was that Integra Sources put a number of tools in place, including Basecamp, Google Hangouts, and Google Drive. We could talk directly with the project manager and the developers. Integra Sources gave me the confidence that we chose the right team for the job.

We knew exactly how many hours were being spent each day and on what. We were given minimum and maximum estimates for all the code being built and had an Agile approach to the work. We were able to talk to Integra Sources’ team as we would to our regular employees.

Integra Sources has been proactive in terms of budgets and with how many people were assigned to our work. I was expecting to see work being done on weekends near some deadlines, and that is what Integra Sources has been doing. We appreciated that.

What did you find most impressive about Integra Sources?

Compared to other companies in India and China which I’ve used over time, I appreciated Integra Sources’ communication. It’s a key part of working with offshore teams. Just being able to have a direct line to Integra Sources, as well as a project manager who knew what was going on and developers who could reply to very technical questions, was very impressive. Integra Sources felt like a part of our team; they were completely involved and committed.

Their ability to develop good firmware and hardware gave us confidence straight away. They always made sure that the requests were understood and implemented correctly, with all the testing done. Putting test-driven software in place had always been a problem with our other partners, but Integra Sources handled this from the beginning.

Are there any areas Integra Sources could improve?

I had a chat with our account manager about Integra Sources’ ability to scale the team. We had some tasks which required two developers, but Integra Sources only had one available. If we do expand the team, I would like to see a proper Scrum framework. Our process works fine at the moment since we have a small team.

We didn’t have a complete bug tracking system in the beginning, but one has been implemented. I’ve asked Integra Sources to create a test instance of our firmware so that they can push the device to the maximum. I don’t have much to say beyond this. The entire cycle has been good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a consumer robotics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integra Sources?

We had worked with an electronics designer who had put together some printed circuit boards for us. We had Integra Sources review those designs, and we were impressed with their reviews. We were less impressed with the company that we were working with, so we ended up continuing the project with Integra Sources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We also had Integra Sources work on the low-level part of the project, which included device drivers and some of the higher-level logic that allowed the device to perform the function that the customers needed. The customers were building a robot lawnmower.

How did you come to work with Integra Sources?

We found Integra through a referral process. We actually had pre-vetted several companies, and we had reached out to Integra Sources, but they were working on some other projects at the time, and we couldn't get them. We moved forward with one of our other options, and then that was the design that we later asked Integra to review. We decided we liked working with them better, so we continued working with them.

How much have you invested with Integra Sources?

We ended up going through several iterations of the electronics and software designs. It was on the order of magnitude of around $100,000 in total engineering work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Unfortunately, we haven't launched the product yet, though we plan on launching it shortly. Regarding effectiveness, our software project managers were good at making sure the important topics were addressed quickly. I also was impressed with the focus displayed toward user features by at least a couple of the engineers. While they were delving into how the code works, they also focused on asking what are we delivering for the customers.

How did Integra Sources perform from a project management standpoint?

There were three project managers throughout the project. There was one primary project manager at any time, but I believe their company was growing and hiring additional people, so we worked with different project managers, especially as our focus shifted from the electronics toward the software. I think we worked with four development engineers who were working with fairly low-level, device driver-type software, so it was all in C and C++.

The project management was mostly good. There were a couple of minor issues on the PCB that required us to do an additional iteration, which was unfortunate. We had tested some things, but through miscommunication, we hadn't tested what we thought we had tested, so we had to go back and fix that part. I think I can take a fair part of the blame there too. For the most part, the schedules were realistic, and Integra hit them.

What did you find most impressive about Integra Sources?

Integra delivers what they say they’re going to deliver. I’d say their flexibility is their most impressive feature. They can do the whole stack, from very low-level analog circuits all the way up to and through complex digital circuits and software. I know they can do the higher-level software, but we had that covered for this project, so frankly I don't have any experience with Integra on that sort of thing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of DB SLOOTGRAWERDIENSTE PTY LTD

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

DBS is a company that provides deep soil tilling and earthmoving equipment services to agriculture businesses, specializing in dam construction, surface water management, subsurface water drainage, and orchard soil tiling.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire INTEGRA SOURCES to accomplish?

• Build a CRM system.
• Design sensors

SOLUTION

How did you find INTEGRA SOURCES?

Online Search

Why did you select INTEGRA SOURCES over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from INTEGRA SOURCES were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Project Summary 

This project aims to develop a comprehensive app with associated hardware and software solutions for agricultural construction. The app will facilitate field planning, job delegation, live telemetry monitoring, proof of work, and enhanced automation capabilities. 

The hardware components and backend infrastructure will support accurate positioning, data logging, and communication between devices. The project will leverage machine learning and computer vision to optimize productivity, forecasting, and analysis. 

App Requirements 

• Mobile and web user interface for planning fields and accessing programming functions. 
• Ability to draw fields, calculate and delegate jobs within the app. 
• View job summaries and share instructions with the team. 
• Track jobs live using telemetry data. 
• View notes and assignments timeline for each field. 
• Provide proof of work documentation. 
• Hardware Requirements RTK/GNSS hardware with dual or quad antennas and a base station for accurate navigation and monitoring (3cm to 20cm accuracy). 
• Sensors such as distance sensor (TOF/smart camera), tilt rotation sensors, millimeter radar, lidar, etc. 
• Display monitor or mobile device as the GUI and functional API communication to the server.

Software Development 

• Development of a mobile app for field planning and accessing programming functions. 
• View and process telemetry data for fleet and data management. 
• Backend architecture for communication between hardware and software (client and server). 
• Implementation of a machine learning algorithm for back-end parsing (second phase). 
• D8 Bulldozer Core Features Dual antenna RTK/GNSS for navigation and monitoring with high accuracy. 
• Real-time ground speed calculation for estimated time of completion (ETC) of routes. 
• Ability to set and modify field parameters, route orientation, and intervals of passes. 
• Integration of obstacles or notes for safety and record-keeping purposes. 
• Data logging of depth sensing, ground speed, fuel level, and RPM. 
• Fuel level sensor for estimation of refueling time and notifications to prevent downtime. 
• Excavator Core Features RTK/GNSS functionality for machine positioning and navigation. 
• Depth sensing and logging using tilt rotation sensors or dual cameras. 
• Record trench depths, positions, and ability to add content notes. 
• Range of motion tracking for actions like tree/orchard removal or soil tilling. 
• Data logging of route spacing, ground speed, and other relevant parameters. 
• Web GUI/App and Operator/Management App Access privileges for service providers and clients. 
• Field planning, work parameter settings, live telemetry monitoring, and proof of work. 
• Cost estimates, quotes, and scheduling functionality. In-cab display monitor and data transmission capabilities for operators. 
• Over-the-air firmware updates and push notifications for refueling or benchmark reviews. 

Second Phase ERP and Additional Features 

• Timesheet generation and automated payroll based on logged data. 
• Fleet telemetry data visualization and progress tracking for management. 
• Incentive structure and gamification of the app for user engagement. 
• Machine learning, artificial intelligence, and computer vision implementation for enhanced automation and forecasting capabilities. 
• Server/Cloud Infrastructure 
• Categorization and storage of telemetry data, proof of work, employee history, and machine history. 
• Codeless automation sequences and data labeling for analysis. 
• Machine learning, anomaly detection, and image analysis for performance evaluation. 

Benefits 

• Increased productivity: The app will automate many of the tasks involved in agricultural construction, freeing up workers to focus on other tasks. 
• Improved efficiency: The app will provide real-time data on the progress of projects, which will help to identify and correct inefficiencies. 
• Reduced costs: The app will help to reduce costs by automating tasks, improving efficiency, and reducing the need for manual labor. 
• Improved safety: The app will help to improve safety by providing real-time data on the location of workers and equipment. 
• Increased compliance: The app will help to ensure compliance with regulations by providing real-time data on the progress of projects. 

Conclusion 

This project has the potential to revolutionize the agricultural construction industry by improving productivity, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, safety, and compliance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project has made progress in developing the proof of concept web portal and Android app. Some sensor designs are in the final process. The project team is confident that the project will be successful and that the app will have a positive impact on the agricultural construction industry.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Integra Resources Development has been a valuable partner on this project. They have a strong track record of success in the development of software solutions for the agricultural industry. They have a team of experienced engineers and developers who are experts in the use of machine learning and computer vision. They have a proven process for developing and testing software solutions. 

They are committed to working with clients to understand their needs and to deliver solutions that meet those needs. Overall, Integra Resources Development has been a valuable partner on this project and has made a significant contribution to its success.

What was your primary form of communication with INTEGRA SOURCES?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Integra Resources communicated effectively with the project team throughout the project, keeping them updated on progress and addressing any questions or concerns promptly. Integra Resources Development was responsive to feedback, making changes to the project as needed to ensure that it met the needs of the project team. 

They were flexible and adaptable to change, which was important as the project evolved. Integra Resources Development delivered a high-quality product that met the needs of the project team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something INTEGRA SOURCES could have done differently?

no