Semblie

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a SAAS-company that utilize RFID to help manage assets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Semblie, and what were your goals?

We hired Semblie to help us connect our Rfid Module with out ESP32, collect data, and send it to our backend, where our platform makes the data available to our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I previously worked at a startup company that creates BLE ECG monitors, we were located at a tech-hub where other companies had previously worked with Semblie, their reviews were great, so I choose to contact Amar, to see if we were a good fit. I was not disappointed!

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Amar and I had a initial meeting, where technologies were discussed. We arranged that Amar would order the required components and start off immediately. When Amar or I had questions, we would simply write via LinkedIn or mail.

As soon as delivery as ready, we received full documentation, videos on how the technology works, how we can mimic the steps 1:1. Amar also provided support for what ever errors I was running into and was a great help even after delivery!

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We did not have a introduction on the team members, my only contact was Amar.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We are still yet to have any outcome, we are currently testing with customers. This is because that RFID is not visible, so there is a lot of manual testing to be done in different environments.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We started using LinkedIn and mails, due to the fact that my organisation is a startup, we did not have any channels or procedures. Later when we implemented Slack, I invited Amar to join.

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

Amar goes to great lengths to help and make sure that the product is stable and working as intended. They provide excellent documentation using video and documents. And are truly really nice people!

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

I don't think so, they provide updates and make sure that the plan is understood from everyone "around the table".

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Medtech company developing a medical device to treat hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating. I am one of the co-owners and my role would be both CTO as well as project leader.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Semblie, and what were your goals?

Hardware and firmware development assistance. As a small company it was important for us to have external resources with experience to brainstorm with and for them to review our work. We had a pretty clear picture of the design and had come a great length along the way when we started working with Semblie. But as many might know, putting all the pieces together, handling all issues that arise and making balanced decisons is diffuclt and requires a well balanced team with both the detailed and the overview picture. The goals where to get help with the details, reviewing as well as troubleshooting along the way.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

They got recommened to us by one of our partners. They seemed flexible, knowledgeable and had many skill areas on their team. We wanted to work with someone small for a personal connection and involvment from each team member.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Finalizing the firmware, housing and the electronics of the device. Iterate electronics design for alpha and beta prototype. Precompliance testing. Develop firmware for alpha and beta prototypes. Implement architecual structure changes to the original idea for the firmware. SIL-testing. CAD design enclosure of the housing. Iterate existing prototype of housing. The key deliveries was putting together the alpha and beta prototypes of the Hidroxa SE 30 iontophoresis device. Thisconcearned firmward, electronics hardware and mechincal engineering.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There were 5 persons from the vendors team working on the project. 2 electronics engineers, 2 firmware engineers, CAD,

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The team was very easy to work and communicate with despite working remote and mainly communication via emails, chat and video calls. They understood the complexity and issues of this commuication form. They were hardworking and flexible. We felt that they genuinly caredabout our project and the end result. Personal connections with the team members. During several visits onsite they were very welcoming, easy to talk to and cooperate with.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They are very avaiable and flexible regarding communication. This means both flexbile in the form of communication, like email, chat, video calls and time for avaialibity.

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

The personal touch and the broad knowlegde of expertise. This is uncommon for a small company and to be able to get both, the personal connection and involvment from the team members in our cause combined with such broad competence!

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

We wanted to keep the control and overview of this project, so we didnt ask specifically for an overview project manager. But we do see that some effectivness could be added to the teams effort, should they decide to assign a "spider in the web" sort of role for their future projects to make them even more effective and synced.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a startup. We have a series of products related to IoT and home security and automation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Semblie?

We had and idea of a Home Automation hub based on OpenHub platform. The device needed to be packed with sensors and actuators, expandable and visually pleasant.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We were looking for a team of hardware professionals to hep us with product development. Deciding factors were great feedbacks from other customers, technical proficiency during interviews, fast turn around, creativity and passion for work during the evaluation phase.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Semblie started to engineer the hardware by picking best hardware components ensuring lowest BoM cost and UX requirements. The next phase was electronics design based on Raspberry Pi compute module. They designed printed circuit board (PCB) with a power supply section, environmental sensors, USB ports, and camera interface. Semblie optimized Raspbian Linux distribution for our application and developed OpenHAB bindings for sensors. They handled prototype manufacturing in-house including electronics assembly and casing 3D printing. 

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with:

• Project Manager
• Electrical Engineer
• Embedded Linux Developer
• Industrial Designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We developed a fully functional prototype that was very close to a final product that would be ready for manufacturing and for finding investors.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was great - periodic demo sessions, direct communication with PM and team member for details if needed. Skype and email for communication, Jira for planning and tracking, Confluence and google sheets for project documentation.

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

• startup culture
• creative problem solving, open communication and a flat hierarchy 
• goal-oriented, no fluff 
• you will feel like being part of the family
• Everybody on the team loved their work. 
• they take pride in their work 
• it's not about your invoice

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

Extremely Satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm The CEO and Co-founder of UDU. A Danish gaming/tech startup that turns mobile gaming into active outdoor experiences for kids and families. The UDU CONSOLE is a compact, robust, handheld device that connects to smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth and lets players control mobile games with physical gestures. Together with our gaming platform, the UDU CONSOLE players can take unique gaming experiences to the outdoors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Semblie, and what were your goals?

Semblie supports UDU in developing electronics, mechanics, and firmware for the UDU CONSOLE and making it ready for mass production.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We chose Seblie as our development partner because they are a well-managed team with experienced and competent people that can deleveop quality products on both an electrical, mechanical, and firmware level.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Together with the Semblie management team, we scoped out our development project in different phases - proof of concept, BETA and GAMMA. From there on, we have executed the steps with bi-weekly meetings, adjusting the project to new learnings as we go.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

At Semblie we worked with both the management team as well as senior engineers from both electronics, mechanics and firmware.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

With the support of the Semblie-team our product development has been progressing faster than ever before. Soon we will be at the stage of having a product ready for mass production.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

With Semblie we do bi-weekly reviews and sprint planning. The team is very flexible and well communicating, and at times where more frequent meetings have been needed, we have done that. For the workflow, we use Email, Google Drive, GANT-charts, and Trello.

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

Their professionalism and skilled engineers have helped us make a much better product than we could do ourselves.

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

No, we are just super satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a technology startup based in Denmark.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Semblie?

At the time, we needed a partner to create our electronics. We had designers and engineers to make drawings and designs, but we needed someone who could do the work and testing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Semblie is in charge of PCP electronics design, communication between designers and manufacturers, and creating and testing the prototypes. Also, they’ve helped us design the mechanical parts and assisted us in developing some applications.

How did you come to work with  Semblie?

When I started working in the company, they were already a partner. Honestly, I’m not sure how they found them, but I believe it was a mouth-to-mouth referral.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working with us in 2018, and it’s an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Semblie has become a part of the team. Also, they’ve been flexible to change, so the collaboration has been excellent.

How did Semblie perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate using a Slack channel for the most part. We also have a weekly meeting where they prepare slides of the project’s progress. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked on similar projects with external partners for years, and I usually prefer insource work. However, they’ve been an exception. They’re responsive and engaged in every step of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m afraid that if they continue growing as a company, they’ll grow and get more significant customers, so they’ll stop having a tight relationship with us. I hope that doesn’t happen, and they stay as the engaged team they are now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Cooperating with another company doesn’t mean just delivering a task and expecting it back; it should mean focusing from both sides.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Golden Shell Inc, a company in the children’s education space trying to pivot into education technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Semblie?

We wanted to design a mass learning application involving hardware and software, and we needed help with the hardware development side.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Semblie developed the hardware needed to connect our app to tablet devices via Bluetooth. They worked with our software team from ground zero. Initially, we only provided them with the concept, including a blueprint of the product and the features we wanted, and they came up with a finished document ready for us to take into hardware production. They also created a prototype of the hardware to demonstrate the functionality of their deliverable.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with a main point of contact from Semblie, and our technical team had another main point of contact different from ours’. Additionally, three lead developers were involved in our Zoom calls.

How did you come to work with Semblie?

We interviewed three companies, including Semblie. They weren’t the cheapest nor the most expensive, and they seemed to be a good fit for us. They also agreed to be paid on a milestone delivery basis, so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January–April 2020. Towards the end of our engagement, we were also working with a software development team to which Semblie also provided support. Unfortunately, that team didn’t work out well, so we paused the entire project. One of the reasons the project stalled was due to the pandemic.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I really liked working with Semblie because they always took the initiative, making great suggestions to improve the hardware, ultimately improving the product’s usability and UX. Throughout the project, they were able to follow the blueprint, and although it didn’t turn out to be a finished product, they did a good job at what they were contracted to do.

How did Semblie perform from a project management standpoint?

Semblie’s communication was good, and they delivered on time. They worked well with other team members within my company, and I never heard about any frustrations or miscommunications issues from my end. They didn’t provide any project management tools; we used email and a Google Docs shared folder for communication and progress sharing, as well as Skype for video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Semblie’s communication was excellent, and the fact that they finished the project within the deadline and budget was impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issue we had was when we needed them to ship the prototype to us. On the one hand, The shipping cost was very expensive due to Semblie’s location. Additionally, we didn’t make clear how many prototypes they were supposed to deliver. We took responsibility for that, but we expected a couple more prototypes than they manufactured. When we requested more prototypes, they told us that making more and shipping them to California would be much more expensive.

Looking back, we both should have been more specific about how many prototypes were needed and how much the shipping cost was. Still, we were very happy with Semblie’s services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I believe that what works best depends on each project’s needs. We only worked with Semblie on a very specific project, so I don’t know their capabilities for other, more complex projects. Overall, I would recommend providing them with as many detailed requirements as possible, being very clear about the outcomes that you want, and making it clear who will be responsible for paying for the prototype shipping if required.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of a German Network Solution Provider and we help companies to gain access and get full visibility into their network traffic by eliminating so called blind-spots.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Semblie, and what were your goals?

We had an idea of a product and was looking around for a company who could develop and assemble this product at a reasonable price.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We did some researches and came across Semblie who did represent themselves in a very professional way and convince us by their capabilities and the price offer they sent us.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Semblie started to engineer the hardware by designing the printed circuit board (PCB) and programm the field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Later Semblie also produced a prototype and did the entire assembly of the product.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with a Project Manager, Electrical Engineer, FPGA Programmer, Indutrial Designer and Logistics Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Within the Service Scope and agreeed timeframe Semblie delivered the product according to our requirements.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project management was easy driven and we were mainly using Skype for communication. We also used some online sheets on Google to track the status of the project.

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

We had direct access to the team who workd on our project. We liked most the flexibility and agility of Semblie.

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

Documentation and informing the customer more often on the project status.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Managing director of Yumapos. Yuma is a cloud-based Epos software company, established 15 years and has customers globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Semblie?

We needed a cloud-based printer for a concept to print text from a database

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

After consulting with Various vendors we realised Semblie had the experience and expertise to complete the project

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The project was based on printing various text scripts to various remote printers when requested.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

3 team members were allocated.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The outcome was very satisfactory.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective

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

They can complete projects and tasks that are both mainstream or very unique. They are very cost-effective and effective.

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

None