Build
Mobile applications for people who are not at a desk
Maintenance technicians, operators, quality inspectors and plant heads all spend their day away from a computer. We build apps for that: offline-capable, usable one-handed, readable in a bright shed, and connected to live plant data rather than to a form that gets typed up later.
The problem
The work happens on the floor; the software is in the office
An inspection is done on the line, written on paper, carried to a desk and typed into a system hours later — losing the timestamp, the photo, the context and usually some of the detail. Meanwhile the plant head checks production by calling someone.
- 01
Data is captured on paper and entered later, if at all
- 02
No photographs attached to defect or breakdown records
- 03
Maintenance history exists only in a technician's notebook
- 04
Management checks production by phoning the supervisor
- 05
Any app that exists stops working where the Wi-Fi does not reach
What we build
Concrete deliverables
Nouns, not adjectives. This is what actually gets handed over.
- 01
Plant monitoring app
Live production, machine state, downtime and alerts, designed mobile-first for a plant head checking from anywhere.
- 02
Maintenance and work-order app
Assigned jobs, asset history, checklists, spares, photos and sign-off, fully functional without a network connection.
- 03
Inspection and quality capture
Guided inspection plans with photo and measurement capture, validation at the point of entry, and immediate non-conformance routing.
- 04
Operator tools
Shift handover, downtime reason entry, changeover checklists and job confirmation, designed for gloves and glare.
- 05
Offline-first synchronisation
Local storage with queued sync and conflict handling, because shop-floor coverage is never as good as the network diagram claims.
- 06
Push alerting
Machine alarms, threshold breaches and escalations delivered to the right person's phone with acknowledgement tracking.
How it works
The technical path, step by step
Where the engineering decisions actually get made.
- 01
Follow the user
We shadow the technician or operator for a shift. Where they stand, what they carry, whether they have gloves, and where the signal drops.
- 02
Design for the environment
High contrast for glare, large targets for gloves, one-handed reach, minimal typing, and camera-first capture.
- 03
Build offline-first
The app works with no connectivity by default and syncs when it can. Not the reverse.
- 04
Connect to live data
Wired to the same data path as the dashboards, so the app and the reports cannot disagree.
- 05
Pilot and iterate
A small group uses it for a few weeks before wider rollout, because the first version is never quite right and finding that out early is cheap.
Protocols & technologies
Specifics, because vague answers cost you money later
Chosen per site according to what is installed, not according to what we would prefer to work with.
| Technology | Where it is used | Engineering note |
|---|---|---|
| React Native / Expo | Cross-platform native apps | One codebase for Android and iOS. In Indian plants the fleet is overwhelmingly Android, often mid-range. |
| Progressive Web App | Where installation is a barrier | No app store, no MDM enrolment, works on any device. Often the right first step. |
| SQLite / local persistence | Offline storage | The whole working set held locally so the app is fully usable with no connection. |
| Sync with conflict resolution | Reconnection | Queued writes with server-side ordering; conflicts surfaced rather than silently resolved. |
| Push notifications (FCM / APNs) | Alerts and escalation | With acknowledgement tracking, so an unread critical alert escalates. |
| Camera / barcode / QR / NFC | Asset identification and evidence | Scanning an asset tag is faster and more accurate than selecting from a list of four hundred. |
Brownfield
Works on the devices your team already has
We build for mid-range Android devices on patchy Wi-Fi, because that is what plants actually have. Where phones are not permitted on the floor, we design for shared rugged tablets with per-user login and fast switching.
Works with
- Mid-range Android devices, including older versions
- Shared rugged tablets with multi-user sign-in
- Existing barcode and QR asset tagging schemes
- Areas with no network coverage at all
- Plants where personal phones are restricted on the floor
Use cases
What people actually ask us for
Each one is a situation followed by the outcome it produces — not a feature list.
Production on a phone
NowThe plant head phones the supervisor every morning.
AfterLive and previous-shift production in an app, before the first call of the day.
Digital maintenance rounds
NowRounds are recorded on a clipboard.
AfterGuided rounds with NFC or QR asset confirmation, readings, photos and a timestamped record.
Breakdown response
NowBreakdown notification is a phone call, and response time is unrecorded.
AfterPush alert with escalation, acknowledgement and measured response time.
Quality capture at the line
NowInspection results are transcribed hours later.
AfterCaptured at the point of inspection with photographs, validated on entry.
Shift handover
NowHandover is verbal and inconsistent.
AfterA structured handover record with outstanding issues carried forward automatically.
Implementation
How a project runs
Eight stages, each producing something you own. Full detail on the process page.
- 01
Discover
1–2 conversations
- 02
Audit
1–3 days on site
- 03
Design
1–2 weeks
- 04
Engineer
2–8 weeks per phase
- 05
Integrate
1–2 weeks
- 06
Deploy
Your shutdown window
- 07
Monitor
First 4–6 weeks
- 08
Optimise
Ongoing, if you want it
Mixed-vendor machine monitoring rig
Three PLC brands and one machine with no controller at all, read through one gateway and normalised into a single tag model — the situation almost every Indian plant is actually in.
Read the write-upQuestions
Mobile Applications — common questions
Native app or web app?
A progressive web app is usually the right first step: no app store, no device management, works on anything, and updates instantly. Go native when you need reliable background push, deep camera or scanner integration, or genuinely robust offline behaviour over long periods. We will recommend the simpler option when it is sufficient.
Will it work where there is no signal?
Yes — that is a design requirement, not an option. The working data set is stored on the device, all capture works offline, and writes are queued and synchronised when connectivity returns, with conflicts surfaced rather than silently overwritten.
Do we need to buy devices?
Usually not. Most plants start with existing Android phones or a few shared tablets. Rugged devices are worth it in wet, dusty or hot areas, and for shared use where drops are certain — but that is a decision to make after a pilot, not before.
How do you handle multiple users on a shared tablet?
Fast user switching with a PIN or a scanned badge, so identity is captured on every record without a slow login. Every entry is attributed, which matters for quality records and for accountability.
Can it work in Hindi or a regional language?
Yes. Interface language is switchable per user and we design layouts to tolerate longer strings. For operator-facing screens this often materially improves data quality, because people enter more accurate information in the language they think in.
What is still on paper?
Rounds, inspections, handovers, breakdown records. Tell us which one hurts most and we will scope an app for it.