KANRI SOFT Case Study

Visualizing factories of tomorrow one measurement at a time

It’s a story about how we revolutionized production at factories with a visual system improving workflow and supporting lean management.
Client:
KANRI SOFT
Industry:
production companies factories
Scope:
software development refactoring research & development quality assurance
Technologies:
.NET React.js TypeScript
Table of contents:
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    01 Turning production upside down

    WHAT IS KANRI?

    Kanri is a business software manufacturer that allows companies to follow the lean management concepts – from assembly line workers to managers making strategic decisions.

    Their digital administration system combines many data acquisition, processing, and visualization tools and can be hosted on-premises or in the cloud, depending on the client’s requirements.

    HOW DOES IT WORK?

    The application boosts the flow of information within a factory. It collects vital data from production machines and then sends them to machine operators who further expand it and define what is going on during production. This aggregated data is later distributed throughout all levels of factory operations to monitor and measure key performance factors and pinpoint and eliminate possible sources of waste.

    As a result, the solution enhances lean processes and increases productivity throughout the factory by real-time monitoring of machines’ conditions and swift exchange of information.

    The project’s long-term goal is to speed up the flow of production and lower the possibility of malfunctions while reducing the carbon footprint.

    kanri software dashboards

    01 The challenge

    Kanri is quite a unique project. We started the product development from workshops with the client to immerse ourselves in the industry and deeply research the functional requirements, and come up with a detailed backlog and wireframes.

    We had to learn a lot about the day-to-day work of manufacturing companies, listen to the needs of machine operators, foremen, mechanics, and shift supervisors and understand their points of view. Flexibility played a big part in this project as we were working at the forefront of industry digitalization and automation of lean processes.

    The Approach
    • magnifier icon
      Research, research, and research some more. We opted for a user-centric approach and consulted all product end-users, and gathered their feedback to deliver software optimizing mundane tasks.
    • shaking hands icon
      Working hand-in-hand with a client and a fully-fledged team ensures we build a product addressing the demand 100%.
    • conversation balloons icon
      Communication, mutual understanding, and directing all your energy towards a common goal do the heavy lifting. This is what makes even the toughest challenges enjoyable.
    • hand pressing button icon
      We don’t only write the code but also work with the client during system implementation, collecting both technical and functional suggestions. Then we streamline the product based on the feedback and user acceptance tests.

    01 The process

    THE PRODUCT PATH

    We started the work by getting our hands dirty and visiting our client on-site. We held long hours of workshops and interviews with each person involved in the production, from machine operators to CEOs. May we add that creating of the product concept, workshop planning, and other parts of the preparatory stage process took us 14 days.

    All this allowed us to put ourselves in the end user's shoes and come up with the most accurate designs and functions.

    THE TECHNOLOGY PATH

    As a result of the extended discovery period, we first visualized the product using mockups that allowed our client to raise interest in the solution and get financing for it. After working hand-in-hand with a business analyst, those mockups gained programming logic and were transformed into a working prototype that was implemented later on.

    We appointed our .NET, React.js, and TypeScript engineers to build a ready-to-use MVP that will serve as a base for the app. We also had to keep in mind that the solution could be stored in a closed on-premise infrastructure or in a cloud environment.

    THE PROCESS SUMMARY
    • microscope icon
      Discovery
      workshops
      Collecting opinions, talking about personal requirements and needs
    • bulb icon
      Product
      innovation
      An MVP for the automotive industry that can later be applied in factories from all industries
    • gearwheel icon
      Product
      strategy
      Iterative development engaging both the client and the end-users
    • UX wireframe icon
      UX
      design
      250 screens, production floor, and interactive boards all with different resolutions
    • diagram icon
      Product
      development
      6 separate modules for diverse grade specialists
    • pencil icon
      Branding
      Leave room for personalization and adjustments
    • rocket icon
      MVP
      development
      All set and ready to launch!

    WHAT WE DERIVED FROM THE PROJECT

    Building products that are useful and innovative are what drives us to continue to do what we do. Flexible development and dynamic team composition aid in dealing with time and money challenges. Working on Kanri we gained priceless knowledge how to design and lead product discovery workshops and, in return, refine and improve our development process.

    01 The result

    What can we say? Just take a look!

    All the dedication and hard work put into the development paid off and we have created an MVP that is ready to take over the manufacturing industry. There still is some room for growth: the system has great potential to be expanded to HR and payroll specialists, monitor and regulate shortages and delivery of intermediate goods.

    Because of the effort of all the:
    • machine operators, foremen, maintenance managers have crucial info about the current state of production ➡ how many units have been produced, do all the systems work properly, are there any downtimes,
    • foremen are notified about any accidents or production hiccups,
    • mechanics know if any maintenance work is needed,
    • shift supervisors get shift statistics, current stock numbers and machines state - all delivered just like they like it, on colorful graphs.

    After just a year of development, Kanri cooperates now with three clients that implemented the MVP in their factories and quite some more waiting to start working with it. This only shows the product has enormous potential and is getting serious traction and interest from business owners.

    Summary
    • cshark_case-study_nudge_shuttle-3 (1)
      Project
      start
      November 2020
    • cshark_case-study_nudge_location-1-1
      Market
      Poland
    • cshark_case-study_nudge_money-1
      Cost

      500 000 - 750 000 USD;
      a CSHARK’s
      investment project

    • cshark_case-study_nudge_calendar-1
      Dev. time
      Ongoing
    • cshark_case-study_nudge_team-2
      Team

      2 Product designers

      1 Innovation strategist

      4 Back-end specialists

      3 Front-end developers

      1 Tester

      1/2 Business analyst

      1 DevOps engineer

    • cshark_case-study_nudge_magic-wand-1
      Services

      discovery workshops
      and research

      MVP development

      design

      implementation

    Wondering how we can revolutionize your production?

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