Cerise - Android application development

Founded in 1849, ECOM Agroindustrial Corp. Limited has been a dominant force in soft commodity services, operating in over 40 countries and boasting an impressive annual income of approximately $4.4 billion. With a workforce of 10,000 global employees, ECOM's growth is nothing short of remarkable, showcasing a 6.9% one-year growth and an 11.8% growth over two years.

Components: Mobile application for Wet Mill Managers in Rwanda (Android application development) + Administrative interface for Trade Managers in Switzerland and London (a web application)

The app, crafted in Kotlin for Android and operating on Zebra devices (Zebra tablets), is a masterpiece of technical prowess. It seamlessly connects to portable Zebra Bluetooth printers, ensuring smooth operations in the challenging environments of African wet mills, like those in Rwanda.

Cerise's capabilities are extensive. It supports offline functionality, crucial for remote operations, and syncs with a central API. The admin interface, designed in Vue.js, is a hub for trade managers and office staff in London, Switzerland, Vietnam, and the US. Our journey included weathering the challenges of integrating AccuWeather's API, ensuring the app provided crucial, location-specific weather data vital for coffee processing.

The Cerise project harnessed a diverse range of technologies to meet the intricate needs of ECOM. Kotlin was chosen for its robustness in mobile app development, while Vue.js was utilized to create a user-friendly admin interface. The selection of Android Enterprise-certified Zebra tablets and Bluetooth thermal printers underscored the importance of reliable and durable hardware in challenging environments. Cloud technologies like Docker, Hetzner Cloud, and Azure provided the backbone for dependable and scalable global operations.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Cerise project was understanding the intricacies of the coffee processing industry and adapting to diverse cultural and persona characteristics.

Let’s have a look at the challenges in detail.

We had to understand the industrial terms and stages of coffee processing. We had to manage workshops in English with multiple parties in London, Vietnam, and Rwanda.

The initial design, brought by ECOM, required significant modifications to align with the complex processes and remote operations in regions like Africa, particularly Rwanda.

There was no web UI design so we created one based on the existing mobile application design. Elements and states were missing, and we faced scalability issues.

We needed a weather information service. We chose AccuWeather API, usable for commercial purposes, and provides accurate information about Rwanda’s weather.

We needed to align the design to support the free plan limitation and include weather indicators of AccuWeather instead of the original ones (since that didn’t cover all the states).

We were asked to recommend rugged tablet computers, industrial-grade devices. Here comes Zebra. We needed to understand how the printing SDK works. We had to implement bluetooth pairing and PDF print preview in the application.

Aligning to production operations in Azure, we recommended object storage for image files, highlighting our adaptability and foresight. End-to-end tests require the hardware, need to be transferred between team members.

We needed to find paper rolls, and purchase from Romania to be able to test since it’s not available in Hungary.

Small challenges like handling customs, importing the tablet, printer from the UK, and printing paper from Vietnam sent by the client. (Started from scratch by collaboration with the finance team to get our EORI.)

Our main contact left the company meanwhile. It was quite seamless even though the successors had different visions. The mixed visions resulted in a Change Request that was accepted by the customer. They appreciated the implementation and effort we put in so far.

LogiNet Systems brought an array of services to the table, crucial for the holistic development of Cerise:

The technology stack was carefully chosen to support these services, with Kotlin for robust mobile application development, Vue.js for an efficient admin interface, and the integration of Android Enterprise solutions for reliable field operations.

The Cerise project has transformed ECOM's coffee trading operations, improving efficiency, remote monitoring and field management. Currently undergoing field testing in Rwanda, further change requests (CRs) are planned based on user feedback, while the system is undergoing a security audit by ECOM's US and Mexican teams.

As Phase 2 progresses, the focus will be on further optimising field operations and remote monitoring. Despite challenges such as the departure of a key contact, the close collaboration between LogiNet and ECOM has ensured a robust, future-proof solution that redefines digital transformation in commodity trading.

The Cerise project is a testament to LogiNet's commitment to digital transformation, delivering a robust, scalable solution for ECOM's global coffee trade. By overcoming technical and logistical challenges, the collaboration resulted in a seamless, efficient system designed for real-world conditions. More than just an app, Cerise is revolutionising commodity trade management, streamlining transactions, monitoring and processing, and setting new industry standards.