Camtran

Background

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m the Senior Leader for Quality Systems at Cam Tram, Canada’s largest transformer manufacturer.

Opportunity / challenge

What challenge were you trying to address with Gecko Dynamics?

We have three plants across Canada and needed to develop a centralized, online database to coordinate our teams. The solution needed to provide real-time information in a highly visual way for display on television screens to help eliminate our paper-based systems.

Solution

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked with me to develop the custom software. We built it in stages, planning work up to six months in advance, and Gecko Dynamics helped me fine-tune the specifications before passing it to their overseas developers.

They installed the software on our servers and we continue to create new updates on a weekly basis.

What is the team composition?

Alexey Mykhalov [CTO, Gecko Dynamics] is my main contact. Because he’s located near Vancouver, we meet face-to-face each week. I also have a secondary point of contact in case of emergency.

How did you come to work with Gecko Dynamics?

We searched for software developers online. Our industry has a lot of unique needs, so we wanted a company willing to create a custom system from the ground up. We liked that Alexey was local, as we wanted someone to visit our facilities firsthand to get a sense of the problems we wanted to solve. Because they use overseas developers, they also offered lower rates than their competitors.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $200,000–$300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2014 and our relationship is ongoing. We’ll be working together for the foreseeable future, as we have lots of work ahead and we’ve been happy with their progress.

Results & feedback

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

We’ve doubled the size of our company and sales since working with Gecko Dynamics. The systems they’ve built have allowed us to keep our growing teams focused and in sync. The quality of our teams has also improved.

Additionally, we’ve seen warranty returns from customers decrease by 50% over the last few years. This can be partially attributed to the database system bringing live information right to the operators, helping them to ensure units are built to the customer specifications.

How did Gecko Dynamics perform from a project management standpoint?

Their level of organization is one of their strongest assets. We coordinate projects through Jira and use a ticketing system to prioritize tasks. I enter new tickets each week, and because their developers are based in Eastern Europe, they’ve already started the new assignments by the time I start work the next day.

They’re willing to work overtime during emergencies and respond immediately to any bugs or system failures.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our business has a lot of unique challenges related to geography, customer base, and the industry itself. Gecko Dynamic took the time to understand our company in order to create a solution to fit our needs. They visited our facilities to get a sense of how our operators work and asked the right questions. They watched our employees interact with the system in order to make improvements.

I’ve worked with companies in the past that try to apply predetermined solutions to a project, but Gecko Dynamic’s flexibility guarantees tailored results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Developers are in high demand in Eastern Europe, so they have some turnover issues. It can be a bit of a headache to get new employees caught up if a developer leaves.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We’ve had to redo certain aspects due to a lack of planning, which has caused some delays. Be sure to plan thoroughly so that the project moves efficiently. Alexey will be more than happy to help.