The customer
TECE is an innovator in the sanitary and installation industry. Explaining the core competence of TECE is simple: bring water in and out of buildings - combined with the company’s typical pioneering spirit. TECE solutions are well thought out and offer reliable technology, long-term functionality and timeless design.
Initial situation and challenge
Stagnant water is a problem in water cycles. On the one hand, harmful germs can develop. On the other hand, deposits are formed that lead to long-term damage. Hospitals and hotels, for example, are subject to strict requirements and obligations to provide evidence to ensure that water is used safely.
TECE has developed a hygienic flush against these problems. This is integrated in toilet cisterns and requires neither additional connections nor devices.
TECE was looking for a convenient solution in the form of a mobile application for iOS and Android for the configuration of the flush and the transfer of flush logs. The app should connect to the flush via Bluetooth, make changes to the flush volume and frequency, and read flush logs.
Approach and solution on the part of itemis
In the project, the various trades were supplied by several partners. Close coordination between the parties was crucial for successful and timely implementation . This included agreements and joint decisions on the protocol structure, Bluetooth communication and the test and release candidates.
The itemis development team first created the application concept. This was based on an existing rough concept and the customer's technical requirements. In addition to basic configuration and log display, convenience functions for saving frequently used configurations were also integrated.
The app logic was largely developed with React Native, as the basis for iOS and Android apps. React Native is an open source framework for the development of mobile apps. At its core, React Native ensures a modular structure of the application's UI through the components used.
The cross-platform approach React Native was chosen to keep the development effort low. In addition, the desired functionality could be mapped very well and could easily be supplemented with native development parts.
In the native area of the app, for example, the Bluetooth protocol was implemented after we had defined it together with TECE's hardware partner.
After the very successful launch of the TECE app, further projects were started that expand the existing system and build on the existing technologies.
Customer advantage / customer benefit
With the TECESmartFlow app, itemis has developed a flexible and convenient solution for interacting with TECE hygiene flushes. The app can be installed on all current Android and iOS devices. The workload of TECE customers is made much easier by the responsible actors they:
- can configure the hygienic flushes quickly and easily.
- Retrieve and activate stored configurations at the touch of a finger.
- read out the stored rising logs for verification purposes quickly, without cables and without additional end devices.
TECE was thus able to offer its customers a holistic solution that once again highlights the company's pioneering spirit and creates added value at several levels.
In addition to expertise in developing apps - for control and communication of Bluetooth devices in the IoT environment - TECE benefited from our experience in working with project partners. Since we have already accompanied many customers in their first steps towards digitization, we knew the stumbling blocks of such a project but also the factors that are decisive for the success of a software product.
For TECE, the first step in the direction of the IoT turned out to be a great success. Further development of the product and the app were therefore the next logical and sensible step. The latest app version with expanded functionality was published under the name “TECEsmartcontrol'' in the Apple and Google app stores.
We are proud to continue to support TECE in follow-up projects.
