Machine maintenance and economy with a custom app

Farmers First sought to transform how farmers maintain and preserve the value of their machines. Did you know that with 20 machines in operation, there can be thousands of unique maintenance tasks to track? Each machine requires specific actions after certain hours, weekly, or seasonally. Keeping up with all of this manually, documenting every step, and ensuring nothing is missed—like greasing a vital part—is nearly impossible without proper system support. 

Farmers First required a digital solution that would optimize machine upkeep, retain resale value, and simplify the entire ownership lifecycle, from purchase to long-term maintenance.

To address Farmers First's challenges, Smart Source developed a custom app that optimizes machine maintenance and preserves the long-term value of the machinery.

The app offers automatic service reminders for thousands of unique maintenance tasks and logs all maintenance history. By integrating real-time machine data, costly breakdowns are prevented.

The app also simplifies task assignment and tracks the completion of actions, ensuring that nothing is missed. The system extends the machines' lifespan and optimizes their resale value.

To deliver a high-performance app, we used Kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS, ensuring platform-specific optimization and responsive interfaces. The app integrates with Microsoft B2C for secure user authentication, providing farmers with a seamless login experience and protecting sensitive data. Content management is powered by the Sitecore API, allowing real-time updates to maintenance schedules and information.

For notifications, we employed the Firebase Notification Engine, enabling users to receive timely service reminders and alerts. The integration of Google Maps API enables precise GPS tracking of machinery, allowing real-time location monitoring and maintenance scheduling based on machine position and usage.

The app’s backend is designed for scalability, meaning it can handle increased data as Farmers First’s machinery fleet expands. Real-time data processing ensures that maintenance actions are tracked and logged promptly, preventing costly delays. By building this solution on a robust architecture, we ensured high availability, minimizing downtime and ensuring the system supports operations in all conditions.

In terms of user experience, we focused on creating an intuitive interface tailored to the needs of farmers. The design allows users to easily navigate through maintenance schedules, track machine health, and assign tasks to staff, enhancing efficiency.

Finally, security is a top priority. By integrating Microsoft B2C, we ensured compliance with industry standards for data protection, safeguarding user credentials and machine data against potential threats. The system is built to grow with Farmers First, supporting future expansion and additional features without compromising performance or security.