With Plenty of Amore in the Cup – and Even More in the Code

Developing and optimizing coffee machines requires specialized technical expertise – across both software and hardware. But skilled employees are not always available in sufficient numbers to push projects forward at the desired pace. Sometimes specific programming knowledge is missing, sometimes internal teams are already at capacity.

There was especially high demand for expertise in programming the touch interface, with the aim of making it more flexible and user-friendly. At the same time, additional support was needed to further refine the coordination of machine components via the mainboard – for example, in the precise control of motors, pumps, and valves. To avoid losing valuable time, it was essential to bring the right heads and hands into the team.

The customer used the opportunity to bring in targeted expertise and extra resources, speeding up development projects and making progress more efficient. Over several phases, ibw supported the further development of core areas of the coffee machine technology.

Initially, the focus was on the touch interface: it was optimized and made flexible enough to be customized for different end customers. In some cases, UI development was completely outsourced to ibw, relieving the internal team.

In a later phase, the focus shifted to fine-tuning the internal coordination of machine components. Working closely with the customer, control over the mainboard was enhanced – from the precise activation of motors to optimized regulation of pumps and valves. This ensured that both software and hardware were prepared for future requirements.

At the start, with the client we defined the specific tasks and the technical expertise required. Together, we set the start date and duration of the collaboration. As it became clear that additional support was still needed, the scope of work was gradually expanded.

The collaboration remained flexible: in some areas, ibw developers worked directly as part of the customer’s internal team and followed the existing development cycles. Other tasks were completely outsourced to us and handled independently – always in close coordination with the customer to ensure seamless integration of the results.

Depending on the project phase and technical requirements, the work was done both remotely and on-site. This enabled an ideal balance between direct collaboration and efficient, location-independent development. As a result, the customer was able to bridge short-term gaps and also benefit long-term from the added expertise.