Your embedded product. Faster to market.

For the further development of an existing customer success management tool at Kärcher, a tailored solution was needed that would not only improve usability, but also increase efficiency and significantly reduce costs.

Why hexDEV?

hexDEV was known as an experienced and efficient company that had already designed and implemented similar tools successfully. That expertise made hexDEV the right partner for this task. Our efficient and agile way of working enabled the rapid rollout of the solution and the associated cost reduction within a manageable time frame.

Project execution

In close collaboration with the customer, a revised and modern customer success management tool was delivered within nine months. Iterative feedback cycles and continuous optimization ensured that the solution was fully aligned with Kärcher's business model.

The result

Introducing the new tool led to a clear increase in productivity in customer management. At the same time, the tool became significantly more performant across all areas, improving both efficiency and user experience. The clear separation of target groups - support, sales, developers, and managers - enables role-specific support for each audience. Level-1 support compliance requirements are reliably met, and new interfaces make data available faster, which improves communication and decision-making. The improved user interface ensures intuitive operation. Overall, the solution delivers noticeably higher performance across all core functions. Operating costs were cut in half at the same time. The new solution sustainably supports customer retention while creating the flexibility needed to respond to future requirements.

TCI, a leading manufacturer of industrial displays, repeatedly faced the limited lifetime of Android OS versions for its products. Realizing that a reliable alternative was needed, TCI turned to hexDEV.

TCI needed a partner capable of replacing Android OS with a solution that offers long-term maintenance and support without compromising security or functionality. The T2M software platform from hexDEV, based on the Yocto framework, proved to be the ideal choice.

hexDEV integrated TCI hardware seamlessly into the Yocto-based distribution to ensure compatibility and optimal performance. In addition, hexDEV provided access to fleetwarden.de, the portal for efficient OTA software updates, device provisioning, and telemetry.

Given the growing importance of cyber security in industrial environments, hexDEV delivered a complete security infrastructure for TCI devices, including protected credentials for cloud access.

Today, hexDEV remains committed to TCI's success, provides regular security updates, and adapts functions to customer-specific needs. The partnership with hexDEV has turned into a strong success story because hexDEV consistently delivers the technological solutions demanded by TCI customers.

A forward-looking unit at Mercedes came to hexDEV with a simple vision: develop an open-source LIN bus driver for the Linux kernel and reduce costs for everyone - suppliers and automotive manufacturers alike.

LIN is a common communication protocol used in vehicles to control components such as mirrors, windshield wipers, and interior lighting. Mercedes Cars, a renowned German automotive manufacturer, faced the challenge that the Linux kernel had no native support for LIN bus. This gap increases costs for all manufacturers building LIN-capable devices because only a small number of free and open-source tools were available for developing and testing LIN devices.

The hexDEV team, deeply familiar with Linux kernel development and the Linux kernel community process, developed the driver and detailed documentation. The engineers built ARM-based reference hardware and wrote the test applications. hexDEV then started working with the responsible Linux kernel maintainers to integrate the driver into mainline Linux. The same software tools previously used only with CAN bus can now also be used with LIN bus through the new driver.

Tempo2Market brings Yocto Linux and secure updates to the board.

hexBLUE in the ST Partner Program

A major German company with a strong global industrial brand faced the challenge of aligning new product generations with security standards under the EU Data Act, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and the NIS2 Directive. Recognizing the need for security by design, the customer turned to hexDEV to find a secure solution for the next generation of IoT products for critical infrastructure.

The solution was built on the hardware platform of one of our hardware partners, where Tempo2Market OS with all security features was already preinstalled. The software was rebranded and adapted for the customer's devices at no additional cost. The customer launched its new product line with strong security capabilities, including securely stored credentials, key-based access, and best-practice security for embedded devices.

Thanks to hexDEV's extended maintenance program, our customers receive regular security updates, keeping their devices resilient against emerging threats while evolving in line with the latest legal requirements.

Lehner, a sensor manufacturer from Baden-Württemberg, brought its plant data sensor to market in a very short time. Faced with a tight project schedule, the customer turned to hexDEV in September to build a complete solution within at most three months. The solution needed to enable its customers to install and use the sensors effectively.

We quickly assembled an expert team to tackle the challenge. The first step was to set up a reliable cloud infrastructure to enable seamless data flow from the sensors. We then selected gateway hardware, adapted it for efficient data collection, and used the Tempo2Market distribution to implement fast data transfer into the cloud.

In parallel, the team worked with a design agency to create a user-friendly smartphone app for easy sensor installation and an online portal for centralized data management. In addition, hexDEV created an API for smooth communication between the collected data and the customer's AI system.

Despite the tight schedule, the hexDEV team mastered all challenges and successfully completed the project by December of the same year. This project shows how effectively the hexDEV software foundation shortens product development.