Ecotab
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A Berlin-based start-up has revolutionized conventional cleaning agents to free the world from single-use plastic bottles.
Studies have shown that less than 6% of Africa's farmland is irrigated, highlighting the urgent need for innovative solutions like solar-powered water pumps to enhance agricultural productivity and resilience. In many regions, farmers face significant challenges in managing their water resources efficiently to sustain their crops and livestock. Erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts exacerbate these issues, making access to reliable water sources critical.
Solar-powered water pumps offer a sustainable solution, but determining daily water consumption needs and the technical requirements for these pumps is a complex task, often beyond the expertise of the average farmer. Traditional methods involve navigating intricate Excel spreadsheets, leading to frequent errors, delays, and the need for expert intervention. This inefficient process needs to improve farmers' ability to make timely and accurate decisions, affecting their productivity and livelihoods.
Ragnarson, specializing in climate tech and startups, partnered with Margraf Publishers and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) to develop a custom software application. This case study outlines how Ragnarson addressed these challenges by focusing on the client's software and business goals. The result was a user-friendly, impactful solution that empowers African farmers to optimise their water usage effectively, thus improving their productivity and livelihoods.
Ecotab wants to get resource-consuming products that use chemicals and plastics out of people’s households. They invented small effervescent tablets that drastically reduce plastic consumption and transportation footprint. Now, every consumer can purchase it to make their own cleaning products at home. The tab-shaped cleaning agents can be ordered via the Shopify online store.
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The initial Shopify theme served its purpose as an MVP. It was enough to validate the business idea and reduce time-to-market for a new line of products. However, Ecotab was looking for something unique and optimized for sales conversion, page speed, and website performance. They eventually decided to replace the old website with a custom-designed theme.
We scored 97/100 page performance according to the Google Pagespeed Insights.
We replaced the Shopify template with a custom-designed theme.
Page performance and stability have improved significantly.
We’ve built a pixel-perfect Shopify theme on top of the Figma mock-ups.
We focused on building a SEO-friendly store that is fast, performant, and easy to maintain.
We utilised Ruby on Rails for server-side development, ensuring simplicity with core functionalities focused on authentication and data persistence.
It was built using React for a dynamic and responsive user interface.
Implemented Tanstack Query for advanced caching and offline support, ensuring the application could function without a stable internet connection.
Used React Router for straightforward routing and DaisyUI for system design, ensuring a user-friendly interface.
The development process involved iterative cycles with continuous feedback from the client, ensuring the final product met the users' specific needs.
Original complex Excel formulas were simplified and integrated into the application with the help of the client’s experts.
The new web application replaced complex Excel files, reducing errors and eliminating the need for expert intervention. Farmers can now easily determine their water requirements and the technical specifications for solar-powered water pumps.
The offline mode ensures that farmers in regions with poor internet connectivity can still use the application effectively.
The app’s design is simple, straightforward, and accessible, catering to users with limited technical expertise. Responsive design ensures usability across different devices, including mobile phones.
Users can download detailed PDF reports of their input data and results, providing a valuable resource for record-keeping and decision-making.
Ragnarson successfully developed a web application for Margraf Publishers that addressed significant challenges faced by African farmers. Leveraging expertise in climate tech, startup development, and impactful software solutions, the team delivered a user-friendly, efficient, and accessible tool.
This project streamlined determining water and pump requirements, empowering farmers with reliable, easy-to-use technology. By providing a solution that simplifies complex calculations and reduces errors, the application significantly contributes to sustainable agriculture practices in Africa.
Through close collaboration and a focus on the client's software and business goals, the project ensured the success and growth of Margraf Publishers in the climate tech sector. This strategic partnership met immediate needs and laid the groundwork for future innovations in sustainable farming solutions.
The thing that made Ragnarson a great partner for us is that we were able to give them a solid specification, and then they just executed on it beautifully while remaining in close contact with my product team. They choose how to accomplish the end goals according to the requirements and don’t depend on a project manager to assign the work or deadlines. Needless to say, they delivered on-time, on-budget, and at very high quality.
