Bebat

Bebat is already improving efficiency by installing automated telemetry in a number of bins. The automated system can check the fill rate of a collection point, and place a pick-up order automatically. “At the moment, only 1.200 collection points are automated, as the system is only cost-effective when large volumes of batteries are involved”, Logistics and Recycling manager Katrien Busselot clarifies. “For the other 23.000 points, we needed another solution.”

The organization turned to icapps, and asked them to develop an easy-to-use mobile application where anyone can flag a filled up collection point, ask for recycling bags, and plan a collection. “I was already familiar with some projects icapps did for other companies”, Peeters knows. “After looking at some more reference cases, contacting them was an easy decision.”

Bebat wanted a comprehensive yet fully featured application. Busselot: “It needed to contain the location of all collection points, and we wanted users to be able to add favorite collection points”. That comes in handy for employees managing those points.

icapps was tasked with integrating the new application with the existing back-end system. Peeters: “The application needed to work for all collection points, including the ones that are already fully automated.” That means the system needs to handle double requests for the same collection point, scheduling only one collection but giving each user the assurance their request will be handled.

“We knew what we wanted, but we trusted icapps to do the heavy lifting”, Peeters explains. “We don’t really have an internal IT department, so we asked icapps to work directly with our back-end partner.” Busselot does not regret them keeping their distance from the technical details: “icapps was super responsive and they were phenomenal in helping us with their knowledge, even when the app was finished. For example: since we have no experience publishing an application to an app store, they walked us through the entire process.”

Peeters is happy about the collaboration as well. “It was clear from the start that icapps has a massive amount of experience. They helped us from A to Z: from the design of the app all the way to the end of the project. Being able to trust them, without being involved in every single technical detail of the project, was paramount to us. They only involved us when decisions had to be made, and this turned out to be the most efficient way”

Since the app has gone live, Bebat can plan collections better than ever. The recycling organization is already an example for the rest of the European Union, thanks to a recycling rate of almost 70 percent. “The EU mandates a rate of 45 percent, and a lot of countries struggle to reach even that”, Peeters boasts. “We’ve always tried to pioneer better ways to perform our recycling mission.”The application developed by icapps, and the way in which it fits in the broader Bebat back-end systems, is a next leap in our continuous drive to innovate.”