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Lviv, Ukraine

Applied technologies

.NET, Angular, Azure, C#, QA, SQL Server

The reading of energy meters in most households in Denmark has evolved from manual reading to automatic digital remote reading. The Danish company Kamstrup is the world’s leading manufacturer of system solutions for intelligent energy and water metering with remote reading capabilities. Vibeke Ågren, Head of Software Department, explains Kamstrup’s digital transformation and the decisions that started the collaboration between Kamstrup and Conscensia.

Recruitment challenges must not hinder growth

The challenge of finding competent software developers was not going to stand in the way of Kamstrup’s ambitions and growth back in 2011. With the speed at which IT is changing in our world, scalability is crucial. Especially when a company like Kamstrup constantly strives to be at the forefront of new technology.

Kamstrup is addressing the shortage of software developers in Denmark by deciding to make outsourcing part of their strategy. A new software development location will solve their challenges of finding software development skills at the pace they need. Since 2011, Kamstrup has had a nearshore development team at Conscensia’s office in Lviv, Ukraine, where Kamstrup has continuously scaled up and down the number of software developers – depending on the needs of their development department.

Vibeke Ågren talks about the benefits of their software development team at Conscensia.

The solution to the IT skills shortage

The result of Kamstrup’s decision to outsource in 2011 is clear to Vibeke Ågren. “It was the right decision and solution for Kamstrup to get an extra development capacity 13 years ago. We have a very stable and valuable nearshore development team in Lviv, Ukraine. They have contributed significantly to the development of Kamstrup’s modern platform with digital remote reading solutions within water and district heating.” Kamstrup has evolved from a simple manual solution to a modern, digital and scalable solution, and this has opened up new global markets. New customers and markets often require local adaptations and extra features, which the nearshore team also helps to develop and implement in Kamstrup’s solutions. Vibeke Ågren points out that this has only been possible because they have several development locations. Kamstrup’s development department, which consists of developers from both Denmark and Ukraine, is stronger together than if they only had one development location.

The Nearshore team has been a big part of the transformation of the industry as energy meter reading became digitalized.

“The additional development capacity in Ukraine has increased our ability to innovate and contributed to the solution having a shorter time to market and more new features being developed for the solution.”

Kamstrup has just expanded the team with 6 developers as their software development department is in full swing. Vibeke Ågren explains; “We can see that our customers’ demand for software solutions to digitize and optimize their business is constantly increasing.” Due to Kamstrup’s access to IT resources in multiple locations, it is easy for them to meet the digitalization needs of their customers.

Nearshore team has high value for Kamstrup

There is great value in having a development team that has worked with Kamstrup’s solutions for many years, says Vibeke Ågren. The developers are very independent, so it is easy to scale the team as the team can introduce and train new members to Kamstrup’s solutions. Vibeke Ågren points out; “We have a hard core of super skilled developers who really deliver and are experts in our solutions”.

At management level, the team’s competencies give Vibeke Ågren peace of mind. She says: “Having a solid and stable nearshore development team is invaluable for Kamstrup. They know how the platform is built and how to solve the adaptations that come.”

“Our solutions are very complex, so continuity and the confidence that our Ukrainian developers are experts in the applications guarantee good quality.”

Retaining Kamstrup’s skilled software developers in Ukraine is therefore a high priority for Kamstrup. Vibeke Ågren explains that they have many skills in the team and they can easily find competent new developers when the need arises – and just as important – they can retain their good people. Many of Kamstrup’s software developers have, for example, celebrated their 10-year anniversary with the team.

Competencies define development team composition – not location

There is no difference in the types of tasks/projects Kamstrup’s Danish and Ukrainian software developers work on. The composition of the different development teams depends on the competencies, not the location they work from – and this is a great advantage for Kamstrup.

Some teams are mixed with Danish, Ukrainian and Spanish developers, and other teams consist of Danish or Ukrainian developers. Vibeke says they are a big family, and Kamstrup is very proud of that.

“We don’t use the term ‘us’ and ‘them’, our Ukrainian developers are our colleagues, not consultants.”

Vibeke Ågren is impressed with the team’s work ethic. The importance of doing a good job shines through. They make a great effort to avoid bugs in the software, and they keep themselves professionally updated and focus on further developing their own skills.

Long-term collaboration with sourcing partner

It is a proven choice for Kamstrup to have a Danish sourcing partner in Ukraine, who handles the practical tasks and support functions, such as recruiting new developers, delivery managers and providing a good local working environment for their teams. Vibeke Ågren says: “Conscensia has an attractive set-up; big enough to be professional – but not so big that it becomes impersonal. It is an advantage that everyone feels part of the company, and Conscensia has a good understanding of Kamstrup and our needs.” Kamstrup avoids a lot of low-level tasks and having to know local legislation etc. – they can focus on the development tasks that add value to their business.

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