Warehouse Equipment

Looking to develop next-gen software for its popular forklifts, this industrial firm turned to ICS to create a robust interface that supported telematics.

A Modern UI for Forklift Trucks

A leading manufacturer of forklift trucks and pallet jacks was looking to develop sophisticated new software to replace the existing displays on their forklifts while adding support for telematics and other capabilities.

Challenge

The new Linux-based system had to be flexible enough to support a wide range of products. However, the existing system was based on a large legacy code base that required major refactoring before it could be incorporated into a modern Qt/QML application.The development timeline was tight as the client wanted to quickly deploy the application so it could ship new merchandise.

Solution

To create an appealing, modern touchscreen interface, Integrated Computer Solutions, Inc. (ICS) first reviewed the existing architecture and suggested a number of changes designed to ease development. Our engineering team also recommended ways to more effectively separate the system’s front- and backends, which would make it easier to add new modules and features down the road. The client had already developed some of the UI components in Qt/QML, but allowed ICS to clean the code, which improved the UI performance. The engineering team also created additional reusable components including WiFi/network connectivity, a software updater, cellular connectivity, and a RFID badge reader — for a more expansive user experience. In addition, we developed a framework to internationalize the UI.

Results

ICS’ team completed this project quickly — in less than six months — to meet the client’s deadline. Today, the forklifts with the modern displays are on their way to customers.