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Belimo creates award-winning digital experience for millions of devices
Belimo collaborated with us to enhance the digital interface for existing and future products. By replacing three separate apps with a single cross-platform solution, the company created a unified user experience, reduced maintenance costs, and extended functionality.
Realising a unified digital experience
Belimo is a global market leader in the development, production, and sales of field devices for the energy-efficient control of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. Core products include damper actuators, control valves, sensors, and meters. Building on its success, Belimo identified a need to enhance its digital products to offer the best possible end user experience and bolster its competitive edge.
The project at a glance
Belimo faced the challenge of creating a unified digital experience for users of its diverse range of field devices. Previously, it had maintained separate applications for the Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. The company's vision was to replace these three separate apps with a single, cross-platform solution that would reduce maintenance costs, deliver a modern, cohesive user experience, and extend app functionality.
Pioneering AI and pushing Flutter to its limits leads to award-winning solution
To address these challenges, Belimo partnered with us to create a unified platform that ensures that Belimo is ready for the digital future. We proposed developing a cross-platform application using the Flutter framework. This allows for a single codebase across multiple platforms, reducing development and maintenance costs and ensuring a seamless user experience. In developing the solution, the team pushed the Flutter framework to its absolute limits. This bold, pioneering approach led to the collaboration between us and Belimo winning the Silver Award for INNOVATION at Best of Swiss Apps 2024.
The team took a risk-driven approach to quality. With over 10,000 combinations of platforms, OS versions, communication channels (USB, BLE, NFC) and Belimo field devices, our team of experts was able to define and prioritise the most critical test scenarios for Belimo and its end users. The goal was to maximise automation of critical scenarios. Supported by Belimo, the team also took the (at the time) pioneering approach to using AI in software engineering of using Github Copilot. This accelerated development cycles and improved code quality.
Embedding Zühlke into the Belimo digital ecosystem delivered efficient collaboration and communication
Using an agile development process, our experts and Belimo worked together in a single large cross-functional team made up of product owners, UX experts, developers, QA staff, and security experts. The team focused on integrating the new application into Belimo's digital ecosystem, ensuring compatibility with both new devices and existing installations. The user interface and experience were aligned with the Belimo Cloud Portal, providing users with a consistent look and feel when operating digital versions of its devices.
“Zühlke is our trusted technology advisor. The joint team went the extra mile to design and build a forward-looking app that brings high value to Belimo’s customers. This collaboration went beyond technology – it deepened relationships, strengthened trust, and laid the foundation for long-term success together.”
Belimo Assistant 2 provides an integrated digital experience across millions of devices
The collaboration enabled the successful launch of Belimo Assistant 2, a unified application replacing three previous apps. This consolidation led to significant reductions in maintenance costs and, by continuing to ensure correct configuration of critical field devices, to significant potential energy savings in buildings worldwide. Users now enjoy a seamless experience across three platforms, twelve operating system versions, and four communication channels, encompassing over 100 device families – which means unifying the digital experience across millions of devices. The new app is the standard channel for configuring and operating all Belimo field devices, strengthening Belimo's market position.
The new application covers a wider range of use cases, with functionality previously limited to specific platforms now available on all three supported platforms. Specific features previously only available on the Android mobile app, for example, are now also integrated into the Windows version. Integration with Belimo Cloud further enhances the user experience, delivering a modern, consistent interface across all devices.
Modern technology, close collaboration, and a clear vision for the user experience navigated the team through digital product enhancement
Brave and pioneering as it may have been to use a cross-platform approach for such a complex, hardware-bound application, the results speak for themselves. Embracing a cross-platform approach and leveraging agile development methodologies has enabled Belimo and Zühlke to transform a fragmented digital landscape into a cohesive, user-friendly platform. We are especially proud that the Best of Swiss Apps jury chose to recognise our approach with the Silver Award. Belimo can now reap the benefits of this approach for many years to come.
This collaboration and the success of the project underscore the importance of:
- Embracing modern technology: Frameworks like Flutter can streamline development and maintenance.
- Fostering close collaboration: Working closely with trusted partners ensures that solutions are tailored to specific needs and challenges.
- Focusing on user experience: A consistent, intuitive interface enhances user satisfaction and engagement.
By prioritising these factors, companies can navigate the complexities of digital transformation and move closer to realising the vision of a seamless, efficient future.
