Optima Energia

Client Snapshot

• Industry: Energy Efficiency / Public Infrastructure
• Client: Optima Energia — Mexico’s leading energy services company specializing in public lighting modernization
• Timeline: 2019 — 6 months
• Team: 4 teammates (2 developers, 1 architect, 1 PM)
• Services: Mobile App Development · API Development · UX/UI Design · Consulting
• Stack: Swift (iOS) · Ruby on Rails · PostgreSQL · AWS · Jira
• Platforms delivered: iOS app + REST API backend

The Problem

Managing luminaire maintenance at scale is a complex, ground-level operation. Optima Energia needed a system that would give their field technicians visibility into which luminaires required maintenance, allow them to log and track service work in real time, and submit product requests — all from a mobile device while on-site.

• Offline-first requirement: field workers often operate in areas with unreliable or no internet connectivity — a standard cloud-dependent app was not an option.
• No real-time visibility: supervisors had no live tracking of ongoing and completed maintenance work across their luminaire fleet.
• Manual, paper-based workflows: technicians were using manual processes to log inspections and supply requests, slowing down operations and increasing error risk.
• Scale challenge: thousands of public lights across multiple municipalities required a system that could handle large-scale field operations reliably.

The Solution

Axented designed and built a native iOS application and a supporting REST API to power Optima Energia’s field operations from the ground up.

• iOS App (Swift): a purpose-built mobile tool for field technicians featuring luminaire inspection and status tracking, maintenance work logging, product and supply request submissions, and offline-first architecture with local storage and automatic sync when connectivity is restored.
• API & Backend (Ruby on Rails + PostgreSQL + AWS): centralized data management for luminaire inventory and maintenance records, sync logic to handle data written offline and reconcile on reconnect, and a reliable, scalable foundation hosted on AWS.
• Project Management: bi-weekly sprints managed in Jira with daily standups — keeping a lean 4-person team aligned and shipping consistently across a focused 6-month timeline.

Results

• Delivered in 6 months: full iOS app + backend API built and deployed by a 4-person team on a focused timeline.
• Higher luminaire coverage: technicians inspected and serviced more luminaires per shift with structured digital workflows replacing manual and paper-based processes.
• Full maintenance visibility: supervisors gained real-time tracking of ongoing and completed maintenance work across the entire fleet.
• 100% reliable offline operation: the local-first architecture ensured field workers were never blocked by connectivity issues — data syncing automatically in the background.
• 4-person lean team: 2 developers + 1 architect + 1 PM delivered the full product in 6 months with no scope creep.

‍

KPIs

6 months — Full iOS app + REST API delivered by a 4-person team

100% offline-first — Field operations uninterrupted regardless of connectivity; data syncs automatically

Paper → digital — Manual inspection and supply request workflows replaced with structured mobile-first processes

‍

Tech Stack

• Mobile — Swift (iOS)
• Backend — Ruby on Rails
• Database — PostgreSQL
• Cloud — AWS
• Project Management — Jira

Team & Delivery Model

• iOS Developer: Native Swift app, offline-first architecture, local storage, background sync, and UX implementation for field technicians.
• Backend Developer: Ruby on Rails API, PostgreSQL data modeling, sync logic, luminaire inventory management, and AWS deployment.
• Architect: System architecture, offline sync strategy, data reconciliation design, and scalability planning.
• Project Manager (PM): Sprint planning in Jira, daily standups, delivery governance, and stakeholder coordination.
• Operating model: Agile, bi-weekly sprints with daily standups and tight stakeholder feedback loops across a 6-month focused delivery.