Imagine you’re a tradesperson on a large construction site. With an app, you can check and adjust the status of your power tools right from your smartphone. Meanwhile, an inventory manager at headquarters can monitor tool usage, schedule maintenance, and coordinate equipment — all on the same dashboard. This seamless connection saves time, improves communication, and makes project management more efficient. It also frees you to focus on what matters most: your work.

To make this scenario a reality, Bosch Power Tools wanted to develop a new app. The challenge was to expand their existing inventory app to integrate Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tools and deliver new, valuable functions.

Turning vision into an innovative solution

Bosch Power Tools asked us to bring this vision to life. They chose us for our proven technology skills, strong infrastructure, and proximity to them. The project’s goals included the following:

  • Give users access to advanced device functions, settings and inventory management across the product portfolio via the app.
  • Provide Bosch with actionable insights to drive new data-driven business models.
  • Ensure the app remains fully functional—even offline on job sites.

Building the app with Bosch, step by step

We started by listening. Our first step was to understand the diverse requirements of the main users: inventory managers and tradespeople. We ran comprehensive workshops with Bosch’s business team to analyze specific needs and workflows. Based on this insight, our UI/UX team then built interactive click models to bring different user roles and scenarios to life. These models gave Bosch an early look at the user experience and space to refine it.

We delivered the PRO360 project end-to-end: backend, frontend, mobile and UX design.

With the new app, we’re taking the digitalization of our power tools to a new level. Thanks to this successful outcome, we now offer expanded device functions and attractive services. We’re closer to our customers than ever before. The app meets our high standards of scalability and expandability. It’s an important step toward Bosch’s digital leadership.

Gerrit Elvers Chief Product Owner, Bosch Power Tools

Agile development that delivered results faster

Using an agile Scrum approach, we stayed flexible and quickly responded to new insights and requests. Cross-platform development ensured a consistent user experience on iOS and Android, and smooth version releases. For crowd testing, we used feature toggles to enable and disable features, testing them step by step in real-world scenarios. Key technical highlights of the app included:

Asian man wearing a safety helmet and neon orange reflective jacket
  • Cross-platform app with React Native for a consistent experience on iOS and Android.
  • Modular Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) library built for reuse in other Bosch apps.
  • Offline capability through local data storage and automatic synchronization so tradespeople can adjust tool settings without internet access.
  • Spring Boot microservices to develop, deploy and scale app functions independently, improving efficiency and flexibility.
  • Power BI dashboard for data insights that help optimize tool performance and usage, and enable data-driven optimization of test cycles and processes for optimized project management.

The app’s modular design also makes it easy to add new tools or extend features with minimal development effort. In addition, the Bluetooth library makes it possible to quickly integrate future BLE tools into the existing app and to extend it with additional functions.

Measurable outcomes: Using IoT to enhance user experience, data-driven business models and competitive advantage

The PRO360 app became a strategic advantage for Bosch by: 

  • Delivering a richer user experience with more precise, efficient workflows.
  • Enabling Bosch to build data-driven business models and gain insights for future product development.
  • Surpassing the original goal of integrating Bluetooth tools by adding practical functions and scalable architecture.
  • Earning excellent ratings in app stores after national and international rollout.
Woman engineer in white hard hat holding laptop at a construction
Men with safety harness working on a high beam construction

Partnership that exceeded expectations

Close collaboration made the difference: clear communication, equal partnerships, and a well-planned engineering process led to results that exceeded expectations.

This project was originally delivered by Novatec Consulting GmbH, which has been part of CGI Deutschland BV & Co. KG since March 21, 2025. The expertise and know-how demonstrated here continue within CGI.