Case Study: Accuracy and Automation in Usage-Based Medical Equipment Hire

Executive Summary

A foreign company providing medical equipment hire to a national healthcare provider was losing significant time and money due to the manual complexity of tracking usage, inventory, and location of critical assets (hospital beds) for billing purposes.

Softy partnered with the provider to create a custom, low-effort Internet of Things (IoT) platform. This system translated their complex medical equipment rental service rules into an automated platform that instantly calculated usage and generated accurate billing reports. The solution achieved an unprecedented level of operational efficiency and accountability within a demanding healthcare environment.

The Challenge: Manual Effort in High-Stakes Environments

The core difficulty was ensuring accountability and accurate billing for usage-based equipment rental within the high-security, high-demand environment of customer sites. The client was facing several costly challenges:

• Manual Tracking

  Relying on human reporting for usage tracking and inventory location was prone to error, leading to financial inaccuracies and protracted administrative effort for both the provider and the national healthcare client.

• Billing Complexity

  Calculating usage for billing purposes required integrating real-time location and usage status, a task impossible to do accurately without full system automation.

• Inventory Visibility

  Maintaining a real-time view of assets, their location within the large customer site, and their battery status was a constant logistical struggle.

The Softy Solution: Defining Usage with Precision IoT

Softy built an advanced, multi-layered tracking system that combined localised network infrastructure with a powerful cloud platform. We translated their complex operational rules into digital logic, demonstrating a deep understanding of their B2B equipment rental model.

Strategic Architecture and Process Control

The project was executed with a focus on delivering a high-quality, fixed solution while mitigating future risk:

• Fixed Price Assurance

  By investing extra time upfront in refining the scope, planning, and structuring, we were able to deliver a fixed-priced project on time, removing any financial uncertainty for the client.

• Future-Proof Scalability

  Built on Microsoft Azure, the architecture was designed from the outset with scalability in mind and performance-tested to handle 300% of the expected volume, guaranteeing stability for future business growth.

• High-Quality Delivery

  structured software practices resulted in a high-quality release, ensuringreduced post-launch issues and instant operational efficiencies.

Core Platform Capabilities

The solution was designed for minimal effort and maximum accuracy:

• Multi-Layered Tracking

  Each asset was fitted with a physical tracker that reported to a local dedicated mesh network within the site, which then communicated securely to the cloud.

• Usage Automation

  The platform automatically tracked usage status upon assets crossing in and out over the physical threshold of the designated storage room, guaranteeing an accurate billing start and end point.

• Real-Time Administration

  A bespoke cloud admin platform provided real-time insight into usage, location, battery statuses, and an automatic generation of billing reports based entirely on usage data.

• Ongoing Partnership

  per the client's operational needs, we hosted the platform for them and mutually agreed on ongoing maintenance, support, and future development as their needs evolve.

The Impact: Flawless Automation and Reduced Risk

The implementation of this system eliminated the logistical uncertainty and manual error risk that plagued the client's operations. The result was a dramatic improvement in efficiency and service quality for both parties.

• Flawless Usage Reporting

  The system achieved streamlined and accurate usage reporting and billing, completely removing all manual labour from the process

• Cost and Time Reduction

  Through the use of appropriate technology, the solution created a very low-effort process for both the equipment provider and the national healthcare client, achieving significant time savings.

• Proactive Maintenance Capability

  The introduction of real-time usage and battery data enabled the provider to shift from reactive maintenance to smarter preventative maintenance, thereby reducing repair costs.

• Operational Certainty

  Automation completely removed the likelihood of human error occurring in the billing and tracking process, ensuring total financial and inventory accountability.