Sarens, a global leader in crane rental and heavy lifting, operates across some of the world’s most complex industrial projects. As the proud holder of the world record for the largest crane ever built, Sarens is a trusted name in the industry. Currently undergoing a digital transformation, the company faced a familiar challenge: limited time and complex operations. To support their digital goals, Sarens approached us with a clear mission to enhance planning capabilities within their cloud platform, Sarplan.
Sarplan already featured basic planning tools for managing equipment loans across projects. However, the data was visualized in a simple list format, which made it difficult to maintain a clear overview. With a vast inventory and many ongoing projects, Sarens needed a better way to manage and monitor loaned equipment across time and projects. A more visual and flexible approach was required to maintain control and clarity.
We designed and implemented an advanced timeline module, fully integrated within Sarplan. This interactive timeline allows users to view multiple projects at once, along with the associated loaned equipment. Users can zoom in and out (by day, week, month, or year), with dynamic visual bars that adjust in scale accordingly, offering a clear view at every level.
To complement this, we added a secondary timeline that shows daily totals of loaned equipment across all projects. These timelines are fully synchronized. Any action performed on one, like zooming or scrolling, is instantly reflected in the other, ensuring a seamless and intuitive experience.
Purposeful Visualization: Together with Sarens, we analyzed the needs of various user types to design a timeline interface that remains clear and useful, even with hundreds of active projects.
Flexibility First: The timeline tool was built with adaptability in mind, offering smooth interactions and detailed insights at any desired level of granularity.
Collaborative Process: Sarens was actively involved throughout the development phase through regular demos and feedback loops. This ensured alignment at every step and allowed us to adjust rapidly where needed.
The result is a scalable, user-friendly planning solution that brings clarity to complex operations and supports Sarens in further streamlining their equipment management processes.
