Dekra Case Study | Orient Software

Cultivating embedded engineering capability across DEKRA’s projects

/ GLOBAL INDEPENDENT TIC ORGANIZATION /

Engineering teams behind DEKRA’s technologies & systems shaping “a safe, secure & sustainable world”

years of ongoing engagement

dedicated team members

projects delivered & underway

/ SUMMARY /

Founded in Berlin in 1925 as the Deutscher Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein e.V. (DEKRA), or German Motor Vehicle Inspection Association, DEKRA began with a focus on vehicle inspections before expanding its services and global presence. Today, DEKRA is a German group with more than a century of history and a global leader in Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC), offering 1000+ services across 60 countries and employing more than 48,000 people worldwide. DEKRA first engaged Orient Software in October 2018 to establish a specialized team for its legacy system modernization project. Since then, the collaboration has expanded from a single specialized unit to multiple teams supporting DEKRA across its evolving needs.

Location

Germany

Cooperation period

2018 - Ongoing

Industry

Testing, Inspection & Certification (TIC)

Engagement model

Dedicated development team

Services used

Web app development

Mobile app development

UI/UX design

Cloud & infrastructure

/ The situation /

A legacy modernization challenge, an expertise gap & more ahead

At first, DEKRA’s priority was to modernize its legacy systems on modern frameworks, but that was only the beginning. With operations spanning six continents, DEKRA had no shortage of projects in the pipeline. What this global organization needed was sustained, long-term development capacity, not just one-off delivery team. DEKRA chose Orient Software: a capable partner that understood its evolving technology needs and could adapt to them as they grew.

A shortage of specialized tech talent

DEKRA's systems relied on end-of-life frameworks. Only a handful of specialists were capable of modernizing these legacy applications, but that expertise was scarce and difficult to secure in-house.

Failed attempts to find a trusted partner

DEKRA had already worked with several development companies, yet it struggled to find the right fit capable of meeting its standards for both technical competence and long-term reliability.

Growing demand for digital modernization

DEKRA was in the midst of a broader modernization push. Its technology needs have evolved so fast that the company itself struggled to keep pace, and it planned to launch new projects.

/ THE SOLUTION /

A dedicated engineering model designed to scale project after project

A single specialized team for system modernization and rebuilds was only the starting point. Orient Software designed the engagement to adapt to DEKRA’s evolving technology needs and its shifting priorities over the long term. With a flexible model, Orient delivered a compact, scalable team that could support multiple initiatives and expand as new projects emerged.

A founding team built around the right expertise

Orient onboarded five Angular and Ionic specialists to take on DEKRA’s legacy modernization efforts, starting with a single application (AUG1): rebuilding it screen by screen and migrating it from AngularJS and Ionic 1 to a modern Angular 2+ and Ionic 3 stack. The same team went on to lead the modernization of other applications: LBO and MSK.

A consistent Agile delivery approach across projects

Orient applied the same disciplined Agile rhythm across all DEKRA’s projects, with each sprint built with daily standups, backlog grooming, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. This consistency kept communication transparent throughout delivery and fostered strong collaboration between dedicated teams and their DEKRA counterparts.

A flexible staffing model that allowed scaling on demand

Orient enabled DEKRA to operate with a lean setup, add specialized roles as the scope expanded, or stand up new dedicated sub-units around distinct project workstreams. This flexibility played out in practice: proven on DEKRA’s rebuilds, the original team scaled by onboarding two additional Angular developers to work on a new project, UVV, while OPHSE called for a new cross-functional team purpose-built around its specific technical needs.

Technology breadth & depth as projects demanded

With a technical range that evolved alongside DEKRA’s needs, Orient could adapt the team’s composition and expertise to what each specific project called for, spanning frontend, backend, database, cloud infrastructure, and more.

/ THE RESULTS /

One multi-project technology partnership delivering long-term value

What began as a modernization team extended into two more successful legacy system rebuilds. Proven outcomes built DEKRA’s trust and confidence in Orient Software as a technology partner. This was the foundation for a partnership that lasted more than eight years and expanded into larger, more complex projects.

Technical excellence

measured by outcomes

Three legacy system modernization projects, AUG2, LBO, and MSK, were successfully delivered, demonstrating the technical quality and rigorous engineering standards that Orient’s teams maintained across projects. This track record paved the way for new initiatives: UVV and OPHSE.

Consistent delivery

sprint after sprint

From the first system rebuild to the initiatives that followed, Orient maintained continuity and efficiency in delivery, with every milestone completed on schedule. Even as the scope expanded or requirements shifted, the teams sustained the delivery momentum without compromising technical quality.

Deep tech bench

built around DEKRA’s needs

Every team Orient built for DEKRA was compact and senior by design. Team capacity and capability were scaled project by project, based on proven performance, consistent delivery, and positive feedback from DEKRA itself. Orient’s teams now comprise 13 dedicated members, including both developers and a UI/UX designer, ready to deliver exactly what DEKRA needs when it needs it across every initiative.

Deep tech bench

built around DEKRA’s needs

/ TECH STACKS /

Angular

Ionic

Electron

Cordova

/ TESTIMONIAL /

“As a technical lead, I can fully trust the development team. As in any development project, we need to verify and openly communicate each other's work. Over time, this leads to a great trust and makes the work feel really good and reliable. I would always recommend the team for a new project.”

Mr. Fabio Brida

TECHNICAL LEAD – DEKRA SE

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