The Grain Finds an Innovative Solution with CactusSoft
Today, every company can have a say in this: the pool of tech talent here in Belgium is small and overfished. When the Antwerp data science company The Grain was looking for developers for its own app for production planners, it looked for alternatives. That’s how it came to work with CactusSoft, a 100 percent Belgian company that engages technological talent in Spain and Georgia.
“The CactusSoft team stayed on board with us after the app was launched”, says Thomas Meersseman, co-founder and product lead of The Grain, in a double conversation with managing partner Mario Vanlommel of CactusSoft. “The developers have really become an extension of The Grain. They are on the other side of Europe, but nobody really thinks about that yet.”
The Grain makes analytical applications for industrial companies, explains Thomas Meersseman. “We use Artificial Intelligence to optimize their processes. These are all custom applications, tailored to the specific needs of each company. In addition to these customized projects, we have also built our own application to support production planners, Checkmate.”
The Grain saw how companies spend an enormous amount of time planning their production. Planners have to make complex plans in a short time, which they often have to completely turn upside down along the way. Raw materials arrive late, there is a delay in the supply chain, a machine breaks down, a last minute order comes in — all factors that ensure that a production planner’s work is never really finished. Checkmate ensures that the planning is automatically adjusted if unforeseen circumstances arise. Planners no longer spend two days drawing up a schedule, but two hours. The app makes companies more agile.
Skepticism Quickly Disappeared
To help develop Checkmate, The Grain joined forces with CactusSoft.
Last year, the company built an MVP (minimum viable product) themselves. The Grain focused on what they do best: the analytical components and a robust backend. But a successful web application also needs a strong frontend. They had insufficient internal expertise for that. The Grain first looked to hire a developer, but soon rejected the idea because of the tight labor market in Belgium. In order not to lose speed, they entered the market to look for an external solution. That is how CactusSoft came into the picture.
In the beginning, Thomas Meersseman was a bit skeptical about nearshoring and rather aimed for a purely local party. Wouldn’t the distance between Belgium and Spain or Georgia cause communication problems? But CactusSoft turned out to be the best of both worlds.
“Ultimately, it is not a Spanish or not a Georgian company, but a 100 percent Belgian company. That convinced us. The personal approach was very important. I knew: if there’s a hitch somewhere, I can call Mario and he’ll fix it. That inspires confidence”, says Thomas Meersseman.
“The personal approach was very important. I knew: if there’s a hitch somewhere, I can call Mario and he’ll fix it. That inspires confidence”
Thomas Meersseman, Co-Founder and Product Lead at The Grain
As managing partner of CactusSoft, Mario Vanlommel acts somewhat as a liaison officer. “I build bridges between our customers and our developers in Spain or Georgia. We detect the needs and expectations of companies, and then we put together a team with the right expertise and the necessary seniority to provide the appropriate technological support. But even when the collaboration really starts, I’m a bit of the glue between CactusSoft and the companies we work for. I keep my finger on the pulse during the collaboration, I make sure that the objectives remain on track.”
Belgium, Georgia, or Spain? Does Not Matter
Checkmate has now been launched. According to Meersseman, the first reactions from customers are very positive. “It is a work in progress. To meet user feedback, of course, there are constant upgrades and new features needed. That’s why the CactusSoft team just stayed on board after the launch. The developers have really become an extension of The Grain. They are not on our payroll and they are not in our office, but nobody really thinks about that yet.”
“The CactusSoft team just stayed on board after the launch. The developers have really become an extension of The Grain”
The corona crisis has lowered the barrier for nearshoring even further. Telework has often been the norm in the past two years, and The Grain’s people also largely worked from home. So in practice there was hardly any difference in the way of working. Everyone worked remotely, all communication was digital. Then it no longer matters whether you are in Belgium, Georgia or Spain.
Communication was Thomas Meersseman’s biggest concern beforehand. But it actually went smoothly. All communication is entirely in English, but that will no longer be a problem in 2022. Even if The Grain employees speak Dutch to each other at the office, it rains on English technical terms anyway. The company could also have outsourced the frontend of Checkmateto India, but then the communication gap is much larger and you also have an hour difference. With CactusSoft, the team felt really close, especially thanks to the Belgian connection.
No Classic Client-Executor Relationship
Communication is something CactusSoft is investing heavily in, emphasizes Mario Vanlommel. “We screen candidates not only on their technological skills, but also on their soft skills, their motivation and their knowledge of English. We know that a combination of all these elements is crucial to build a good relationship with the customer. Companies don’t just outsource projects to us, our people work very closely with the teams in Belgium. As with The Grain, we really become part of the company. Communication is just as crucial as technological expertise. That is a continuous learning process. We provide an online platform where our people can follow training courses and further training. It’s a two-way street. Communication is crucial not only to understand the needs and expectations of customers, but also to quickly and efficiently process their feedback on the solutions we develop.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by the extent to which the developers contributed ideas about our technological challenges,” adds Meersseman. “They proactively offered possible solutions to problems that arose, they had ideas of their own to do things differently. The involvement is great and goes a lot further than the classic client-executor relationship.”
The involvement is high and goes a lot further than the classic client-executor relationship
“The fact that the CactusSoft people are still working for us, even after the launch of Checkmate, shows that there is music in this model. The ability to structurally work together in the longer term was an important element in choosing CactusSoft, as was the capacity to scale up where and when it is needed. With the expertise that we bring in through CactusSoft, we create great added value in our own teams.”
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Cookie Policy
CactusSoft LLC Belarus with registered offices at Kommunisticheskaya str. 17, 220002 Minsk, Belarus (hereinafter – “Company”, “CactusSoft”, “we”) is a company, which specializes in providing custom software development services (hereinafter – principal activity).
The core activities of the Company don’t consist of processing operations which, by virtue of their nature, their scope and/or their purposes, require regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects, including who are in the European Union (EU) (hereinafter- personal data).
When exercising a principal activity, the CactusSoft on behalf of the central-office company of CactusSoft Group of the companies – LitusSoft Belgium, Putstraat 32, 9051 Gent, Belgium (acting as a Controller) under and in accordance with EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (hereinafter – GDPR) may process Personal Data of data subjects who are in EU (hereinafter- Personal Data), acting as a Processor.
The purposes and means of the processing of Personal Data are determined by Controller under and in accordance with GDPR and this Privacy policy.
1. Collection and use of personal data
CactusSoft may (be required to) process certain Personal Data of data subjects (hereinafter – User (“User”, “you” or “your”) on the occurrence of any of the following:
1.1. Use/visiting of the website
https://cactussoft.biz
(including its mobile version (collectively, the “website”):
When using the website for informational purposes only, i.e. if a User doesn’t provide CactusSoft with information (e.g. via contact forms), we may only collect data that User’s browser transmits to CactusSoft’s server (so-called “server log files”). When User visites the website, the following User’s Personal data may be processed:
date and time at the moment of access
amount of data sent in bytes
source/reference from which the user came to the website
browser used
operating system used
configuration and settings
IP (Internet Protocol) address used (if applicable: in anonymized form)
The purpose of Personal Data processing: exclusively for the purpose of responding to User’s request and (or) for establishing a business contact and (or) lead generation.
The legal base for Personal Data processing:
Article 6 (1) point (a) GDPR where the data subject “has given consent to the processing of his or her Personal Data for one or more specific purposes”;
and/or
Article 6 (1) point (f) GDPR (“processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests”).
and/or
Article 6 (1) point (b) GDPR (“processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party“ or “in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract”);
The Processing of this Personal Data is an absolute requirement. User not allowing CactusSoft to process (all or some of) this Personal Data may mean that CactusSoft will not be able to respond to /user’s request (an) or establish a business contact.
1.2. Contacting
In the context of contacting CactusSoft via contact form of website or e-mail info@cactussoft.biz the Personal Data may be (required to) processed.
In particularly, the User is suggested to fill the the contact form in the section “Contacts” of the website and click the button “Send a message”. Also, a User may send a request to CactusSoft via e-mail info@cactussoft.biz.
In this case the following personal data of User may be provided to CactusSoft:
user’s name
company name (optionally) – in case if User makes this Personal Data available to CactusSoft via contact form;
e-mail address
telephone number, job title, address (optionally) – in case if User makes this Personal Data available to CactusSoft via message wording send through contact form of the website or by e-mail info@cactussoft.biz).
the purpose of Personal Data processing: exclusively for the purpose of responding to User’s request and (or) for establishing a business contact and (or) lead generation.
the legal base for Personal Data processing:
Article 6 (1) point (f) GDPR (“processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimArticle 6 (1) point (a) GDPR where the data subject “has given consent to the processing of his or her Personal Data for one or more specific purposes”;
and/or
Article 6 (1) point (f) GDPR (“processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests”).
and/or
Article 6 (1) point (b) GDPR (“processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party“ or “in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract”);
The Processing of this Personal Data is an absolute requirement. User not allowing CactusSoft to process (all or some of) this Personal Data may mean that CactusSoft will not be able to respond to /user’s request (an) or establish a business contact.
1.3. Subscription to the Blog
When a User subscribes to Blog via the website, the User’s Personal Data may be (required to) processed. In particularly, the User is suggested to fill the contact form “SUBSCRIBE!” of the website and click the button “Submit”. In this case the following personal data of User will be provided:
e-mail address
the purpose of Personal Data processing: exclusively for the purpose of delivering to User news about new and updated articles on Blog, some promotional or informational e-mails.
The User may stop the subscription to the Blog by following an active link “Unsubscribe” which is contained in each message send via Blog.
In this case the User’s email address will be removed from the mailing list immediately upon unsubscription.
the legal base for Personal Data processing:
Article 6 (1) point (a) GDPR where the data subject “has given consent to the processing of his or her Personal Data for one or more specific purposes”;
and/or
Article 6 (1) point (f) GDPR (“processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests”).
1.4. Job applications
(required to) processed. In particularly the User is suggested to fill the contact form “Join the team” in the section “Careers” of the website, attach a CV and click the button “Send”. In this case the following personal data of User will be provided to CactusSoft:
user’s name
e-mail address
address, e-mail address, telephone number, CV, or professional details and/or related information (optionally) – in case if User makes this Personal Data available to CactusSoft via message wording send through contact form of the website or by e-mail info@cactussoft.biz.
the purpose of Personal Data processing: exclusively for the purpose of processing User’s job application; and/or get in contact with User regarding his/her job application
For EEA data subjects, processing of Personal Data for this Purpose is based on section:
Article 6 (1) point (a) GDPR where the data subject “has given consent to the processing of his or her Personal Data for one or more specific purposes”;
Article 6 (1) point (b) GDPR (“processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party“ or “in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract”);essary for the purposes of the legitimate interests”).
and/or
Article 6 (1) point (f) GDPR (“processing is necessary for t
The Processing of this Personal Data is an absolute requirement. User not allowing CactusSoft to process (all or some of) this Personal Data may mean that CS will not be able to process the User’s job application, respond on it or verify User’s claimed capabilities.
2. Collection and use of non-personal data
2.1. Google Analytics
Information We Collect through Google Analytics: Users who visit this website and have javascript enabled are tracked through Google Analytics. Google Analytics collects information anonymously and reports website trends to us without identifying individual visitors. Google Analytics collects a variety of information from users, including the Internet protocol (IP address) that is used to connect your computer to the Internet (which it does not report to us), your Internet service provider (ISP), browser type, type of operating system, the full Uniform Resource Locator (URL) clickstream to, through, and from our website, including date and time, cookie, the length of time you spend on particular pages, which links you click while on our site, and similar site visit information. Google Analytics data is shared with Google.
For more information on Google Analytics or to opt-out of having your information shared through Google Analytics, visit:
We use this information to make our website easier to find on the Internet and to improve our website by learning which pages and features are interesting to our visitors. We treat this information as non-personal information and do not attempt to connect it to personally identifiable information, except as otherwise required by law.
2.2. Cookies policy
By clicking the button “Accept” on our pop-up message users agree with our Cookie policy. Cookies are small pieces of data stored on a user’s computer/smartphone allowing Internet access when he visits the CactusSoft Website.
In order to record and analyze how visitors use our Website as well as to improve visitors’ experience, CactusSoft collects details of your visits by using Google Analytics. Google Analytics places and uses cookies that allow CactusSoft to track website traffic and users’ interaction with CactusSoft websites.
CactusSoft may use cookies to record your consents on its websites (e.g. the consent to the use of cookies).
If you want to withdraw your opt-in to our Cookie Policy, please clear your cache by visiting browser settings.
3. Access to personal data. Use of personal data
The employees of CactusSoft, the Controller and (or) its affiliates and who are in contact with User, only, may access the User’s Personal Data.
CactusSoft uses the Personal data on behalf of the Controller as per this Privacy Policy and instructions of Controller formalized under and in accordance with GDPR.
CactusSoft, the Controller and (or) its affiliates don’t sell, trade or otherwise commercialise User’s Personal Data, provide the collected personal data to third parties, unless we explicitly state that this is required for a specific action, or unless we are required by law to provide said data, e.g. at the request of the competent legal authorities in the framework of a judicial inquiry or legal proceedings.
4. Protection of personal data
According to the Controller’s instructions CactusSoft implements corresponding technical and organizational measures to protect the Personal Data provided by Users against unauthorized access, unauthorized use, theft or loss.
5. User’s rights in relation to personal data
A User whose Personal Data is being processed has the right to:
obtain access to Personal Data processed by CactusSoft,
request rectification, erasure (“right to be forgotten”) or restriction of processing of Personal Data;
object to the processing of Personal Data
data portability. The User is entitled to receive the data provided to CactusSoft in a generally readable file format.
withdraw a consent for processing of Personal Data at any time (if Personal Data is processed based on the legal ground of “consent”).
The User shall have to provide a proof of his/her identity to the satisfaction of Controller by providing an official document (e.g. ID Card, driver’s license, etc.) in order to safeguard the fact that the right person is exercising such right.
CactusSoft shall promptly notify the Controller about any User’s request for exercising of data subject rights received directly from the User without responding to that request, unless it has been otherwise authorized to do so by the Controller.
If CactusSoft is authorized by the Controller, then CactusSoft, only, under the Controller’s instruction, must exercise any of the requested User’s rights listed above.
6. Duration of retention of personal data
Unless otherwise specified by Controller, CactusSoft retains User’s Personal Data (i) as long as Personal Data is relevant for the purpose, (ii) for the duration of any retention period that is required by law; or (iii) the end of the period in which litigation or investigations might arise. After such period, according to Controller’s instructions CactusSoft either deletes or anonymizes the Personal Data.
7. How to contact us
If you have any questions regarding our Privacy and Cookies Policy, please send us the direct message at info@cactussoft.biz or through the contact form on this website.