Case Studies

From Complex Data to Competitive Dominance

How CRU Group Partnered with Exlabs to De-Risk Multi-Million Pound Battery Investments.

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Rows of green Gogoro electric scooter battery packs in white charging slots.White uppercase letters CRU on a blue gradient square background with rounded corners.

A leading data and modeling firm specialising in the battery supply chain, holding the world's most comprehensive dataset on battery technology and costs.

As a premier provider of commodities intelligence, their reputation is built on the quality of their analysis.

Client

CRU Group

Country

UK

The Challenge

The Last Mile of Data Delivery

To better serve decision-makers in the fast-paced electric vehicle sector, CRU needed to present its complex data in a way that was instantly understandable and strategically valuable. Their clients possessed the capital to invest but struggled to get clear, actionable insights from the overwhelming volume of data.

The core problem was a formidable gap between powerful data and the decision-makers who needed to act on it with confidence.

The risk of choosing a suboptimal technology or location was immense, creating decision paralysis and threatening to cede competitive ground in a market that waits for no one.

The Solution

A Bespoke Dashboard for Strategic Technology Comparison

Building on a long-standing, trusted relationship, the client selected our team to bridge this gap. We were tasked with designing and building a user-friendly application that would sit on top of their proprietary data model and empower users to make confident, informed decisions.

Our solution was a sophisticated and intuitive dashboard platform designed to:

Our development process was highly collaborative.

We began with a prototype suggested by the client and worked closely with their team to refine the user interface and experience, ensuring every feature directly addressed a user need and that all requirements were met.

This agile, user-centric approach was key to the project's success.

Bar chart showing cost variation for NMC 811 and LFP cells based on lithium, nickel sulphate, and cobalt sulphate price scenarios with categorized costs for manufacturing, other, anode, and cathode.
Chart showing nominal voltage versus specific capacity for different battery chemistries, with energy density contours from 500 to 900 Wh/kg.

The way Exlabs visualised our data is the true magic of the platform.

They transformed our analysis into an intuitive, interactive story that our clients can immediately grasp and act on. It’s a genuine game-changer for us.

It’s a genuine game-changer for us.

Will Blake

Director of Technology, CRU Group

The Results

Driving Competitive Advantage Through Data Clarity

The platform has fundamentally changed how CRU's clients engage with market data. The impact was immediate and transformative, providing a clear return on investment and a sustainable competitive advantage.

90%

Reduction in Analysis Time

What took weeks of manual data wrangling now takes minutes, accelerating the entire decision-making cycle.

2x

Increased Customer Engagement

The indispensable tool enhances the value of CRU's data, increasing customer loyalty and stickiness.

New Market Leadership

The platform solidified CRU's position as the definitive source for battery cost intelligence.

Strengthened Competitive Edge

End users are better equipped to navigate the volatile battery market, making strategic decisions that allow them to outmaneuver competitors.

Let's discuss your specific challenge and outline 
a clear path forward.

Mateusz Wilczyński

CTO at Exlabs

Schedule a Technical Call
Portrait of a young man with short brown hair wearing a black V-neck shirt against a gray background.

A True Partnership, Not Outsourcing

This project is a prime example of Exlabs' core philosophy.

By combining deep domain expertise with a product engineering mindset, we transformed a complex data model into a strategic asset that creates a significant competitive advantage.

This success was built on a foundation of trust and a shared commitment to delivering tangible business outcomes.

By focusing on the end-user's most critical challenges, we delivered a solution that not only solves a problem but also unlocks new opportunities for growth and leadership in the vital green energy sector.

Our Work in Production

Explore how custom software and data platforms are developed to solve complex challenges for leaders in the energy and resources industry.

From Complex Data to Competitive Dominance

How CRU Group Partnered with Exlabs to De-Risk Multi-Million Pound Battery Investments.

90% Reduction in Analysis Time
Rows of green Gogoro electric scooter battery packs in white charging slots.White uppercase letters CRU on a blue gradient square background with rounded corners.

Emobility infrastructurefor CleanAirZones around 
UK Local Authorities

We built a scalable, serverless infrastructure enabling the UK Government to control vehicle access to Clean Air Zones nationwide.

City skyline with modern skyscrapers reflecting on calm water at sunset with partly cloudy sky.Flowchart illustrating the departmental workflow from 'Admission' to 'Heart Department' with icons representing different stages.

The Asset Platform 
GIS & UX Upgrade Story

Major GIS and UI upgrade with globe view, optimised performance, and enhanced UX—resulting in smoother navigation and better asset insights.

Satellite view of Earth showing the Indian subcontinent, Arabian Peninsula, and surrounding regions with city lights visible at night.White uppercase letters CRU on a blue gradient square background with rounded corners.

Scaling Open-Source Grid Insights Across Europe

Turning raw grid data into actionable, open-source intelligence

Silhouette of a high-voltage electricity transmission tower against a blue sky with pink and gray clouds at sunset.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know before you decide to work with us.

We can typically start within 2-3 weeks from our first conversation. The timeline depends on two factors: how quickly we can schedule the technical assessment workshop with your stakeholders (usually 3-5 days after initial contact), and how long the commercial agreement takes to finalize (typically 1-2 weeks).

For urgent situations, we've started projects in as little as one week. However, we never skip the discovery phase—rushing into development without proper scoping leads to costly mistakes and project delays down the line.

Your project team typically consists of 2-4 people depending on scope: a Technical Lead with expertise in data integration and backend systems, a Frontend Developer specialized in dashboards and data visualization, and a Project Manager who coordinates everything. For complex integrations, we may add specialists in specific areas.

Our strength is in building custom software solutions and integrating disparate systems - we learn your domain and technical requirements during the discovery phase, then build exactly what you need. You'll meet your dedicated team during the kickoff, and they'll be your consistent points of contact throughout the project.

We work in 2-week sprints with clear milestones and deliverables. You'll have a 30-minute check-in call every week to review progress, address blockers, and adjust priorities if needed. Between calls, we communicate via Slack or email for quick questions and updates. At the end of each sprint, you'll see working software—not just status reports.

We share access to our project management tool so you can see exactly what we're working on at any time. Most importantly, we involve your team early and often: user testing happens throughout development, not just at the end. This way, there are no surprises when we deliver the final product.

We offer both options depending on project clarity. For well-defined projects (like building a specific dashboard with known data sources), we provide fixed-price quotes—you know the total cost upfront and pay based on milestone delivery, not hours worked.

For more exploratory projects (like "we need to optimize our operations but aren't sure how"), we work time-and-materials with a monthly budget cap—you pay for actual hours but never exceed the agreed maximum without explicit approval.

We're transparent about costs from day one: our proposals include detailed breakdowns of what you're paying for, and we flag any potential scope changes immediately rather than surprising you with invoices later.