Case Studies
How CRU Group Partnered with Exlabs to De-Risk Multi-Million Pound Battery Investments.
Client
CRU Group
Country
UK
The Challenge
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 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
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:
The dashboards allow users to directly compare different battery technologies side-by-side.
They can adjust various parameters, such as raw material inputs, manufacturing location, and cathode/anode types, to instantly see the impact on production costs and efficiency predictions.
This turns abstract data into clear, actionable scenarios.
We built a custom interface that seamlessly interacts with the client's complex backend model via its API.
This ensured the powerful analytical capabilities of the model were fully harnessed in a user-friendly environment.
We integrated the application with Auth0, the client's existing user management system.
This provided robust, secure, and customisable access for different users while maintaining data integrity.
Recognising that users have their own unique workflows, we implemented a data export feature.
This allows customers to easily fetch raw data from the platform for use in their own tools, like Excel, for deeper, personalised analysis.
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.


Will Blake
Director of Technology, CRU Group
The Results
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.
Reduction in Analysis Time
What took weeks of manual data wrangling now takes minutes, accelerating the entire decision-making cycle.
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.
Mateusz Wilczyński
CTO at Exlabs

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