A Comprehensive Data Management Platform to Manage Recycling Processes Data from End to End
Summary
eTracks wanted to digitise the end-to-end tire management process by developing a flexible new app
eTracks Tire Management Systems was incorporated by the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada to meet the needs of its members and other producers in responsibly managing and disposing of end-of-life tires in Ontario—required by the Ontario Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act (RRCEA).
eTracks reached out to ELEKS in May 2020, requesting a complete re-engineering of an in-market application—eSRP (Sustainable Recovery Platform)—used by tire manufacturers and producers to meet their legislative obligations. eTracks wanted to improve the app’s traceability while removing manual transactions and reporting. It also sought to enable the simple addition of new features to support expansion into other regions and material classes.
A robust system to manage resource recovery and recycling supply chain data
ELEKS’ primary goal was to help eTracks define the product’s scope and vision, create an interactive visual concept and elaborate on the technical solution, working in close collaboration with the client’s internal team. ELEKS suggested a Product Design Phase as the first step in the product development lifecycle, which involved eTracks and ELEKS co-creating the vision for the future system.
After this initial phase, our team helped eTracks develop its new eSRP which was implemented as a progressive web application that can be run on desktop and mobile. We also applied a modular architecture that can enable future changes and adaptations once the system becomes more complex or scales to other locations and business streams.
To meet two core requirements, traceability and flexibility, our team added new transactions and validations that help identify any inconsistencies during the end-to-end recycling process: i.e. pick up, delivery and processing. We also engaged our Data Science experts to add computer vision and AI capabilities for optical character recognition and signature validation. And our experts equipped
the app with photo validation to improve the quality of transactional information and to save the internal validation team time.
After implementation, the eSRP application was released for internal user testing followed by robust user acceptance and penetration testing.
Successful launch and adoption of eSRP
In January 2022, eTracks launched its Sustainable Recovery Platform to over 6,500 Ontario tire collection sites, 100 service providers and over 50 producers. The platform has helped improve the way producers and other organisations manage recyclable materials and regulatory compliance. And it’s also improving the accuracy and auditability of resource recovery data, with the goal of diverting more waste from landfills and supporting a circular economy.
