How DataChef built a future-proof data platform to support an ambitious mission
Who is Milence?
Milence, HQ in the Netherlands, is a joint venture between Daimler Truck, the TRATON GROUP, and the Volvo Group.
Why were we there?
When Milence engaged with DataChef in late 2022, their mission was to build and operate 1,700 high-capacity public charging points in Europe by 2027, accelerating the transition to zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
To support such an ambitious goal, they needed a modern data platform that could enable real-time analytics at scale without incurring in unsustainable costs. Early prototypes developed for geospatial analytics were costing more than €10k/month in infrastructure.
How we helped Milence?
Our approach, as usual, favoured fast results without compromising on engineering best practices. We prioritized custom solutions to make more data sources available to Milence’s analysts, while in parallel strengthening the foundations of the new data platform and moving all of the existing tools to the cloud.
Once we brought the high priority data sources to the platform, our focus shifted on making sure that the internal team had the right people and processes in place to keep operating what we built. We helped Milence hire the technical leaders who took over from us, and we left them with various SOPs on how to create resources, manage accesses, etc.
The impact we made
The data platform we launched continues to be used by Milence’s analytics teams. By moving the Network Planning Tool (NPT) to the cloud with Infrastructure-as-code best practices, we reduced monthly costs by >90%.
Technologies we used
Azure, Databricks, Confluent Cloud, Terraform, Microsoft Dynamics 365, PowerBI