Rototec: Building a bespoke system to turn operations into a competitive advantage

Rototec needed to renew a more than decade-old operational system as its business evolved toward larger and more complex projects. Together with Futurice, the company created ROCK, a bespoke operations management system built around Rototec’s own processes and designed to support a more efficient, scalable way of working.

A worker in a hi-vis jacket operates a ground drilling rig in snow beside a red building during winter.

The challenge

Rototec had been using a custom operational system that was more than ten years old and originally built for smaller S-segment projects. As the business shifted increasingly toward larger and more complex projects, the system was nearing the end of its lifecycle. Rototec needed a more cost-efficient and competitive way to renew both its operational processes and the technology supporting them.

Where to buy software and where to build it was an important strategic decision. Standard solutions made sense for supporting functions such as sales and finance, but Rototec’s core operational processes are specific to its business.

Rather than accept the constraints of an off-the-shelf ERP, Rototec chose to build a new operations management system around the way its business works today. Avoiding per-user licensing also made a custom system more economically attractive and gave Rototec greater control over how the system could evolve.

The objective was to turn operational know-how into an advantage, create consistent ways of working, improve visibility across the business, and build a foundation that could support projects ranging from smaller household installations to large properties such as hospitals and shopping centers.

Futurice showed commitment and flexibility right from the beginning while having enough resources and competence to support us across the entire lifecycle, from design to implementation and ongoing maintenance. Having one easy-to-work-with partner that could bring all of those capabilities together while committing to shared goals was a major advantage for us.

Hannu Karp

Director, Business & Technology Development, Rototec

Impact and outcomes

One source of truth across core operations
ROCK brings Rototec’s key operational processes and data together in one system, giving teams a shared view of the business and reducing fragmentation between functions.
More consistent and scalable ways of working
Shared processes help harmonize operations across the organization and reduce manual work. Because ROCK is built around Rototec’s own operating model, it can support both smaller projects and increasingly large and complex ones more efficiently.
Shared accountability for quality
End-user satisfaction is measured after module releases and is directly connected to the commercial model. This creates a shared incentive for Rototec and Futurice to focus on quality, usability, and meaningful outcomes throughout the partnership.

What we did

Starting with the design phase in spring 2023, Rototec and Futurice designed and developed the operations management system ROCK to support the full lifecycle of a geoenergy project.

The system brings together sales, tendering, asset management (fleet and subcontractors), production planning, project management, field work execution and a customer portal, providing ease of use and visibility not just for Rototec customers but end-customers as well.

The way we worked together was equally important. Futurice’s team worked closely with Rototec’s product owner and development leadership, supported by clear steering and governance structures connecting business, IT and development.

The partnership also used an outcome-based pricing model. Part of Futurice’s compensation was linked to numerically measured end-user satisfaction following module releases.

The model included incentives for strong results as well as a credit mechanism when expectations were not met. This created tangible shared responsibility for quality and ensured both organizations remained focused on the system's usefulness for the people using it every day.

Why it matters

ROCK gives Rototec a single view of information and operations across its core business. Instead of fragmented processes and isolated information, teams can work with a shared source of truth.

The system has helped harmonize ways of working across the organization and reduce manual work. Because it was designed around Rototec’s operational processes, the platform supports both day-to-day efficiency and the company’s broader ambitions for scalable growth.

Just as importantly, the system turns Rototec’s operational know-how into part of its digital foundation. Instead of adapting its core business to the constraints of a standard operations management system, Rototec has built technology around the processes that set the company apart.

The collaboration model reinforces the same principle. By linking part of Futurice’s compensation to end-user satisfaction, both organizations share responsibility for the quality and usefulness of the outcome, not simply for delivering features.

After the active development phase, scheduled to conclude in October 2026, ROCK is planned to move into FutuCare for long-term maintenance and continuous development.

About client

Geoenergy company Rototec was founded in 2007. After 15 years and more than 60,000 drilled geoenergy wells, Rototec is now the largest provider of geoenergy solutions in Europe. Geoenergy is renewable energy, which can be collected from the ground, and which can be used to heat and cool properties of all sizes.