Print the parts
Enclosures, mounts and fixtures are modelled in CAD, then 3D printed, fitted and revised until they suit the real environment they will live in.
Engineered to your spec. Hardware and software.
Apexia Labs designs and builds unique equipment and software tailored to each customer’s requirement, from the enclosure and electronics through to the firmware, application and interface.
One workshop. Every discipline.
Labs builds take shape across mechanical, electronic and software work at the same time, so every part is designed around the others instead of being bolted on later.
Prove the circuit
Electronics are wired and measured on the bench before a board is made, so problems are found while they are still quick and cheap to fix.
Program the system
Firmware, cloud services and the dashboards people use are written alongside the hardware and tested against real readings from the device.
From the enclosure to the interface.
Each layer is engineered to fit the requirement, then brought together into one product, so the equipment, the code and the people using it work as a single system.
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L5Interface
Dashboards, control panels, apps and displays for the people who operate the system.
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L4Application & cloud
APIs, data handling, automation and integrations with the platforms already in use.
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L3Firmware & control
Logic running on the device itself, from controllers and microcontrollers to edge computers.
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L2Electronics & connectivity
Sensors, actuators, power, lighting and the networks that keep equipment connected.
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L1Mechanical & enclosure
Housings, mounts and physical parts designed in CAD and refined through real revisions.
Built in the lab. Deployed to the field.
Inspiration OS is a Labs build that made it out of the workshop. The controllers, firmware, effects and phone control were developed and tested on the bench, then taken into public light trails as one complete lighting system.
In the lab
- Controllers, hardware and firmware built and configured
- An effects engine with colour, speed, brightness and direction
- Phone control, plus sACN, Art-Net and DDP for lighting desks
- Every system sized and tested before it leaves us
In the field
- Developed over two winters of public light trails
- Hundreds of light points across a park, run as one installation
- Health reported back so faults and updates are handled remotely
- A local player that keeps running when the internet drops
Operating systems for real businesses.
Labs also builds the software a business runs on. Each of these was designed from the ground up around one customer and is live in their operation today.
The beating heart of a plumbing merchant.
A complete operating system for a trade merchant, built from the ground up so trade accounts, stock, the warehouse, deliveries and the phones all run from one place.
- Trade accounts
- Customer accounts, trade pricing and credit handled in the same system as the counter and the warehouse.
- Stocktakes
- Counts captured on the shop floor and reconciled against the stock the system expects.
- Product picking
- Orders turned into pick lists for the warehouse and checked before they go out.
- Shipping
- Deliveries booked and followed through to proof of delivery.
- AI phone ordering
- An AI assistant that takes trade orders and answers stock questions over the phone.
- Smart AI management
- AI-assisted insight that helps the team stay ahead of stock and demand.
Jobs, vans and stock, assigned on the fly.
A bespoke job and fleet management system tailored to how this customer books, dispatches and completes work, with every vehicle and its stock visible in real time.
- Job management
- Jobs booked, scheduled and completed with the details engineers need on site.
- Live vehicle tracking
- Every vehicle tracked live, so dispatch decisions are based on where vans really are.
- On-the-fly assignment
- Urgent and changing work reassigned to the right engineer as the day unfolds.
- Fleet management
- Vehicle records and servicing kept alongside the work each vehicle does.
- Stock management
- Van and warehouse stock tracked, reserved against jobs and restocked.
- Tailored workflows
- Built around the customer’s own processes rather than a generic template.
The back office that keeps an event company ticking.
An end-to-end event management platform that runs the business behind the events, from selling tickets and hiring staff to planning the site and monitoring the day itself.
- Ticket sales
- The company’s own ticketing, from release through to scanning at the gate.
- Live monitoring
- Event-day systems and alerts watched in one place while the gates are open.
- Admin
- The day-to-day running of the business kept in the same platform.
- HR and staff
- Staff records, rotas and on-site check-in for every event.
- Recruitment
- Hiring for event roles, from application to shortlist.
- Planning and execution
- Plans, run sheets and changes shared with everyone delivering the event.
Dreamed. Planned. Tested. Deployed.
Every Labs build moves through four gates. Each one ends with evidence and a clear decision before the next begins.
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Dreamed
Define the requirement: what it must do, where it will live, who will use it and what makes it hard.
- Requirement brief
- Environment & constraints
- Concept sketches
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Planned
Engineer the system across hardware and software: architecture, components, CAD, data and interfaces.
- System architecture
- CAD & bill of materials
- Build plan
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Tested
Prototype, bench test and field test against real conditions, devices, networks and edge cases.
- Working prototype
- Bench & field tests
- Revisions logged
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Deployed
Build, install and commission the finished system, then monitor and support it in operation.
- Installation
- Commissioning
- Documentation & support
Designed on screen. Proven in the field.
Real work from the Labs bench: parts modelled in CAD, prototypes wired by hand, boards opened up and equipment integrated where it will actually be used.
FIG. 01Apexia wand mount, revision 6, modelled in CAD and refined through real-world revisions.
FIG. 02A relay-switched air horn controller, wired into a weatherproof enclosure on the bench.
FIG. 03An ARM microcontroller and its supporting parts, inspected up close.
FIG. 04A Mega-format board wired to a radio module while proving a prototype.
FIG. 05An appliance control board opened up for diagnosis.
FIG. 06Network, control and recording equipment integrated in a technical rack.What Labs engineers.
Most builds combine several of these. Each one is tailored to the requirement rather than adapted from a standard product.
APX-L01
Custom connected equipment
Purpose-built devices that combine sensors, control and software for a single, clearly defined job.
HW + SWAPX-L02
Enclosures, mounts & fixtures
Mechanical parts designed in CAD to protect, position or integrate equipment in its real environment.
HWAPX-L03
Lighting & show control
Controllers, lighting rigs and software for installations, events and interactive experiences.
HW + SWAPX-L04
Real-time & live software
Systems that react in the moment: live data feeds, broadcast tooling and event operations.
SWAPX-L05
Network & site infrastructure
Racks, networks and connected equipment engineered for permanent and temporary sites.
HW + SWAPX-L06
Integrations & data engines
Making equipment, legacy platforms and specialist systems exchange data reliably.
SWWorking with Apexia Labs
What is Apexia Labs?
Apexia Labs is the engineering arm of Apexia. It designs and builds unique equipment and software around a specific customer requirement, covering everything from the physical hardware and enclosure to the firmware, application and interface.
Can Labs build physical equipment as well as software?
Yes. Labs projects can include custom enclosures and mounts designed in CAD, electronics, sensors, controllers, networking and lighting, engineered together with the software that runs and manages them.
How is Labs different from Apexia bespoke software development?
Bespoke software development usually improves a known business process with a better system. Labs takes on requirements that need new equipment, new hardware and software working together, or an approach that has to be proven before it can be built.
What if the idea turns out not to be feasible?
The riskiest parts are prototyped and bench tested before major build investment. If an approach needs to change or stop, Labs says so plainly and explains why.
Who owns the designs, code and equipment?
Ownership of code, CAD files, designs, data and intellectual property is agreed in writing before work begins, with documentation and handover so the result can be operated, maintained and developed further.
Bring the requirement. We’ll engineer the rest.
You do not need a full specification. Tell us what it needs to do and we’ll work out the hardware, the software and the route to deployment with you.
Send us the requirement