CuePilot approached Recab in 2020 to develop a new custom-built hardware solution
At Recab, when we are talking to new customers, we always start with the same question: ‘What is your dream product?’ It is a way of demonstrating our commitment to achieving a perfect embedded solution, and it also builds a spirit of trust and collaboration. Together we can find a way of creating something truly unique.

Custom-off-the-Shelf (COTS
Recab’s Custom-off-the-Shelf (COTS) model integrates commercial hardware components with client software. We then add our own customized mechanics to create bespoke, turnkey solutions for any client application. In this case, Recab’s Senior Systems Designer & Engineering Group Manager, Brian Axbøg, worked closely with CuePilot CEO, Per Zachariassen to develop a customized, embedded computer that would help CuePilot’s clients create even more spectacular live TV productions. 

CuePilot software experts – passionate about finding the perfect solution
“We see ourselves as software experts, not hardware,” Per says. “In the last few years we started to think seriously about focussing on the software side and outsourcing the hardware to a specialist company. When I was first introduced to Brian at Recab, I got a really good feeling that it would work out well. Like me, he was passionate about finding the perfect solution to our challenge. It felt like a very good match.”

Delivered from start to finish in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic
One of the things that made the CuePilot project different was the fact that it was delivered from start to finish in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. This made face-to-face meetings impossible and added complexity. Visualization is a key part of developing brand new COTS solutions, and without being able to sit down together, everything had to be discussed remotely.

As Per says: “It was strange, Brian and I worked closely for many months on this project without meeting in person! It wasn’t until after the first prototype was produced and we were much further down the line, that we actually met face-to-face! But in all our virtual meetings and design conversations, I was confident that Recab could produce exactly what we were looking for.”

An instant visual feel for the product
To make things easier in a remote environment, we use SOLIDWORKS® to create 3D images of our designs, so that the customer has an instant visual feel for the product. This makes the experience more impactful and inspires greater collaboration – with both parties feeling they have creative input and can contribute ideas. Together, the work done by Per and Brian meant that the first CuePilot prototype was delivered in July 2020.

‘We HAVE to solve this for you!’
“You will never have a first prototype that is perfect,” Per says. “There are always small adjustments and new requirements that come in. The key for us was the way Recab responded to our new requests. Whenever I suggested something, Brian would say: ‘We HAVE to solve this for you!’ That was very refreshing. We are quite a small company, but Recab never made us feel that way. They were committed to fixing every problem. Whether we ended up ordering just one server, or a thousand, it didn’t matter to them. They just wanted to provide us with the perfect solution.”