Transforming legacy into future readiness.
How Techpilot and mantro rebuilt a mission-critical platform — and unlocked a new level of independence, speed and resilience.
- Venture
- Techpilot
- Case
- Turning legacy into speed
01Intro
Intro
Techpilot is Europe’s most relevant marketplace for custom-manufactured parts. It connects thousands of industrial buyers with the right suppliers — efficiently, digitally, at scale. The platform powers millions of RFQs, quotes, and orders, and is an essential infrastructure component in European manufacturing.
But after 20+ years of organic growth, the tech stack behind Techpilot had become fragile. Complexity, undocumented dependencies and growing technical debt had slowed down development — and when the company’s long-serving CTO passed away unexpectedly, it became a moment of reckoning.
Together with mantro, Techpilot chose bold action: a full-scale rebuild from the ground up.
02Situation
Legacy overload, knowledge silos — and a structural crisis
The backend codebase had evolved over decades. It was deeply entangled with an Oracle-based database system, and much of the business logic was hard-coded and poorly documented.
The CTO had been the key holder of that knowledge. His sudden passing not only left a human void — it revealed a massive structural risk. Without action, the company would lose control over its core product.
03Approach
Our job
Step 01 / 04
From crisis to control — in record time
Just days after the first call, mantro kicked off the engagement with a full code and architecture audit. The verdict was clear: patching was not an option. A greenfield rebuild had to happen — while maintaining full platform uptime.
Step 02 / 04
Rebuilding from the core — with modern architecture
Together with the Techpilot team, we created a new backend stack from scratch: modular, API-based, fully testable and compatible with modern cloud infrastructure. We redesigned the database, restructured all key logic and built a future-ready architecture that enabled speed, scale and maintainability.
Step 03 / 04
Collaboration, not outsourcing
mantro didn’t act as an agency — we became part of the Techpilot team. Working side-by-side on-site, we introduced new processes, tools and rhythms. The joint team combined startup velocity with deep market insight — and developed a shared ownership culture that made the difference.
Step 04 / 04
Launch Day: a turning point
The new system went live on the day of the company’s holiday party — a symbolic moment for a new beginning. Not just technically, but culturally. Techpilot entered a new chapter: one where development speed, system independence and tech governance are no longer obstacles — but competitive advantages.
04Learnings
Learnings
- 01
Rebuilding tech means rebuilding teams
True transformation requires new workflows, decision models and cultural shifts.
- 02
You can't patch legacy forever
At some point, bold decisions and clean execution matter more than temporary fixes.
- 03
Real change happens through shared ownership
Working as one team creates speed, trust and transformation that sticks.
Get in touch
If you want to stress-test an idea, unblock an initiative, or simply see whether we're the right partner, let's talk. You can book a straight-to-the-point session with our CEO Manni, or leave us a message.
- Address
- Zielstattstr. 19
81379 München - hello@mantro.net