About Intero – The Sniffers
Intero – The Sniffers is a global service provider in emission management and pipeline integrity. With a strong focus on environmental safety and operational efficiency, their two main business lines help industrial clients reduce harmful emissions and maintain the safety of buried pipelines. From detecting leaks to preventing catastrophic accidents, their work plays a crucial role in improving environmental and public safety.
Their unique backstory is reflected in their name. What started as a gas leakage detection using the most efficient sensors—dogs—grew into something bigger and opened new business opportunities.
As ICT Director, Kris Huybs leads a team of developers working on tailored software solutions that support these services, from inspection to reporting, across both mobile and web platforms.
The challenge
Intero – The Sniffers faced a critical turning point in their software strategy. Their tech stack had grown fragmented over time: Angular for web, Xamarin for mobile, and C# for desktop. Maintaining and scaling across these separate technologies had become inefficient.
Kris and his team identified Flutter as a promising unified solution to simplify development and reduce maintenance overhead. But finding skilled Flutter developers, especially locally, proved challenging. Their usual hiring partners lacked the capacity and commitment to this newer technology.
“We were investigating whether Flutter was a good candidate to replace all that technology with one single technology. We needed developers with Flutter skills. I was searching with our local partner at the time, but they didn't have the resources and didn't invest in Flutter. So I searched in different ways, and that's how I found Proxify.”
The solution
Proxify quickly connected Intero – The Sniffers with vetted Flutter developers who fit seamlessly into their team. What began as a small proof of concept evolved into a long-term partnership.
"The way Proxify openly and trustfully interacted with us, not only with us but also with the developers themselves, was a trigger for me. I felt this was a party with which we could have a long-term relationship."
Today, the team includes seven developers from the Proxify network: four Flutter frontend developers, two Java Spring Boot backend engineers, and one machine learning specialist.
They’ve worked on two cornerstone products:
-
PRIMS: A GIS-based software used by field operators to inspect pipelines. It maps infrastructure, logs site details, and integrates data for dashboard monitoring and planning.
-
SVEMP: A mobile and central system for the emission management department. It collects real-time measurement data via Bluetooth, calculates actual emissions, and helps clients reduce their environmental impact.
The results
With Proxify, Intero – The Sniffers transitioned to Flutter faster than would've been possible otherwise.
Proxify was an enabler to do that transition, but now also to innovate and do additional projects."
The developers integrated naturally into the in-house team. They participate in stand-ups, code reviews, product planning, and refinement meetings.
They are a real part of the team, same as the in-house developers. They are there in the stand-ups, the code reviews, and refinement meetings. They are really good colleagues, and some are also becoming good friends.”
Most of the Proxify developers have been with the company for over a year, some for nearly three. This long-term collaboration has brought stability, ownership, and accountability.
The partnership also streamlined the hiring process. Kris thinks Proxify's vetting and screening processes are excellent, and the additional support they get from their Client Manager, Cheryl, and their Client Engineering Manager, Berkin, has saved them countless hours of interviewing.
“Whenever it would get more technical, Berkin would come into the interviews and dive into the real technical part, understanding what we needed and then doing a good pre-screening. So for us, that was a big benefit. We spent much less time interviewing because a very good pre-selection was done.”
As for Cheryl, he says she was always there to support, she listens very well to what their needs are, and she continuously learns.
The way forward
Intero – The Sniffers continues to grow their digital capabilities with confidence. Proxify remains a key partner in scaling the team and adapting to evolving project needs.
"Being able to scale up very quickly is a huge benefit for us. Having a party that can find really skilled professionals in a short time for us, who really fit in the team, enabled us to adapt to whatever the project needs."
Kris sees remote hiring not as a compromise, but as a strategic advantage.
"Proxify can find very skilled professionals in a very short time. I think any enterprise will benefit from that."
