Yard Club, acquired by CaterpillarImmediate Stakeholder Alignment
Product managers and decision-makers saw the actual build, eliminating costly interpretation gaps before they could compound.
Case StudiesEquipment Marketplace
How Yard Club Was Built from Specification to Measurable Strategic Value
Silicon Prime built the mobile front ends for Yard Club’s equipment rental marketplace, turning client-owned designs and APIs into reviewable software every single day.
- Client
- Yard Club, acquired by Caterpillar
- Industry
- Heavy Equipment & Logistics
- Platforms
- Native iOS & Android
- Outcome
- Strategic acquisition
Native AppiPhone & Android front ends
DailyWorking builds delivered
Next-DayDefect correction speed
$120MMarketplace volume
The challenge
Connecting Heavy Machinery Idle Time with Active Jobsite Demand
Yard Club’s core insight was simple but structurally complex: contractors often owned expensive equipment sitting unused while other crews needed exactly that machinery. The marketplace had to make finding, listing and renting heavy equipment feel immediate and trustworthy.
Owners needed a clear way to list availability and respond to requests. Renters needed to locate the right machine nearby, understand its condition and reserve it from the jobsite.
The solution
End-to-End Native Mobile Front Ends Under a Tight Daily Feedback Loop
Silicon Prime assumed ownership of the front-end implementation across native iOS and Android, working directly from Yard Club’s approved design system and API.
- Clear interface boundaries: the client-owned design and APIs defined the contract for both apps
- Short feedback loop: stakeholders received a working build to review every day
- Fast correction cycles: feedback and defects were frequently resolved by the next business day
- Client-fast control: Yard Club kept ownership of the product vision, experience and platform
Engineering philosophy
Why Daily Builds Drive Strategic Success
Instead of waiting weeks for a milestone, Yard Club reviewed the real application every day. That rhythm turned uncertainty into fast, concrete decisions.
Rapid Integration Testing
Continuous validation against client-owned APIs exposed integration issues while the responsible context was still fresh.
Minimized Risk of Accumulation
Bugs and differences were visible every day instead of arriving together as a large, expensive late-stage surprise.
The impact
Evolutionary Momentum Leading to Strategic Acquisition
Daily fast builds quickly shortened feedback loops, reduced rework and made product, design, integration and feature validation part of the same operating rhythm.
By 2016, Yard Club had helped 2,500 construction professionals manage more than $120 million in equipment transactions across the United States and Canada. Caterpillar acquired Yard Club in 2017.
“Silicon Prime did a great job developing the front end of our iPhone and Android apps. We provided design specs and an API, were given daily builds to give feedback on, and bugs were often fixed by the next business day. Overall, we are very happy with the service and the quality of the work.”
Jessica GillisLead Product Development, Yard Club
Frequently asked questions
- What did Silicon Prime build for Yard Club?
- The native iOS and Android front ends for the equipment-rental marketplace, integrating Yard Club’s designs with its existing APIs.
- Can Silicon Prime work from existing designs and APIs?
- Yes. This model works well when a stable API contract and complete design direction already exist and product ownership remains with the client.
- What is a daily build?
- A working version of the application delivered for review each day, allowing feedback and integration validation to happen continuously.
- How quickly were defects fixed?
- According to Yard Club’s testimonial, bugs were often fixed by the next business day.
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