Saeco Xelsis
A Versuni & Ignit Group Case Study
Premium Heritage, Modern Digital Experience
At Versuni, the Saeco portfolio represents far more than a product line. It embodies Italian coffee heritage, emotion, and ritual. Saeco has always held a special place among coffee enthusiasts and stands as a premium brand delivering exceptional taste through modern, digitally connected devices.
By combining Italian craftsmanship, sleek design, and cutting-edge digital features, Saeco meets the expectations of today’s premium coffee enthusiasts. Creating such a refined and complex product requires top-tier expertise — and that’s where Ignit Group comes in.
With a strong track record of collaboration with Versuni, Ignit provided Product Owner (PO) and Project Manager (PM) leadership to support the delivery of a world-class digital experience for Saeco’s flagship Premium coffee machine – Saeco Xelsis.
Digitalization of a Coffee Icon
Successful digitalization requires deep understanding of IoT systems, integration processes, and backend architecture — all core strengths of Ignit Group.
The Saeco Xelsis project leveraged AWS-based infrastructure combined with custom-built backend components. These specific, high-end modules — not available as off-the-shelf solutions — needed to operate in perfect synchronization with both frontend and backend systems.
Ignit’s flexibility and cross-domain expertise made it possible. Even when specific technical topics fell outside immediate scope, Ignit’s PO and PM teams collaborated closely with internal consultants — the so-called “experts in shadow” — who supported the project with targeted insights and rapid problem-solving.
Result:
- 15% reduction in technical debt and bug backlog within one year compared to the pre-Ignit period
Product Ownership & Project Management Excellence
Certain industries demand specialized Product Ownership. Premium coffee appliances are a niche category, and IT experts in this field are rare. Ignit filled this gap by assigning senior, experienced POs and PMs with tailored development plans to bridge domain-specific knowledge quickly.
With Ignit’s Product Management, the team achieved:
- Faster decision-making
- Shorter delivery cycles with reduced costs without compromising quality
- Full trust and alignement with Versuni stakeholders across all departments and regions
Through close collaboration and a strong Product Ownership mindset, a true symbiosis between Product Owner and Project Manager was achieved. This level of alignment is something we aim for on every project, and with Saeco Xelsis it was realized with sucess.”
— Saša Smolinski, Digital Program Manager, Versuni
Impact:
- Average releases before Ignit: 2.5 per year
- Average releases with Ignit: 4 per year
Managing Global, Distributed Teams
A dispersed team is standard in global companies — and for Ignit, it’s business as usual. On Saeco Xelsis, team members were spread across Australia, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe. Ignit ensured seamless coordination by implementing proven collaboration practices:
- Unified team calendars with automatic time zone adjustments
- Reserved "sweet-spot" slots for ad-hoc syncs
- Pre-scheduled meetings with with regularly updated agendas
- Integrated public holiday calendars for all countries
- Anticipation of local disruptions (e.g., strikes, transportation issues)
- Respect for cultural norms and local working habits
- Timely schedule adjustments to keep all teams aligned
Optimized management and reduced non-operational activities led to 18% increase of planned delivery.
Beyond the Interface: True Product Ownership
Owning a digital product means far more than delivering a new UI. The Ignit team drove end-to-end improvements across multiple dimensions:
- Redesign of existing features to align with Versuni’s design language and latest UX
standards
- Introduction of new features to enhance usability and customer satisfaction
- Continuous refinement of existing flows and functionalities
- Overhaul of the backend provisioning platform
- Enhanced data collection and analysis
- Integration improvements with connected systems
- Upgraded AI and recommendation capabilities based on user behavior
With Ignit’s involvement, we reduced backlog bugs and technical dept by 15%, comparing to the pre-Ignit period.”
— Gabriele Vespa, Digital Quality Lead Engineer, Versuni
Collaboration for the Future
Operating in complex digital ecosystems, using cutting-edge technologies and tools, is Ignit’s natural environment. When combined with Versuni’s vision and heritage, the result was a seamless partnership built on trust, transparency, and performance.
For large enterprises seeking agile, external digital expertise without lengthy internal onboarding, Ignit Group offers the ideal solution.
The Versuni × Ignit collaboration continues. More case studies are on the way.
Feel free to reach out or book a call to start discussion!
