What we do

Whether we’re looking at cars, vans, heavy goods vehicles, motorbikes or even motorised caravans, cap hpi‘s digital products, tools and services are known throughout the automotive industry for being consistently accurate, reliable and simple to use. cap hpi is a market leading one stop shop for automotive data. Being best in class doesn’t come without understanding the best way to leverage technology.  Our Product Development department has grown from strength to strength  in recent years – supporting a global expansion drive and even facilitating the end of our paper-based valuation offerings in 2017.

 

Our technology

At cap hpi we are always focused on using the best technologies, tools and/or processes for the job.  By merging Cap Automotive Ltd and HPI Ltd this has brought two separate technology stacks together –  we accept the challenges this presents and aim to leverage the best of both.  Inevitably, we do have some legacy – anyone remember Delphi? – but whenever we’re embarking on a new/upgraded solution we’ll look to use the optimum technology for the job.

A flavour of what we have, at the time of writing, includes:

.NET (up to .NET Core)	SQL Server: SSIS, SSAS, T-SQL (up to 2014)
C#	Mainframe, ADABAS
Java	GIT
Angular (up to 5)	Micro service architecture
HTML, CSS, Bootstrap

 

“One of the cap hpi’s biggest selling points is its use of the latest tech (.NET CORE / Angular 5) - big upsell as not many companies that I know have already embraced those technologies, they are usually still deep in MVC / jQuery / AngularJS”

-  cap hpi Software Developer, Jan 18

 

Keeping our technology radar up to date allows us to understand exactly what we’re using and why.  We regularly hold tech talks for the teams to share areas of interest or new findings.  These are optional… but there’s free pizza in it for those who wish to partake.

 

How we work

The Product Development department focuses on two main areas:

1) Our UK product suite that our company has become famous for
2) Our Global expansion – enhancing our data offering leveraging the existing datasets and global reach of our parent company Solera to expand our customer base across the world.

Regardless of the area, all our development teams follow Scrum principles – usually working in fortnightly sprints from an ordered backlog.  Employees all get the opportunity for formal training to become certified a Scrum Master – a transferrable qualification for the team member and a consistent view of the Agile framework for the team.

Additionally, there is free access to online technical training courses to support and assist with developing technical skills, everyone gets an MSDN Subscription, and there are opportunities to attend developer conferences/seminars that are relevant and of interest.

 

Where we do all this

Headquarters for cap hpi is right in the heart of Leeds city centre.  Our Product Development team is based here.  No outsourcing, all in-house capability from our offices just across the road from the Leeds train station.

Full address: Capitol House, Bond Court, Leeds, LS1 5EZ. 

 

And inside?

Set over three floors, our open plan offices are just the job.  Whiteboards throughout, breakout spaces for collaborative chats and meeting rooms when there’s a need to close the door. Desks come with dual widescreen monitors as standard and our Product Development team gets solid state drives in their PCs to ensure the kit is the enabler, not the blocker.

For times when we need a break we have table football, a pool table and an arcade machine in the office – and using them is encouraged. Getting away from the desk for a short time can be just what’s needed to help re-focus.

Whilst we’re in the office we benefit from free teas and coffee (that don’t come from a vending machine) and a weekly fruit basket. If fruit isn’t your thing we also do a weekly pie order from a local butcher… don’t dis the pork, apple and cheese one until you’ve tried it.

 

The social side

As well as any trips out that the team might plan locally, we have regular company-funded events. 

-          Monthly ‘Beer & Crisps’
The last Friday of each month sees the chance for all of the Leeds office to come together for an in-office social.  Often starting with a quick company update, charity raffle or similar but then with time to mingle with teams from across all the business. Drinks and snacks are provided (not limited to only beer and crisps) from 16:00.

-          Quarterly ‘Green Green’ events
If cap hpi meets two of its key financial targets we’re seen as ‘Green Green’ – i.e. green/on target for revenue and profit. For every quarter we achieve this we’re awarded a half day off and money per team member to set up a departmental team event.  Past Product Development afternoons have included: lock in/escape rooms, a Leeds treasure hunt, golf simulators, bowling/beer pong and meals out.

-          Company parties
Every year cap hpi hosts both a summer and winter party.  Starting at lunchtime, with food provided, it’s a company-wide thank you for everyone’s contribution. 

 

And because we believe in a work / life balance

As much as anyone may love their work, they need down time as well.  At cap hpi we get the following as standard;

-          37.5hr week
-          Flexible on start/end times
-          25 days annual leave per year, plus public holidays then the option to buy five more days

There’s also the understanding that sometimes unplanned things just happen and we all need a little help from time to time.  It’s give and take.

 

Fancy joining us?

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved but need it to go further. To continuously learn and improve. If you’d like to join our team please take a look at our current vacancies or, if you’d like a chat to find out more, feel free to drop us a line. Whatever stage of your software development or test career you’re at, we’d love to hear from you…

 

Find out more about our company on our central website.