Plow Technologies Case Study

Client Overview

Plow Technologies, a U.S. leader in oil and gas well site automation with over a decade of field experience, delivers custom control systems that make even complex industrial challenges manageable. Now part of PakEnergy, Plow continues driving innovation across critical industries.

Oklahoma City, USA

Location

Industrial Automation

Industry Impact

6 Years

Partnership

United States: Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Renewable energy

Global Reach Impact

The Challenge

What was the problem?

Plow Technologies needed guaranteed consistency between its Haskell backend and ReasonML frontend as SCADA data structures evolved. Shifting types risked runtime failures, slowed development, and compromised reliability in mission-critical systems.

How we approached it!

Stack Builders developed a custom code-generation tool that automatically generated frontend types based on the backend, eliminating manual errors, streamlining delivery, and ensuring Plow Technologies’ systems remained reliable and deployment-ready.

The Solution

Stack Builders built an automated workflow to keep Plow Technologies’ Haskell backend and OCaml/ReasonML frontend perfectly aligned. Using Haskell types as the source of truth, we generated matching OCaml types and codecs with an in-house codegen library. We also produced QuickCheck arbitrary data and JSON golden files to validate round-trip accuracy. Integrated into CI, the system regenerated code and ran cross-language tests on every commit.

Custom Code Generation

Automated OCaml/ReasonML code generation from Haskell types, plus auto-derived QuickCheck data via custom in-house libraries.

Cross-Language Validation

Added golden and property tests ensuring Haskell↔OCaml JSON serialization remains accurate and fully round-trippable.

Continuous Type Consistency

Integrated type generation and tests into the CI pipeline, guaranteeing backend–frontend type consistency on every commit.

CI-Driven Consistency

Ensured data integrity across a large, mission-critical system by automating type syncing and cross-language validation.

Solution Diagram

This diagram shows an automated workflow that enforces type-level consistency between a Haskell backend and an OCaml/ReasonML frontend. Types, serializers, and tests are generated from a single Haskell source of truth and validated via golden and property-based tests in CI.

Our Tool Stack

Servant: Type-safe Haskell web framework for defining backend APIs

Aeson: Haskell JSON serialization/deserialization library

ReasonML + ReasonReact: Frontend framework used to consume and safely interpret backend-generated da

Hspec-golden-aeson (in-house): Golden file generator for JSON output verification

quickcheck-arbitrary-adt (in-house): Automatic arbitrary data generation for property testing

OCaml Export (in-house): Code-generation tool producing OCaml types, codecs, and tests

bs-aeson (in-house): OCaml JSON serialization/deserialization library inspired by Haskell’s Aeson

Our Approach

Collaborative Delivery Throughout the engagement, we partnered with Plow Technologies to transfer knowledge, align on design decisions, and ensure internal teams could independently maintain and extend the system.

Testing for Total Confidence We integrated property-based and golden testing to validate serialization between Haskell and ReScript. This strategy ensured data remained consistent and correctly encoded across both environments.

Automation as a Design Principle By generating frontend types directly from backend definitions, we created a system that scales effortlessly with each code change, reducing human error and long-term maintenance costs.

Strategic Architecture Alignment Together with Plow Technologies, we defined an architecture linking Haskell Servant API and ReScript/ReasonReact, achieving consistent data flow and dependable system performance.

Results & Impact

The automated type-synchronization system enabled Plow Technologies to release updates faster and with greater confidence. By generating types and tests directly from backend definitions, Stack Builders eliminated data mismatches, cut manual maintenance, and surfaced errors earlier in development. The result was improved reliability across mission-critical systems and a foundation that scales safely as payloads evolve.

100% Language Accuracy Verified through automated property-based and golden tests.

Hours Saved per Release Manual backend–frontend syncing was eliminated, reducing engineering time.

Earlier Error Detection Serialization errors were caught during development, reducing risk and accelerating releases.

Real Impact, Real Growth

“Stack Builders was a great partner throughout the project. Their team was always helpful and responsive, and their expertise made a real difference in getting our system working the way we needed.”

Scott Murphy

Co-Founder, Plow Technologies

Looking Forward

The outcomes achieved with Plow Technologies continue to demonstrate the measurable value of functional programming in high-assurance environments. By designing an architecture centered on automation, consistency, and type safety, Stack Builders delivered a foundation that remains adaptable and ready for future integration or evolution within PakEnergy’s expanding digital platform.

If your organization is modernizing legacy systems or scaling high-assurance software, Stack Builders can help you design solutions built to last. Book a free 30-minute consultation today to get started:

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