International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA)
Custom Application Build

The Problem

A Clumsy Patchwork Application and a Critical Failure

IPEMA’s application served as a hub for manufacturer and consultant members, as well as those seeking to build safe, compliant play experiences. Originally pieced together over years and several different vendors, the application was hosting a mountain of critical data and dozens of complex workflows in a system that was never built for that functionality at that scale. The IPEMA team recognized this, saw the cracks growing, and reached out to Mile6 for help. 

Shortly after the engagement began, the old system completely failed, and we began the work of untangling and propping it up while simultaneously working on a completely new system built for better user experience, enhanced functionality, and continuous growth and improvement.

Project Goals

An Application Built to Handle the Data and Delight the Users Who Need It

The immediate need was to stabilize the current system. We discovered that it was not only unstable, but actively creating errors that were ballooning the current database, and creating a runaway situation for the hosting provider. After diagnosing and patching the issue enough to restore the old system we created strategy for how the customer facing portions of the system and the more robust logged in user experience could be separated in a way that would be undetectable to most users.

Additionally, the new web application needed to be built with logical data structures to support many workflows and associated data. The people relying on the application span a wide range of needs. Individual consultants, member manufacturers, non-members applying for certification, IPEMA’s own administrative staff, and TUV SÜD (IPEMA’s third-party validation partner) all required a distinct set of tools and permissions.

Beyond browsing, members needed self-service capability. That means joining as an organization or an individual, renewing membership, managing users within their own organization, requesting and tracking product certifications, and paying dues or fees online. IPEMA staff needed queues for reviewing new members, renewals, and payments. TUV SÜD needed its own dashboard for reviewing and approving product validation requests. All of these interactions require data collection, and workflows with complex, multi-step, conditional logic.

The Process

Strategy, Production, and Careful Migration

We mapped the full set of user types and journeys across IPEMA’s digital platform, then designed a data model built for the association’s current certification and membership workflows, with room for future growth. Legacy data, including members, products, insurance documentation, and certification history, was carefully migrated out of their failing system and into the custom, modern system, with automated and manual QA throughout to protect against data issues.

On the back end, we built a Laravel application with a role and permission system so IPEMA Admins, TUV SÜD Admins, manufacturer Account/Product Admins, and individual members each see only the tools relevant to them. On the front end, the Mile6 React implementation powers the interactive experience: sign-up, login, the searchable certified-product directory, and the full member dashboard. React components are embedded directly into the WordPress front end, so members move between marketing pages and secure application features without noticing a handoff between the two systems.

The Outcome

A Modern Platform Built for What’s Next

Mile6 launched the new IPEMA integrated platform in March 2026. Recognition from industry partners like TUV SÜD, a Web Excellence Award for association websites, and steady day-one adoption by members confirmed the new experience was landing well.

IPEMA has continued forward with Mile6 under an ongoing support agreement, working through a post-launch feature backlog as new needs come up.

Here’s how we did it

• Built a unified Laravel/React member dashboard where IPEMA Admins, TUV SÜD Admins, and member organizations each get a role-specific experience covering renewals, product certification requests, insurance documentation, and payments.
• Migrated years of legacy WordPress membership, product, and certification data into a new, logical data model without disrupting active members.
• Integrated Authorize.Net payment processing, using tokenization to support both card and check payments for memberships, renewals, and certifications while keeping the application out of PCI scope.
• Built a Request for Validation (RV) workflow so any change to a certified product routes to TUV SÜD for review and approval, with defined statuses (pending, approved, rejected, canceled, processed) governing what happens next, and automatic email notifications so members know when a request is rejected and can resubmit with updated documentation.
• Utilized AI tools in a controlled manner to examine the logic of the previous implementation, in order to create an improved version without relying on previous developers or organizational knowledge.
• Delivered on-demand certificate PDF generation alongside a public, searchable certified-product directory.
• Integrated custom React components directly into the WordPress front end so members experience one seamless site, with no obvious break in continuity between marketing pages and the secure application.
• Integrated communication channels and updated branded templates.

Brand Alignment

Built Around IPEMA’s Identity

The new website and application were designed to extend IPEMA’s existing visual identity rather than compete with it. Based on a freshly redesigned logo we extended the brand elements into a fully featured Design Library of components and navigation. From the public WordPress pages down to the logged-in member dashboard, the experience feels consistent everywhere a member interacts with IPEMA.