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Blog and Articles

Articles Written for the Shop Floor, Not the Boardroom

Practical reads for people who run metal processing, distribution, and manufacturing operations. No generic thought-leadership. No consultancy waffle. Just articles written for people who care about what actually happens on the shop floor.

Our articles cover the decisions that actually matter for metals businesses:

  • How to cut scrap without replacing your equipment
  • How to stop chasing mill certificates before every delivery
  • How to get real inventory visibility without a six-figure ERP bill
  • How AI is changing the economics of metals manufacturing

You’ll also find articles on industry terminology, compliance standards, and the wider context of digitalisation for metals SMEs. Turns out knowing what’s broken is step one.

If you’re looking for a specific subject, browse by topic or category. The glossary is a good starting point if you’re new to the terminology your customers use on purchase orders.

Investing in digital technology lowers future operating costs for manufacturers

There are so many benefits to going digital with your business including cutting your future operating costs and becoming more sustainable. We’ve taken a look at the UKRI’s report on productivity opportunities and risks in a transformative, low-carbon and digital age which looks at this in more detail.

Read More: Investing in digital technology lowers future operating costs for manufacturers

UK Government supports AI approaches to manufacturing sustainability

The UK government released its AI strategy on 22nd September 2021. We’ve looked at the report and broken down how this will affect the manufacturing industry going forward. We outline some key areas such as skills shortages, addressing net-zero challenges, and new product development as well as the next steps manufacturers can take.

Read More: UK Government supports AI approaches to manufacturing sustainability

Digitalising your business processes to be more sustainable

Digitalising your business processes might help you run a more sustainable, environmentally friendly manufacturing operation. Simply digitising your records and reducing physical resource usage is an excellent place to begin. Taking it a step further and re-engineering the way you work to be smoother, more integrated, and less data entry dependent while digitalising can save you even more compute power (and therefore energy!).

Read More: Digitalising your business processes to be more sustainable

Cloud Migration: important for a green future

Cloud providers like Microsoft are making their data centres greener and carbon neutral, whereas your in-house servers and associated resources are burning energy. As well as potentially lowering your compute costs, revitalising your IT infrastructure, reducing risk, the green advantages make a cloud move a must for any manufacturer with sights on a net zero goal.

Read More: Cloud Migration: important for a green future

Design, manufacture, and ship products more sustainably with AI

AI can help manufacturers design, make, and ship products more sustainably. From lowering waste through defect detection, to generative design to reduce prototype waste, to smart energy management and predictive maintenance, manufacturers can use AI to make a big impact.

Read More: Design, manufacture, and ship products more sustainably with AI

What does NatWest's Future Fit report say about digital transformation for manufacturers

The latest Future Fit report focuses on “trailblazers” and what makes them different to other organisations. It covers the importance of innovation and of current developments in the industry such as digital transformation.

Read More: What does NatWest's Future Fit report say about digital transformation for manufacturers

Software-as-a-Service to help you digitise

Software as a Service or SaaS, as it’s more commonly known, makes digital easy. Find out how it can help to streamline your processes and run a more efficient business.

Read More: Software-as-a-Service to help you digitise

Manufacturers - you need DataOps

DataOps also helps you build a more agile digital supply chain by enabling analytic teams to automate their processes, which in turn reduces cycle time on data analytics. Getting this data infrastructure right is critical for helping Operational Technology (OT) get the most out of real-time data to optimise processes. DataOps is part of your ability to move quickly in the digital space. It should be part of your overall approach to your developer velocity and can help staff to discover the data they need to drive insightful improvements in your organisation.

Read More: Manufacturers - you need DataOps

Investing in tools scales staff productivity

Businesses with the highest productivity experience more stable and consistent revenue growth, as well as being able to adapt more quickly. With less waste and more staff power focussed on growth, manufacturers with an investment in tooling are more operationally resilient.

Read More: Investing in tools scales staff productivity

How to move your operations to the cloud - what you need to know

You’ve probably heard of the cloud but what is it and how can it help your business? Learn how moving to the cloud can help you innovate and stay ahead of the curve when it comes to tech.

Read More: How to move your operations to the cloud - what you need to know

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