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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.

Creative Disruption - UK Digital Manufacturing Week 2020

Major crises cause economic and social damage but they also inspire innovation. This was a major theme Digital Manufacturing Week, who themselves had to disrupt by holding the 6,000 plus attendee event completely online.

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£147 million investment into manufacturing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been heating up for several years, and the recent challenges imposed by COVID-19 have accelerated efforts to get this tech in the hands of businesses to drive innovation and build agility and resilience. AI has been receiving lots of attention from the UK government and is one of the four Grand Challenge areas in the Industry Strategy.

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Manufacturing the future

Industry 4.0 has been budding over the last decade and has a long way yet to mature, however, the onset of the Covid-19 global pandemic has presented a suite of challenges and accelerated the need for solutions. The manufacturing industry has not had the flexibility of remote work to fall back on due to its dependency on onsite workers. Manufacturers will have had to make big changes to ensure the health of workers as they return to workplaces. At the same time, they’ve had to contend with the unpredictability of supply and demand, which could remain unstable for a prolonged recovery period. So how has this impacted manufacturing and what does this mean for the future?

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Bigger, better sales with AI

Automation and Artificial Intelligence can support the sales team to make bigger, better sales. AI in sales and marketing can be particularly valuable. In this #GoSmarter webinar Steph Locke, CEO of Nightingale HQ takes a look at automation tools in a B2B context and how easy they are to adopt.

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Understanding the techniques behind AI in manufacturing

It’s no secret that the disruption of Industry 4.0 and the challenges presented by Covid-19 have been a push for manufacturers to evaluate digital transformation and consider going smart with AI in their factories. This article, adapted from the webinar shared below, is aimed at manufacturers who are interested in the techniques, data infrastructure and processes needed to support building internal data science & AI intellectual property.

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The Historian and AI Webinar (AIFightsBack)

AI for manufacturing has huge potential. As well as clear AI use cases like robotics and automation, the wealth of data being consolidated into industrial time series via historian appliances presents an opportunity for further AI applications. Using the data being consolidated, we can build early warning systems for critical issues, optimise maintenance programs, and improve processes.

Read More: The Historian and AI Webinar (AIFightsBack)

Low ROI from AI is a people problem, not a tech problem

The top blockers to effective AI use in businesses aren't technical issues. They're people problems.

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AI Winters and hype

This is not the first time AI has been all the rage in the business world. In particular, AI was big in the eighties with solutions called expert systems. Will AI be a passing fad now?

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The AI Hierarchy of Needs meets the Minimum Viable Product

Two of my favourite pyramids are the Data Science Hierarchy of Needs and the Minimum Viable Product. Combining them helps us build effective artificial intelligence (AI) proof of concepts in businesses. It also supports building AI competency at the same time as demonstrating Return on Investment (ROI).

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Mastering AI in manufacturing: the three levels of competency

Manufacturers have been facing continual pressure to improve their technology base, reduce costs, and improve quality since the Industrial Revolution. Manufacturers are used to change but not every manufacturer can or will embrace it at the same rate. Also, no manufacturer jumps straight to being an expert at the new thing they're needing to adopt. The same goes for Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an emerging change in manufacturing.

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