Smart Data in Manufacturing - Germany

Ruth Kearney’s presentation at the Smart Data in Manufacturing event in Darmstadt focused on how data science and AI tools are being applied in manufacturing SMEs — with specific examples from GoSmarter’s work with UK and Irish manufacturers. The audience of German manufacturers were interested in both the technology and the practical implementation: how do you get a manufacturing business that has never used AI to adopt it, and what does that adoption actually look like in practice?

The answer GoSmarter has developed through experience with manufacturers across the UK and Ireland is: start with a specific problem, build a tool that solves it visibly, and expand from there. Cutting optimisation, mill certificate reading, and inventory tracking are all examples of this approach — each one delivers clear, measurable value to a specific person in the business, which creates the internal momentum for broader adoption.

The German SME manufacturing sector — the Mittelstand — represents a market with both significant need and significant potential for digital tools like GoSmarter. Many Mittelstand manufacturers are highly skilled in their core manufacturing processes but are still managing production planning, material tracking, and quality documentation through manual and paper-based methods.

The EIT Manufacturing and Department for International Trade event in Darmstadt was specifically designed to connect UK and Irish technology companies with German manufacturers who were looking for digital solutions. The bilateral meeting format — where manufacturers could select technology providers for one-to-one meetings — was a direct path to qualified conversations with potential customers.