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Small & Medium Enterprises

AI Tools That Work for Smaller Manufacturers

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in metals manufacturing face the same paperwork problems as large operations. Without the IT department to fix them.

GoSmarter is built for that gap. The tools work alongside the systems you already have. No rip-and-replace. No six-month implementation project. No enterprise licence fee that makes the CFO wince.

The practical wins for manufacturing SMEs are:

  • Mill certificate processing: stop manually checking every certificate that arrives with a delivery
  • Inventory management: know what stock you have, where it is, and when to reorder without a dedicated stock controller
  • Compliance readiness: stay on top of EN 10204 and BS EN 1090 requirements without a quality manager buried in folders
  • Production reporting: get a clear picture of your output and scrap rates without a business analyst to pull the numbers

Posts in this section cover the tools, the workflows, and the real stories from smaller manufacturers who have cut their admin time without hiring more people.

You do not need a big budget to run a smart factory. You need the right tools.

Mill Test Certificate Management: Common Questions Answered

Clear answers on Mill Test Certificates: what MTCs contain, EN 10204 types, verification, common issues and AI automation with digital audit trails.

7 Ways to Reduce Paperwork in Metal Manufacturing

  • Steph Locke
  • Blog
  • Dec 8, 2025
  • Updated

Seven digital strategies—AI docs, MES, cloud inventory, ERP and e-signatures—to cut paperwork, speed production and improve compliance.

Wales Tech Week 2025: Connecting, Showcasing, and Inspiring Welsh Innovation

Wales Tech Week 2025 brought together leading figures from the Welsh tech ecosystem to connect, share insights, and celebrate innovation. Highlights included discussions on digitalisation in manufacturing, honest conversations about the role of failure in entrepreneurship, and a strong focus on collaboration and funding for the sector. Nightingale HQ was recognised with the Best Greentech Award for its work in sustainable manufacturing, reflecting the event’s emphasis on impactful technology and the growing global reputation of Welsh tech.

CEO speaks at European Manufacturing Conference

  • grace
  • News
  • Sep 20, 2024
  • Updated

CEO Ruth Kearney will speak at the 2024 European Manufacturing Conference to be held in Brussels this month.

STRADA Project Empowers Women in Manufacturing with Leadership Programme

  • grace
  • News
  • Sep 16, 2024
  • Updated

Co-funded by EIT Manufacturing, Strada provides leadership tools to women in manufacturing to tackle the gender gap in the industry. Nightingale HQ is a core partner and also leads the Leading Digitalisation masterclass.

Northern Ireland Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference highlights

It was great to contribute to the Northern Ireland Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition Titanic Exhibition Centre last week. I was there to talk about our approach to greener software, to promote Strada and to network with the wider manufacturing community.

Wales tech scale-up collaborate with steel manufacturers to make production greener

  • Ruth Kearney
  • News
  • Feb 25, 2024
  • Updated

Wales and Ireland-based technology business, Nightingale HQ (NHQ) has supported a major UK & EU consortium as it looks to make reinforcement steel manufacturing greener. The collaboration includes steel manufacturers Midland Steel and Bastal AS, Kuka Robotics, civil engineers OCSC and research partners VTT. The project is funded by EIT Manufacturing and Innovate UK.

NHQ joins consortium to make steel industry greener

  • grace
  • News
  • Jul 16, 2023
  • Updated

Technology business Nightingale HQ have won funding with a European consortium to make steel manufacturing greener.

Nightingale HQ meets German manufacturers and tech founders

In an effort to increase visibility of UK technology start-ups the Welsh and UK governments participated in Start-up BW conference in Batten-WĂĽrttemberg Germany this September.

Smart Data in Manufacturing - Germany

  • Samantha Dart MSc
  • News
  • Jul 5, 2022
  • Updated

In our efforts to expand in the German markets and partner with the Mittelstand or SME manufacturers, our CEO Ruth Kearney will be presenting at the Smart Data in Manufacturing event in Darmstadt on the 7th of July 2022.