Blog

Plain English about AI in manufacturing and distribution.

What works, what doesn't, and what it costs. Written by the people who do the builds.

Latest
An office worker types a printed customer order into the order system
Planning and data · 4 min read

What Manual Planning Is Really Costing UK & Irish Food Manufacturers

Spreadsheets feel free. For a £5–25m food manufacturer they cost hours every week, hide errors, and leave decisions running on last week's numbers. Here's how to put a figure on it.

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Findings presented to the directors of a food manufacturer round the boardroom table
Getting started · 4 min read

AI for Food Manufacturers: Where It Pays Back First (and Where It Doesn't)

A third of UK businesses now use some AI, but few use it deeply. For food manufacturers, here is where it pays back first, where it doesn't, and three questions to ask before you spend.

A production manager works through a short list on a tablet in a bakery
Waste and yield · 4 min read

Cutting Food Waste and Giveaway on the Line: A Practical Guide for Factories Doing £5–25m

UK food manufacturers waste around 706,000 tonnes of edible food a year. Here's a practical way for a £5–25m factory to find where its own waste and giveaway go, and what to fix first.

A manager points to one step of a process drawn on a whiteboard
People and skills · 4 min read

When Your Best Planner Retires: How Food Manufacturers Keep Know-How in the Business

A quarter of the UK food manufacturing workforce is expected to retire within a decade. Here's how a food manufacturer can keep what its most experienced people know in the business.

A yard supervisor completes a forklift pre-use check on his phone
Food safety · 4 min read

BRCGS Audits, Traceability and Allergen Records: Cutting the Paperwork Without Adding Risk

Allergen errors are the most common cause of UK food recalls. Here's how a food manufacturer can cut the paperwork behind BRCGS, traceability and allergen control without adding risk.

Series

Toolbox Talks.

Toolbox Talks is a short series of practical guides to the AI tools most businesses already have access to. Each post covers three things: how to get real value from the tool, what to watch out for, and how to keep your business data safe.