Manufacturing Consultant UK
Independent digital roadmaps and delivery: ERP, MRP, shop-floor data and automation, sequenced so each step is built on a process stable enough to digitise.
Manufacturing digitalisation is the use of digital systems and data to plan, run and control production: ERP and MRP for planning and stock, shop-floor data capture for real-time visibility, MES and OEE monitoring for execution, and automation where the return is proven. It works only when the underlying process is stable.
The terms get mixed up. Digitisation converts paper to digital records. Digitalisation changes how work is done using those records and live data. Digital transformation is the wider business change that follows. For most UK manufacturers, the profitable work is in the middle: digitalising the processes that decide delivery, cost and quality.
We start from the factory, not the software catalogue. A recurring pattern in UK manufacturing is a new system exposing unreliable bills of materials, routings and stock records that nobody had cleaned up. We fix that foundation first.
For most small and mid-sized manufacturers, ERP or MRP foundations come before shop-floor MES, and process stability comes before both. Skipping a step is the usual reason projects overrun.
Standard work, accurate BOMs and routings, and a clear value stream. Data is only as good as the process behind it.
Reliable stock, job and quality records, captured once at source instead of re-keyed from paper.
ERP and MRP configured to how you make product, with scheduling and costing you can trust.
Shop-floor visibility, OEE monitoring, smart test rigs and robotics, each justified by a measured ROI.
A current-state review of systems and data, a target state, and a costed, phased roadmap you can use to brief vendors or apply for funding.
Requirements, vendor selection, design and delivery oversight, including rescue of stalled projects. See ERP and MRP implementation.
Practical data capture for downtime, quality and output, so supervisors act on today's numbers, not last month's.
Robotics, cobot cells and smart test rigs with a business case built on measured baselines. Delivered one CAPEX project of £3.5M on time and in scope.
Independent oversight of vendors and internal teams, so scope, cost and benefits stay honest.
Help matching projects to grants and programmes. Read the Made Smarter grants guide.
We select and specify systems against your requirements. We are not paid by a vendor to recommend one.
Use this as a quick check. Two or more answers in the right-hand column mean an assessment should come first.
| Question | Ready | Assess first |
|---|---|---|
| Do BOMs and routings match how you make product? | Yes, reviewed in the last year | Nobody is sure |
| How accurate is your stock record? | Counted and trusted | Frequent shortages and surprises |
| How do you know today's output and downtime? | Captured at the line | Paper, spreadsheets or end-of-month reports |
| Is the process standardised? | Documented and followed | Depends on who is on shift |
Digitisation converts paper records to digital ones. Digitalisation uses digital data and systems to change how work is done. Digital transformation is the wider organisational change that results. Most manufacturers should focus on digitalising the few processes that drive delivery, cost and quality.
For most SMEs, ERP or MRP foundations come first, because MES depends on reliable works orders, BOMs, routings and stock records. A shop-floor system on top of poor master data exposes the problem rather than fixing it. Your assessment will show which order suits your site.
Industry 4.0 describes connected, data-driven manufacturing using technologies such as sensors, MES, analytics and robotics. It is relevant at any size when applied to a specific problem, such as unplanned downtime or manual data entry, rather than as a blanket programme.
In England, the Made Smarter adoption programme offers match-funded support for eligible SMEs, with details varying by region. Welsh manufacturers have different routes. See our grants guide and our Wales page.
By measuring the current process first. We baseline cycle time, quality and labour cost, model the payback of each option, and recommend automation only where the return is proven and the process is stable.
Talk to a manufacturing consultant about your systems, your data and your next investment.
Manufacturing operations assessment and digitalisation for UK manufacturers. Led by a chartered engineer. Stabilise first, then automate.
UK-based. Serving manufacturers nationwide.
1 Greenlands Road