In today’s fast-paced manufacturing world, many SMEs feel trapped by operational pressures and tight budgets.
Team this with uncertain geopolitical impact, supply chain instabilities and sky rocketing material costs, the issue of digital transformation is less pressing for those SMEs just trying to survive.
However, digital technologies are proving to be more than just a “nice to have”, they are essential investments. A recent ITIF study found that SMEs can increase productivity by 7% to 50% simply by adopting digital tools like analytics, robotics, and connected systems. Meanwhile, a Cambridge report highlights the power of modular, low-cost digital solutions in helping SMEs cut operating costs by up to 30% through smart tracking of machine usage and energy consumption.
Despite these gains, the two most common barriers are still cited as cost and time. Yet the same studies show that these investments can pay for themselves rapidly. Cloud-based systems, mobile interfaces, and IoT sensors allow SMEs to start small. Applying digital tools to a single production line, for example and see fast returns without disrupting daily operations. The choice isn’t between digital now or never; it’s between acting with support or falling behind.
What Worked in Practice?
Firstplay Dietary Foods (Food Manufacturing)
Manual weighing and packing capped throughput at 600 packets a day. With Made Smarter’s support, Firstplay invested in automated packaging machinery. The result? Tenfold capacity increase, reduced errors and waste, and a forecast 30% turnover boost, all achieved without expanding headcount.
Custom design samples used to take two weeks. By adopting end-to-end digital print and customer configuration software, Panaz cut sample turnaround to 24–48 hours and doubled production capacity. Faster processes meant happier customers and more revenue.
Joshua Greaves & Sons (Industrial Mixing Equipment)
Paper-based systems slowed everything down. With Made Smarter’s help, they integrated digital workflows across sales, design, and production. Lead times dropped from four weeks to 48 hours, improving scheduling, costing accuracy, and reducing waste.
Sustainable Smart Technologies (IoT Solutions)
Great ideas often stall without resources. Made Smarter provided funding and skills support to develop their IoT platform, Neronis®. The result? A scalable product, stronger leadership, and a digital intern who became a long-term team member.
The Bottom Line
Digital adoption doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Made Smarter can help diagnose your business challenges, build a roadmap to guide your transformation, and help you access funding and expertise to make change achievable. The cost of doing nothing is often far greater than the cost of change.
Ready to take the first step? Register and start your digital journey today.