Writing
Notes on operations & systems.
Practical insights on production systems, bottlenecks, automation, and applied AI, drawn from real manufacturing operations and workshop floors.
Why good ERP systems fail in real life
I recently had a conversation with an experienced consultant about ERP systems. He said something simple, but very true: Most ERP software is actually good. The problem is not always the software.The…
From Hours to Minutes: Fix the Data Where It Starts
A 2-3 hour process of creating loading documents, cut to a few minutes. No extra staff. No AI. Just a simple mobile app and a small change to where the data starts.
Takt Time: The Quick Math for a Tight Deadline
If a new order lands with a tight deadline, takt time tells you in two minutes whether the numbers actually work, before you promise a date you can't hit.
Three Questions That Expose a Cash Flow Problem
Optimising cash flow often starts with optimising throughput. If you can't answer these three questions in ten minutes, you don't have a cash flow problem yet, you have a visibility problem.
The Phone Call Every Workshop Owner Knows
"Hi, just checking, any update on my order?" The problem isn't the customer. The problem is that nobody in the building can answer in under ten seconds.
Why Whiteboards and Spreadsheets Eventually Fail
A whiteboard works, until it doesn't. The real issue isn't the board or the spreadsheet, it's that nobody else can see the information, neither the office nor the client.
Excel Rarely Breaks in an Obvious Way
Most of the time Excel keeps working just well enough. That is the risk. Small errors compound quietly, and by the time something feels wrong, the cause is already buried upstream.
The Most Convincing Bottleneck Is Often the Wrong One
A sofa factory automated its carpentry department with an expensive robot. Throughput barely moved. The bottleneck everyone agreed on was never the real problem.
Operational Problems Don’t Announce Themselves
They don't show up as system issues. They show up as small, annoying losses everyone accepts as normal, until projects overlap and the cost is already baked in.
Are You Running Your Operations, or Are They Running You?
If your week is constant firefighting, the fix is rarely "push harder". It's clarity. Here's the five-part framework I use to systemise any operation.
Why Automations Fail
After years of building automations, I've noticed that when a project fails, it's rarely the technology's fault. We automate the wrong things for the wrong reasons.
Developers, Developers, Developers: Where the AI Revolution Actually Happens
Don't read the marketing announcements. Don't get mesmerised by the keynote demos. Look at what developers are actually using, and what they're building for themselves.
Reducing Lead Times by Reducing Complexity
One of the most effective ways to reduce lead times is to streamline workflow steps and cut complexity. Simpler operations eliminate unnecessary actions and reduce bottlenecks.
What AI in Business Process Optimisation Should Actually Look Like
AI goes beyond using ChatGPT or Copilot to write emails. It should drive measurable results, significantly cutting task time or eliminating tasks completely.
When Existing CRMs Don’t Fit, You Build Your Own
When off-the-shelf CRMs don't fit real client workflows, sometimes building your own is the only option, and the modular result fits the way the work actually happens.
What Data Will You Need for the Digital Product Passport?
The Digital Product Passport is reshaping how product data must be structured across the EU. If you manufacture anything physical, now is the moment to start structuring your data.
Is AI in a Bubble?
Maybe. But that doesn't mean it's useless. You don't need to wait for AGI to see real results, real impact comes from small, focused tools.
A Free QR Code Generator With No Strings Attached
I needed a simple QR code with my contact details. Every site I tried collected my data or forced a sign-up. So I built a clean, no-strings version.