Liverpool City Region manufacturer VitrineAlu is investing in AI, digital sales and smarter machinery to improve customer service, productivity and growth. Tony McDonough reports
Haydock-based manufacturer VitrineAlu, who operate from a factory based at the Nassau Business Park, has launched a trade portal, secured funding for an AI platform and developed a digital growth roadmap with help from Made Smarter.
The business is stepping up its investment in AI and digital technology to improve customer service, productivity and growth.
The Haydock-based manufacturer of bespoke aluminium doors, screens and glazing systems is developing Synapse, an AI ecosystem designed to connect key areas of its business.
VitrineAlu has relaunched its website, introduced a trade portal and secured funding to develop the platform. It is also exploring how smarter technology could enhance existing machinery and reduce the cost of wholesale replacements.
The strategy was refined through Made Smarter’s Government-backed Leading Digital Transformation programme. This week, LBN reported that Made Smarter had brought on four new specialists to help manufacturers across Liverpool invest in technology and skills.
Managing Director Paul Fradley said it helped the business prioritise customer-facing projects capable of delivering faster commercial returns.
He added: “We’re already seeing the benefits of that thinking. We’ve relaunched our website, introduced a new trade portal, secured funding to develop our AI platform further and are looking at how we can make our machinery smarter rather than simply replacing it.
“The ambition has always been there, but the programme has given us the structure, the tools and the confidence to turn that ambition into a clear, achievable roadmap for the future.”
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LDT is a 14-week programme for current and emerging manufacturing leaders, delivered with Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford.
It combines face-to-face workshops, online webinars, real-life manufacturing case studies, peer learning and visits to technology demonstrators. Participants apply the learning directly to their own businesses, developing a digital strategy and roadmap.
VitrineAlu is one of 125 North West manufacturers whose leaders to have completed programme. delivered with Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford.
Ruth Hailwood, Made Smarter’s lead organisation and workforce development specialist, said: “What’s really exciting is seeing these leaders take what they have learned and put it into practice so quickly.
“Successful digital transformation requires much more than choosing the right technology. Leaders need to think strategically, understand the problem they are trying to solve, prioritise projects, engage their teams and manage change effectively.
“That is what LDT is designed to develop, giving manufacturing leaders practical tools they can apply immediately and the confidence to make better-informed decisions about where technology can make the biggest difference.”
Since it launched in 2019, Made Smarter, delivered in the North West by the Growth Company, has supported more than 2,500 manufacturers across the region through technology advice, digital roadmapping, skills support, internships and match-funded technology grants.