Booth Welsh is delighted to announce that we have been successful in our application to the Digital Innovation Fund (DIF) Rapid Demonstrator funding. The Made Smarter Innovation – Smart Manufacturing Data Hub launched the funding to assist Manufacturing SMEs on their digital journey.

Booth Welsh is well-established in the digital space, having started our journey of applying innovative technology to our core services several years ago. As a business, we live by the ethos of collaboration over competition and are in a strong position to share our knowledge of experience and support like-minded businesses progress through their digital transformation journey.

As part of the Powering Futures sustainability programme, our Technology Development and Digitalisation team worked cross-functionally with individuals from different departments, including apprentices, graduates, young engineers,  to develop solutions for some of the most pressing challenges within our working environment. We were conscious of the fact that measurement & control are an integral part of our business, yet we had never applied those skills to measure our own outputs, particularly energy usage.

The collaboration from this project led to the creation of our Energy Monitoring Dashboard. Through our own implementation, we achieved remarkable savings of around 20% by diligently measuring, visualising, and analysing our energy consumption data. This provided us with valuable insights, allowing us to identify and address areas of inefficiency.

Further to our internal success, we have developed both small- and large-scale Energy Monitoring systems and have recently delivered a collaborative large scale digital transformation project in partnership with NMIS. The project involved the energy and environmental monitoring of 73 assets & machines, including new and legacy equipment, within the Advanced Forming Research Centre and Digital Factory. All energy and environmental data is brought back to one shared platform for data dashboarding and analysis.

Further committing to sustainability, we embarked on the Net Zero Accelerator programme with Net Zero Nation, establishing our carbon footprint, achieving carbon certification, and developing a credible carbon reduction plan. This initiative has seen us become advocates for Net Zero, encouraging the business community to recognise it as an opportunity rather than a cost.

Now in our third year of the programme, we are hosts to the North Ayrshire Net Zero Accelerator, mentoring 20 local businesses in developing their carbon strategies. Through this we’ve created a supportive network, sharing knowledge, and encouraging sustainable practices to reduce carbon use and meet Net Zero targets. Our Energy Dashboard has become a pivotal tool in this effort, which we will be looking to launch as a pilot to help other businesses in their quest for Net Zero.

Gordon Semple, Consultancy & Specialist Services Director commented.

“Being awarded  the DIF  funding will allow Booth Welsh to free up the resources required to develop & configure our Energy Monitoring platform and enable us to source & procure the hardware. Without the funding, this would not be possible.

Our system will facilitate a seamless transition for end users towards modern monitoring techniques providing rich, real-time, data sets, dashboarding and detailed analysis of energy usage by area. This enables maximum visibility and a cost breakdown of usage in real time and lets the client drive down usage, energy costs and emissions helping them achieve their Net Zero targets.”

With a firm belief in collaboration over competition, we open to sharing our experiences and best practices, inviting others to join us in the sustainable journey. To learn more about how we can support your business in achieving Net Zero, contact the team today.