Guides
Straight answers to the questions we hear most, about putting AI to work in a small business, designing jigs, fixtures and error-proofing for production, and using AI to speed up lean and continuous improvement. Want numbers for your own line? Try the free calculators.
AI & Automation
- AI receptionist for small business: what it does, what it costs, when it paysWhat an AI receptionist can and can't do for a small business, typical monthly costs, how to set one up without losing the personal touch, and how to tell if it pays off.
- How to automate lead follow-up with AI (without sounding like a robot)A step-by-step way to automate lead follow-up for a small business with AI: instant replies, qualification, reminders and hand-off, using the tools you already have.
- How to automate quotes and invoices with AITurn job notes, emails or a quick voice memo into accurate quotes and invoices with AI, with your prices and your approval, and get paid faster.
Strategy & Consulting
- How much does an AI readiness audit cost, and what should you get?What an AI readiness audit for a small or mid-sized business typically costs, what the deliverable should include, and how to tell a useful audit from a sales pitch.
- How to hire an AI consultant for a small businessHow to find and vet an AI consultant for a small business: what they should do, typical engagement types, the questions to ask, and warning signs to avoid.
Prototyping & Custom Design
- Custom poka-yoke fixture design: a practical guideHow custom poka-yoke (error-proofing) fixtures are designed, from defect analysis to prototype and validation, with examples, materials and what to have ready.
- Custom test fixture design and build: what to expectHow custom test fixtures are designed and built for electronics and mechanical parts: the process, what drives cost and lead time, and how to get a fixture that lasts.
AI for Lean & Continuous Improvement
- AI for lean manufacturing: 8 practical uses that actually cut wasteWhere AI genuinely helps lean manufacturing and continuous improvement: downtime coding, defect detection, standard work, kaizen follow-through and more, mapped to the 8 wastes.
- Digital poka-yoke: error-proofing with sensors, vision and AIWhen physical error-proofing isn't enough: digital poka-yoke with sensors, barcode checks, pick-to-light, torque interlocks and AI vision, and how to choose the simplest one that works.
- AI for root cause analysis: faster 5 Whys, fishbone and 8D, without fooling yourselfHow to use AI to speed up root cause analysis (5 Whys, fishbone, 8D, A3) by searching past failures and drafting reports, while keeping the thinking and verification on the shop floor.
- Turn tribal knowledge into standard work instructions with AICapture what your best operators know and turn it into clear standard work and visual work instructions with AI: record, draft, verify on the floor, translate and keep them current.