Case study · Manufacturing and fitout

Seven opportunities found. The first build needs no AI.

A company-wide AI discovery that found seven opportunities, and chose a first build with no AI in it.

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Client
A retail fit-out manufacturer
Sector
Retail fitout and manufacturing, since 1947
Size
about 160 people
Engagement
AI discovery audit

01

The situation.

The company has been fitting out retail spaces since 1947. From its manufacturing facility in West Dublin, it designs, builds and installs everything from bespoke timber units to full turnkey commercial interiors, for clients including Screwfix, Three, Spar, Lifestyle Sports, Applegreen and Bewley’s.

The company grew into a 160-person operation, with four business units, three offices (Dublin, Doncaster and Ballymena) and an in-house manufacturing facility. Growth had outpaced its systems:

  • 1,500 invoices a month processed by hand, with the same data keyed in two or three times
  • production starting without full specifications
  • no forward view of capacity
  • Sage 200 for finance, SharePoint for documents, Softworks for workforce management and Excel for everything in between, with no view across them

02

What we built.

A structured AI discovery across every department, not a system. Every process step was tagged by type, and each pain point was mapped to the solution that would create the most value with the least disruption.

BraindOSBlueprintYour AI BlueprintReady

Your AI Blueprint

5 steps · a person approves

  1. 01Source

    How the work really happens: a leadership session, a company-wide workshop and nine department deep-dives, across Sage 200, SharePoint, Softworks and Excel.

  2. 02Agent

    Every process step is tagged as one of three types. Deterministic: rule-based, no AI needed. Judgement: needs context and a decision, where AI adds the most. Relational: needs trust, so AI frees time for it rather than replacing it.

  3. 03Check

    Seven solutions are mapped, prioritised and costed.

  4. 04Check

    The operations lead challenges the cost-saving projections.

  5. 05Person

    Leadership agrees the first build: the Sage to SharePoint integration.

    Leadership

The seven solutions

  1. 01Onboarding visibility systemHigh priority
  2. 02Document generation suite (quotes, CAM sheets, contracts, picking lists)High priority
  3. 03Sage to SharePoint integration (no AI required)First build
  4. 04AI information capture (voice to text for site reports, timesheets and project updates)Medium
  5. 05Materials intelligence systemMedium
  6. 06AI estimation from historical project dataMedium
  7. 07Executive command centreLater phase
Every action loggedA retail fit-out manufacturer

03

How the discovery ran.

  • A leadership session: a deep conversation about how the business actually operates, where data flows and where it gets stuck.
  • A company-wide workshop on 3 October 2025: 17 people, 121 minutes, every department head in one room. The operations lead opened with a real example of project delays caused by incomplete specifications.
  • Nine department deep-dives, 13 to 30 October 2025: HR, production, installation, sales, fitout, UK operations and finance, plus two synthesis sessions. The operations lead attended every one.
  • The audit presentation on 26 November 2025: seven solutions with timelines. The team agreed to start with the quick wins.

Why the first build has no AI: the Sage to SharePoint integration is a clean connection between systems. It removes the single biggest source of wasted time, which is typing the same data in again. It builds trust, shows a result fast, and lays the data foundation for everything after it.

04

The results.

  • 7AI solutions with clear ROI projections
  • 1,500/momanual invoices targeted for automation
  • 17people in the company-wide workshop, over 121 minutes
  • 9department deep-dives
  • 22conversations with the people who do the work

No technology purchased. No workflows disrupted.

SourceCase study, value.braind.io. AI discovery completed November 2025.

05

What happened next.

  • An Enterprise Ireland grant: the co-funding application has been submitted. The detailed audit made it straightforward.
  • Security checked: a third-party cybersecurity firm reviewed the integration architecture.
  • The build phase confirmed: SharePoint, Sage 200, Softworks and Sage CRM integrations, with 50 validated historical projects loaded. The build is estimated at 10 to 12 weeks.

When the person most likely to say ‘that won’t work’ is the one pushing for the build to start, the discovery did its job.

06

Tools and systems.

  • Sage 200
  • SharePoint
  • Softworks
  • Excel
  • Sage CRM

Keep reading.

Bring your last tender pack or your retention list. We will show you where AI would pay first.

Start with a conversation.

A free 45-minute strategy call with a founder. No pitch deck. You leave knowing where AI would pay in your business, whether or not you work with us.

On the call

  1. 01Where AI would pay in your business.
  2. 02What your first system could be.
  3. 03What your AI Blueprint would cover.

Before you book

What does it cost?

Every engagement starts with the AI Blueprint, priced up front. The first system is a fixed fee, set from what the Blueprint finds. Nothing is quoted cold.

Where does our data go?

Nowhere new. It runs in secure environments, on your cloud or your own servers. Every action is logged, and nothing trains anyone else's model.

How much of our team's time does it take?

Most at the start, while we learn how the work really happens. After that, a short weekly session with the people using it.

Who owns what you build?

You do. The systems, the data, the prompts and the documentation.

Pick a time that suits you.

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Prefer email? Write to hello@braind.io.