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Where once order forms went missing and employees walked hundreds of metres through a factory for paperwork, tablets and smart AI systems now appear on the shop floor thanks to Brightlands AI Powerhouse in Heerlen. Here, it is not about futuristic talk, but practical applications that give SMEs immediate time and efficiency.
Manager Yanick Dols (36) of Powerhouse talks enthusiastically about the projects his team is working on. The technical business expert's eyes start shining as soon as the conversation turns towards factories, production halls and concrete problems. "There's nothing I enjoy more than walking into a factory, seeing bottlenecks and thinking together how things can be done smarter," he says. Originally, Dols is a passionate entrepreneur himself. "To be honest, this is the first salaried job in my life," he says. "Previously, I was doing blockchain as an entrepreneur in Ukraine, but the war made me return to the region where I was born. Fortunately, in this job I can also be very entrepreneurial, for me it is all about impact."
Every efficiency counts
SMEs are in great need of support, according to Dols. "Seventy per cent of employment in Limburg is in SMEs. It is the engine of the regional economy, but many companies are struggling. Entrepreneurs face more and more challenges: grid congestion, rising energy prices, higher material prices, an ageing population and staff shortages. Then every efficiency measure counts." According to Dols, Limburg is still somewhat behind the Randstad in terms of digital. "We are by nature a bit more cautious here. Moreover, SMEs simply do not have the same budgets as large multinationals." This is precisely why the Powerhouse tries to develop solutions that can be used for entire sectors. "Many entrepreneurs run into the same problems. You don't have to keep reinventing the wheel."
One of the clearest examples is currently in the metal sector. There, during company visits, the team still regularly saw physical planning boards, loose order forms and messy Excel sheets. Employees sometimes walked hundreds of metres through a factory to pick up a voucher. "And if such a voucher got lost, basically the whole order was gone," he says. Together with metal companies, the Powerhouse therefore developed a digital tool that allows employees to retrieve orders from the cloud anywhere via tablet or smartphone. Customers can also watch progress in real time. Paper largely disappears from the shop floor. "That quickly saves production workers a few hours a week," says Dols. "And you see that it really makes people happier."
Voice agent
He tells of a work planner who was initially sceptical. "Once he saw the system working, his eyes started twinkling. He suddenly saw that he spent less time on administration and could instead focus more on the human side of the work." Companies such as Giessen BV and Zandstra Metaalbewerking BV are already working with the technology. The Powerhouse is also working on AI systems that automatically generate leads and a voice agent that independently processes basic queries and orders. "That works like a charm. An entrepreneur can be effectively online within ten minutes with this." According to him, Limburg's strength lies precisely in cooperation. "That cooperation runs deep in Limburg; you can also see it in the club life. Technology is only interesting if entrepreneurs actually use it. If something is left on the shelf, I am dissatisfied."
Source: Enterprise in Limburg