Why should eliminating waste stop at the factory floor?
We help manufacturers remove waste from the processes, systems and data around production, reducing manual work and giving teams better visibility to make decisions.
One process. 30 minutes. Is it worth fixing?
The systems exist. The friction is often between them.
of European manufacturing leaders lack full real-time production visibility
Fragmented systems and spreadsheets make operations harder to see clearly.
Zebra Technologies, Manufacturing Vision Study, 2024say legacy systems and processes hold transformation back
Sometimes the problem is how existing systems connect and work together.
Make UK & PwC UK, Executive Survey 2026plan to invest in technology and automation to cut costs
The right investment starts with the operational problem.
Make UK & BDO, Manufacturing Outlook Q3 2025Work still gets done, but too much time and capacity disappear into manual processing, weak handoffs, unclear reporting and knowledge spread across people, documents and systems.
MANUAL PROCESSING
Skilled people are losing hours to manual processing
People copy updates, re-enter data, format documents and move information between systems by hand.
Signs this applies
- The same data is re-entered across systems
- Updates are copied and formatted by hand
- Skilled staff lose hours to low-value admin
The cost
High-value people are stuck doing low-value work
Every hour spent copying, checking and re-keying is an hour not spent on clients, delivery or decisions.
The outcome
Reduce repetitive processing and give your team more time for work that moves the business forward.
Find the waste before you add another system.
Start here
One process. 30 minutes. Is it worth fixing?
Bring us one process you already suspect is more manual, fragmented or time-consuming than it should be.
We'll help establish whether there's enough value there to justify looking at it properly.
- One process
- 30 minutes
- No technical knowledge required
- Free, with no obligation
If there's a meaningful opportunity, the next step is a Workflow Diagnostic.
Where operational waste shows up.
Across manufacturing, operational waste often appears where work and information move between people, processes and systems.
Sales & Order Processing
Customer requirements, quotes, orders, order entry and handoff into planning.
Production & Planning
Work orders, production schedules, capacity, priorities, job status and information moving between planning and the shop floor.
Materials & Purchasing
Material availability, shortages, purchasing workflows, supplier information, BOM-related information and manual chasing.
Quality & Compliance
Quality records, documentation, approvals, traceability, audit information and associated reporting.
Delivery & Customer Service
Dispatch, job completion, customer updates, delivery information, exceptions and post-production handoffs.
Steerframe improves these areas through process optimisation, digital automation and business intelligence. Explore our capabilities →
See how the work actually happens before choosing the solution.
We combine interviews, documents, systems and frontline insight to map how the workflow operates today.
You leave with the bottlenecks, risks and strongest improvement opportunity clearly set out.
Your findings, evidence and next steps in one place
Business Brain
Connects workflows, people, tools, pain points and recommended actions in one view.
Operational workflows we improve.
Manual work, weak handoffs and disconnected systems create unnecessary admin, delays and rework. Here are some of the workflows Steerframe can improve.
Production & Planning
Order to work order
exampleReceives a new order or request by email, portal or form, checks it against the customer record and job rules, and creates a clean job record with a schedule — chasing anything missing before work starts.
Order to work order
Production & Planning
Receives a new order or request by email, portal or form, checks it against the customer record and job rules, and creates a clean job record with a schedule — chasing anything missing before work starts.
Examples only. The Diagnostic identifies the right workflow and solution for your business.
How we improve the workflow.
We work around existing systems wherever possible. Where there is a genuine gap, we can build the software, interface or operational layer needed to complete the workflow.
01
Process Optimisation
Simplify workflows, remove unnecessary steps, reduce manual processing and improve how work moves between teams and systems.
- Workflow redesign
- Handoffs & controls
- Manual work reduction
- Standardisation
02
Digital Automation
Connect systems, automate repetitive workflows and build focused digital tools where existing systems leave a genuine operational gap.
- ERP / MRP integration
- Workflow automation
- APIs & system integration
- AI-enabled workflows
03
Business Intelligence
Bring together operational data from existing systems and turn it into clearer reporting, dashboards and management information for better decisions.
- Operational dashboards
- KPI reporting
- Data integration
- Management information
The process and business case determine what gets changed, connected, automated or built.
Steerframe brings together experience across manufacturing operations, process optimisation, software, data and automation. Change, adoption and specialist expertise are brought into delivery where needed.
Built around the systems you already use
ERP, MRP, Microsoft 365, Excel, Power BI, databases, CRM and workflow platforms. Steerframe works around the systems already running your operation. Integration options are assessed during the Diagnostic.
- Sage
- SAP Business One
- Epicor Kinetic
- Microsoft 365
- Excel
- Power BI
- HubSpot
- Power Automate
- Zapier
- Airtable
Integration options depend on your existing system, version and available access.
Start with the problem. Invest when the value is clear.
Technology follows the problem. We start small, investigate properly where the opportunity justifies it, then implement the simplest practical intervention.
Four stages, from first review to ongoing improvement.
Free Operational Waste Review
Establish whether one problem is worth investigating properly.
Bring us one process you already suspect is more manual, fragmented or time-consuming than it should be. We help establish whether there is enough value there to justify looking at it properly.
- Free
- One process
- 30 minutes
- No technical knowledge required
- No obligation
What to bring
One process you already suspect is more manual, fragmented or time-consuming than it should be. No technical knowledge required, and no obligation to take it further.
- Free
- One process
- 30 minutes
- No technical knowledge required
- No obligation
FAQ
Straight answers before you commit to anything.
Honest answers to what owners and operators actually ask.
How we engage with manufacturers
Steerframe works with manufacturing groups, industry networks, research organisations and transformation programmes to stay close to the problems manufacturers are dealing with.
We take part in workshops, problem-led sessions and industry events. Where an issue is worth pursuing, it can move into a Waste Review, Diagnostic or direct delivery.
Where another route makes more sense, we can help connect the right funding, research or specialist expertise.
Industry engagement
Workshops, events and problem-led sessions around real manufacturing challenges.
Research & academia
Research and academic expertise brought in where it can add value.
Funding & transformation programmes
Relevant funded or supported routes where they make more sense than direct commercial delivery.
Specialist expertise
Additional technical or sector capability brought in where needed.
Start here
Ready to find the first process worth fixing?
A clear picture of what is slowing the business down, before deciding what should change.