An AI software innovator is accelerating the digital transformation of multiple industries thanks to the support of Lancaster University and the Centre for Digital Innovation (CDI).

Reliable Insights provides AI-driven solutions to deliver forecasts, process condition monitoring and actionable insights to clients across a range of sectors including utilities, environmental and manufacturing.

Since co-locating to offices in Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) - one of the world's largest centres for environment-focussed research, based at Lancaster University - the business has accelerated its software and hardware innovation, and recruited new talent.

Rebecca Robinson, Programme Lead for the Centre for Digital Innovation (CDI), part of Cyber Works at Lancaster University, said: “This is a great example of how Lancaster University can support a business from start-up to scale up, creating a link between academic knowledge and the practical application into industry, accelerating their growth and impact, while having a positive impact on the world.

“Our mission is to empower businesses to embrace digital and cyber innovation, driving tangible improvements in products, processes, and services through innovative business strategies.”

The Inspiration

Reliable Insights was co-founded in 2019 by Mike Thomas who, after a globetrotting career working for engineering and technology multinationals, saw the opportunity to make data analytics more accessible and scalable to deliver every-day business value. The company now counts major multinational organisations as their clients as well as supporting smaller organisations with cost effective AI driven solutions.

Previously located at Sci-Tech Daresbury in Cheshire, where the company successfully worked with Keele University and the University of Liverpool’s Virtual Engineering Centre, Mike recognised the value of collaborating with academic institutions. With Lancaster University delivering world-quality research, with 91% of research independently rated as 'internationally excellent' or 'world leading' (REF 2021), Reliable Insights and Lancaster University have developed a mutually beneficial relationship focussed on knowledge and skills transfer. This collaboration led to the company relocating to the university campus in 2023.

Mike explained: “We wanted to locate ourselves in a place where we could build the core of our business within the walls of a broader knowledge base, recruit the next generation of talented maths and data science graduates, while also accessing world-class researchers and domain expertise in areas such as environmental sciences, engineering and cyber security. Co-locating at Lancaster University delivers on all of these points and has enabled us to build a strong knowledge base for our business.”

The Innovation

Reliable Insights embarked on its first collaboration with Lancaster University in 2022 to develop a secure architecture for their new data acquisition and handling platform. The business was invited to access the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project Lancashire Cyber Foundry. This business support programme worked with SMEs to help with digital innovation and encourage secure by design practices. It funded a student intern, Sowrab Chowdhury, for 140 hours to design the architecture for a data acquisition, storage and handling platform that was “secure by design” from the outset.

The resulting product is now used across a wide range of end users including advanced materials, precision casting, the glass industry and tableware manufacturers enabling the collection of data from a wide range of sources across the production process and enabling Reliable Insights to deliver the valuable actionable insights that their AI-driven data analytics can provide.

Following the company’s move to the Lancaster campus, it approached the university’s School of Engineering to collaborate on a student project to research and trial the potential for Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies to support the company’s data collection offering. The recommendations from this project resulted in the company purchasing AM equipment for their business and, in-turn this led to a student intern project to further develop the use of the AM technology.

Funded by InnovateUK’s Innovation Accelerator programme, the Centre for Digital Innovation (CDI) - a collective of universities, further education and industry partners making digital technology expertise and facilities available to businesses in the North West - the project involved a partnership between Reliable Insights, undergraduate mechatronics student Aleksandra Cichocka and Lancaster University’s School of Engineering.

The three-month project used AM to design and develop a first of type hardware solution to mount infrared cameras above a conveyor on a production line. The data captured by the cameras would be used to identify faulty products earlier in the production process at a stage where they are not visible to the human eye, with the aim of reducing waste and improving energy efficiency.

The university has also supported Reliable Insights with cyber security, a critical priority for the sustained success of the business. Cyber Resilience workshops delivered by the InnovateUK funded CDI project, provided access to external expertise that may otherwise have been inaccessible. The interactive day-long tutorial armed Mike with cutting edge insights into the latest cyber threats with real-world examples and helped him develop a bespoke cyber security action plan and an Incident Response Plan for his business.

Mike said: “When data is at the core of your business, security is paramount, and this has always been reflected in our technological design and business processes. But, as for any business, it's also important to consider the softer side of the business such as human behaviour and communications, which are less controllable than the technology and must be worked at every day, the workshop provided a lot of practical takeaways that I have implemented, both personally and with the team, to ensure we are vigilant to the ongoing threats.”

The Impact

The first camera unit that Aleksandra designed is now on the end user’s site and will be tested with a view of scaling up across all production lines. In addition to this Reliable Insights now use AM across their product offering, building rapid prototypes and delivering bespoke solutions with a low lead time.

The adoption of the predictive analytics solutions provided by Reliable Insights has huge potential to minimise process variability, maximise resource utilisation and identify best practice, systematically reducing waste and energy consumption, and boosting cost competitiveness in the UK.

Mike explained: “We are delighted with the outcomes of this programme; the adoption of Additive Manufacturing technology means we can be more flexible and responsive to customer needs and our collaboration with Lancaster University connects us with the next generation of talent.

“Our broader vision is to support our users in developing time-series data driven solutions for themselves. This is a complex area and every client is different, but no one knows our client’s businesses better than they do themselves. Therefore, we have adopted an agile and cost-effective platform on which they can better understand their processes and make improvements.

“Working with Lancaster University gives us access to the latest tools and techniques, and has opened up some alternative approaches which have worked really well. What we have collectively created is bespoke and didn’t exist until our partnership. That is a powerful impact on our business which stems from our deliberate decision to move to Lancaster.”

Since moving to Lancaster, Reliable Insights have grown their team with two of its current team of six graduating from the university, turnover has increased four-fold and there are a number of areas where the company is collaborating on academic research with the university.

The company has also been able to prolong the projects by offering students paid work to continue their R&D, boosting their CVs and giving them valuable understanding of business and how R&D happens outside an academic setting.

From the university’s perspective, the partnership has supported academic learning for a practical application within industry.

Samuel Walsh, Project Engineer for the Engineering department, said: “Aleksandra gained valuable experience in designing bespoke components using computer-aided design (CAD) software, allowing her to create functional components tailored to specific requirements. She also developed a strong understanding of the intricacies of designing for additive manufacturing, optimising components for efficient fabrication while considering material constraints and production feasibility. This experience provided Aleksandra with a well-rounded skill set in both innovative design and practical application.

“The School of Engineering has for many years valued the inclusion of industry linked collaborations as part of, or alongside its academic teaching. This project played a key role in strengthening the relationship between students in the school and external industry partners, fostering collaboration and providing real-world insights that enhanced both academic and professional development.”

Aleksandra said the experience helped her grow professionally and technically as an engineer.

“I gained greater confidence in my abilities and have been able to apply the skills I acquired to my university studies and further endeavours, such as running the Engineering Society in the university. I also deepened my knowledge of AM, which has inspired me to pursue new projects in the field. Overall, it was a delight to see the project come to fruition and create an impact.”

The future

Reliable Insights continues to pursue new partnerships with Lancaster University. Its latest projects include research areas such as air quality predictions, rogue ocean waves and cyber security.

Mike said: “We have been made very welcome on campus and are now embedded in the university eco-system. There is a solid partnership, and we have a wide range of exciting opportunities and ideas of how we can work together in the future to deliver innovative products and services to support our customer’s needs.”

Find out more about the project

This fully funded programme is open to businesses across the North West, regardless of size or industry. Whether you’re just starting your digital journey or looking to scale your existing innovations, CDI can help you achieve your goals through a range of workshops and events.

Find out more and contact us on cyberworks@lancaster.ac.uk.

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