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How Blocks helps advanced manufacturers run cleaner production systems

Chris Barry, Founder & CEO 10 February 2025 8 min read

What is Blocks?

Blocks is Make More Digital's platform for building intelligent business applications. It is modular, composable technology that lets organisations configure workflows, AI agents and data pipelines without the usual development overhead.

Instead of months of custom development, Blocks lets you assemble pre-built components tailored to your industry. It is enterprise software that adapts to how you work, not the other way around.

Explore Blocks for Advanced Manufacturing

The UK's advanced-manufacturing opportunity

Advanced manufacturing sits at the centre of the UK Government's 2025 Modern Industrial Strategy. As one of the eight priority sectors, it matters for growth, exports and national capability.

The problem is familiar. Many manufacturers still run on legacy systems that cannot keep pace with modern demands. They need real-time quality control, predictive maintenance and better production scheduling. Building all of that from scratch can take years.

Blocks: manufacturing systems, configured not coded

Blocks is our platform for building business applications without the usual development overhead. For advanced manufacturers, this means:

1. Production pipeline as configuration

Instead of custom-coding every workflow, manufacturers can visually configure how products move through their facilities. From raw materials to finished goods, every step is tracked, optimised and documented.

  • Visual production line builder - Design workflows without writing code
  • Automated quality checkpoints - AI-assisted defect detection at every stage
  • Real-time inventory tracking - Know where materials and finished goods are
  • Complete traceability - Meet compliance requirements automatically

2. AI-assisted quality control

AI agents can analyse production data in real time, identifying defects before they become costly problems. Describe what you want to monitor and Blocks builds the dashboards and alerts.

3. Predictive Maintenance

Equipment failures are expensive. Blocks integrates with IoT sensors and SCADA systems to predict maintenance needs before breakdowns occur, reducing downtime and extending equipment life.

Results for UK manufacturers

One aerospace manufacturer using Blocks saw:

  • 35% improvement in production efficiency
  • 60% reduction in quality escapes
  • 40% decrease in unplanned downtime

Why this matters for the IS-8 strategy

The Government's focus on advanced manufacturing is not just about preserving existing jobs. It is about creating new, high-value work. Blocks helps manufacturers:

  • Compete globally with efficient operations
  • Attract investment by demonstrating modern capabilities
  • Develop skills as teams work with AI-assisted tools
  • Grow without proportional increases in complexity

Getting started

If you are in advanced manufacturing and want to see how Blocks would fit your operation, we can show you the shape of a first build.

Schedule a demo to see Blocks in action for manufacturing.

Explore Blocks for Advanced Manufacturing

Build manufacturing systems with AI-assisted automation. Optimise production, maintain quality and compete more effectively.

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