At AERZEN, Tom identified six potential topics to explore in his role as a Data Buddy. Together with the company, which manufactures industrial blowers and compressors for factories around the world, he selected three promising projects. In just 45 hours, he helped bring focus to the company’s AI ambitions.
A closer look at inventory management
Tom first examined inventory management and its connection to invoicing. “AERZEN already had this well organized, but I wanted to see whether we could make it even more efficient,” Tom explains. “By mapping out the entire process, we discovered smart optimizations that benefit multiple departments. What was interesting is that we could have achieved these quick wins even without AI. Sometimes a fresh outside perspective can deliver immediate results.”
“AERZEN produces industrial blowers that are critical to production processes,” Tom says. “With predictive maintenance, you can forecast maintenance needs based on sensor data. The company has a wealth of information: technician reports, records of part replacements, and a complete service history. We identified opportunities to make even smarter use of this valuable data.”
Tom’s analysis: “AI algorithms can automatically recognize patterns in the extensive dataset. This makes it possible to optimize maintenance scheduling and identify potential problems even earlier. The value is clear: excellent customer service and the opportunity to offer proactive maintenance contracts.”
Smarter office work
The third area Tom explored was the use of AI support for office tasks. AERZEN uses Microsoft Business Central, which integrates seamlessly with its Office environment. “The move to Microsoft Copilot is a logical step,” says Tom. “It works within tools they already use, such as Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Copilot can immediately help with recurring daily tasks: responding to emails, drafting quotations, and summarizing documents.”
Bringing clarity to AI ambitions
In a short period of time, Tom had to learn many new concepts to master AERZEN’s technical terminology. At the same time, he brought new knowledge to the company. “I noticed that many employees still had limited understanding of AI. Some already use ChatGPT, but AI is not yet being applied much within business processes.”
Tom’s most important contribution was helping to bring focus and calm to the company’s AI ambitions: “Businesses are overwhelmed by possibilities. My task was to show where AERZEN could realistically begin. Otherwise, you risk ending up with isolated experiments that never move beyond the trial stage.”
Valuable insights
In his final presentation, Tom provided the company with a clear roadmap for the future. AERZEN has already expressed interest in launching a follow-up project.
Advice for other SMEs
Tom also has clear advice for other small and medium-sized businesses: start with a masterclass from MKB Datalab-Oost to discover what AI can mean for your organization. Then have a student investigate where AI can be used to make repetitive processes smarter and more efficient. “There’s an incredible amount you can do with AI,” Tom concludes. “But you need to know where to start.”
Hans Karreman (Director of Operations at AERZEN) about the collaboration with Tom:
“The collaboration with Radboud University was open and transparent from the very beginning. Their enthusiasm for helping AERZEN Netherlands navigate the world of AI was contagious. Data Buddy Tom provided us with valuable insights that we can immediately build upon. We look forward to the next phase, in which we will apply AI to a specific business challenge in a focused way.”
Wat is MKB Datalab-Oost?
What is MKB Datalab-Oost? MKB Datalab-Oost helps entrepreneurs become familiar with AI and data-driven business in an accessible way. It offers inspiration sessions, masterclasses, and small-scale AI projects that are developed in close consultation with regional businesses at an attractive cost. Through its Data Buddy program, MKB Datalab-Oost also provides students who assess opportunities within companies to start AI-related projects. The initiative is a collaboration between Radboud University and the University of Twente, inviting entrepreneurs in the eastern Netherlands to learn more about AI and the opportunities it can offer. Projects are carried out by AI and Data Science students from Radboud University, who are supported by academic staff and lecturers.
