Work in progress | Wim about digitalisation for SMEs

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Written by Brainport Eindhoven
EntrepreneurshipDataAI (artificial intelligence)

The Brainport region is developing at lightning speed. This brings opportunities, but also challenges. At Brainport Development, we work every day to advance our region, both economically and socially. We do this by connecting stakeholders, sharing knowledge, and maintaining close ties with The Hague and Brussels. In this column, employees share how they contribute to this mission. In this edition: Wim Renders, digitalisation advisor at Brainport Development.

'I’ve been working at Brainport Development since 2005. From experience, I can tell you: it's not about the technology itself, but about what it delivers. It's about working smarter, making things easier, and reducing hassle. Today, data and AI are the magic words. It’s about gaining better insight into your processes and handling your data in a smart way. Especially in SMEs, there’s still a lot to be gained. Many companies don’t have the luxury of an in-house IT department—so who helps you get started? That’s where our platform KlikopMorgen.nl comes in.

KlikopMorgen.nl is specifically for entrepreneurs in the region who want to digitalise but don’t quite know where to start. The platform offers tips, tools, and self-assessments. You can also get in touch with advisors like me. Every entrepreneur has different needs. One may want to go from paper to digital, another wants to learn how to use dashboards. A great example is Vencomatic Group, a company that manufactures machines for the poultry sector. They use data to precisely identify downtime on the conveyor belt where eggs are received. By visualising this data, they discovered patterns. Sometimes the line stopped due to a technical issue, and sometimes it was something as basic as a draft. By using IT smartly, they could pinpoint where the process could be optimised. Insights like that are incredibly valuable. But that requires being able to trust your data. That means your input must be correct and complete—in short, your data hygiene must be in order. Then you need to know how to read and use that information.

That’s where I help companies. I do that through KlikopMorgen.nl, but also via the broader program ‘Brainport voor MKB’. We literally visit entrepreneurs to observe how their processes run. We also take a walk through the company. Often, you quickly see where opportunities lie. Many entrepreneurs, for example, want to ‘do something with AI’, while the basic data is missing. Or they are digitalising, but without a plan. Then you're working on isolated parts without seeing the bigger picture. That’s why I always say: start with your process. What do you want to measure, what do you need to know? And what can you do with that information?

The most rewarding part of my job is when entrepreneurs start to see the value for themselves. When they say things like, ‘Since I have this dashboard, I sleep better.’ I loved that because it shows that digitalisation can also bring peace of mind. Another even called his dashboards ‘peace of mind as a service’. Beautiful, right? Insights like that really make a difference. And it’s contagious. Employees become enthusiastic when they realise digitalisation isn’t a threat to their job, but something that can make daily work easier or more enjoyable.

For me, it’s especially important that entrepreneurs feel solutions are within reach. And that the first step toward them is often easier than they think. If I can convey that, I’m satisfied.'