1284 has helped Digital Planning, an AI and automation company based at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park, produce a new research-led guide for the UK’s manufacturing sector.

The 16 page guide, Bridging the Digital Delivery Gap in Manufacturing, is built on original interviews with leaders from more than 80 UK organisations. 

It is aimed at manufacturing businesses under pressure on margins, lead times and customer promises who need practical evidence on where and how to start with AI.

The guide is hosted behind a professional email capture page connected directly to Digital Planning's CRM, helping the business build a qualified community of manufacturing leaders committed to digital improvement. It launched at a regional manufacturing conference and is being amplified across social, digital channels and press.

A well-executed white paper builds credibility with the media, gives sales teams something genuinely useful to share, and turns expertise into a lead-generation tool that compounds over time.

1284 Managing Director George Oliver said: "White papers and research guides are one of the most effective tools a business can use to build authority and generate genuine leads. 

“This guide gives Digital Planning a credible, evidence-based asset that works hard across multiple channels.”

The guide addresses a problem that the sector's own numbers make hard to ignore - only 8% of UK manufacturers have successfully introduced AI, while output remains 22% less productive than Germany. 

It then mitigates that problem directly, setting out a five-step, 90-day playbook for manufacturers who need to act but cannot absorb the risk of a large transformation programme.

It's practical, evidence-based and designed to be read in under 10 minutes.

The project is an example of how 1284 works with technology and professional services businesses to turn expertise into structured, commercially useful content.