Industrial workstation: framing the use of artificial intelligence in the business

Service · AI opportunity audit

Find where AI creates value in your plants.

We start from your processes, your data and the tools you already use. You leave with the priority use cases, the expected gain and a costed action plan. The regulatory framework is taken into account as a design constraint.

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Report and costed action plan We document data flows without extracting your data No certification or label issued
OverviewThe engagementAnalysisMethodDeliverableSectorsPricingFAQ

The AI audit from Assets 4.0 brings two services together in a single engagement. The AI opportunity audit maps where artificial intelligence creates value in your plants. It scores each use case by value and feasibility. It measures your AI maturity and delivers a costed 12-month roadmap.

The audit starts from your processes and the data already produced across CMMS, MES, LIMS and files. The constraints to respect, regulatory ones included, feed into the design of every use case. You leave with a costed action plan, in priority order.

Both audits address executives, CIOs, CISOs and quality leaders in food, pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing. The work starts from your existing usage. We document data flows without extracting your data. We are not a certification body and issue no label.

The engagement

An opportunity audit, rooted in your operations

We start from what already runs at your site: your processes, your data and your tools. The audit surfaces the use cases worth doing, then puts them in order.

AI opportunity audit

Find where AI creates value.

We locate the pockets of value, then prioritise a realistic roadmap.

Who it is for

  • Executives, operations directors, IT and quality leaders.
  • Moving from AI intentions to use cases that pay.

What we look at

  • Your processes and the data sitting across CMMS, MES, LIMS and files.
  • Your AI maturity.
  • The use cases with the strongest return.
  • The constraints to respect, regulatory ones included.

What you get

  • A map of use cases scored by value and feasibility.
  • An AI maturity score.
  • Three to five costed priority cases.
  • A twelve-month roadmap.

The European framework, ISO/IEC 42001 and the GDPR set obligations on AI systems. We take them into account when designing use cases. We do not deliver a compliance audit, a certification or a label.

The problem

AI entered the business faster than its rules

AI tools spread desk by desk, often without any formal decision. Visibility and rules rarely keep pace.

01 · Usage

Invisible usage

Assistants, extensions and online services install without approval. No one holds the full list.

02 · Data

Data leaving

Documents, customer data and trade secrets are copied into tools outside your perimeter.

03 · Framework

A tightening framework

The AI Act, GDPR and ISO/IEC 42001 set obligations. Usage moves faster than they do.

The question the audit settles: where do you really stand, and where do you begin?

What we cover

What we analyse

Four broad areas, from value potential through to compliance. The big picture at a glance, the detail one click away.

Strategy & market

Where AI genuinely serves your strategy and priorities.

  • Objectives
  • Challenges
  • Competition
  • Differentiation
  • Priorities
See the detail
  • Strategic context, objectives and challenges.
  • Market, competition and differentiation.
  • Opportunities identified, then uncovered during the audit.
  • Prioritisation by value and effort, roadmap.

Processes & performance

The industrial processes where AI saves time and adds reliability.

  • Production
  • Maintenance
  • Quality
  • Operations
  • Engineering
See the detail
  • Production, maintenance, quality, operations, engineering office, engineering.
  • Everyday friction and time lost.
  • Quick wins and structural projects.
  • Feasibility, prerequisites and implementation risks.

Systems & data

The state of your systems and data, the foundation of any AI project.

  • ERP / MES / CMMS / QMS
  • Documents
  • Data
  • Integrations
  • Digital maturity
See the detail
  • ERP, MES, CMMS, QMS and EDM.
  • Documents, available data and integrations.
  • Digital maturity and data quality.
  • Value and ROI where it can be calculated.

AI, risks & governance

Your AI usage against the regulations, security and governance.

  • AI usage
  • AI Act
  • GDPR
  • Security
  • Governance
See the detail
  • Real AI usage, shadow AI included.
  • AI Act: deployer or provider status, high-risk uses, transparency, AI literacy.
  • GDPR: purposes, minimisation, retention, transfers, DPIA.
  • Vendors: reversibility, hosting, dependencies.
  • Security: API keys, data exfiltration.
  • Generative AI risks: prompt injection, leaks.
  • AI agents and permissions.
  • Human oversight and supervision.
  • Reliability: testing, hallucinations.
  • Monitoring: traceability, versions, logging.
  • Incidents: continuity, degraded mode.
  • Training, maturity and ISO/IEC 42001 where relevant.
  • AI Act deadlines: 2 August 2026, then 2027 and 2028.

For each point, we distinguish the applicable obligation, the good practice, the risk and the gap. We then set out the available evidence, the missing evidence and the recommendation. Compliance comes down to more than a percentage.

The process

How it works

A short, framed engagement, run remotely. You know exactly what happens, and when.

1Prepare5 to 10 minA few details before the interview.
2Audit2 to 3 h · 3 to 4 h fullRemotely, by video call, with a single point of contact.
3AnalyseWe consolidate the answers, the data and the available material.
4DecideReport within 2 business daysThen we discuss the conclusions.

What you receive

An audit that leads to decisions

A clear view

The essential findings, without needless jargon.

Priorities

What deserves attention now, next, or not at all.

An action plan

Concrete, ranked recommendations.

A personalised report

Delivered within 2 business days.

ValueROI and economic potential per use case.
FeasibilityData available, effort and constraints to respect.

Results & ROI

What the audit changes for you

Visibility

You see what is running

AI usage becomes visible, shadow AI included.

Control

Risk becomes steerable

Exposed data and dependencies are qualified. You decide what stays and what gets framed.

Decision

A costed direction opens

A prioritised plan and profitable use cases show where to start, without a heavy internal effort.

Calculate the ROI

Estimate the time and risk avoided on your AI usage.

Sectors

Expertise in regulated environments

The work targets the sectors where traceability and data protection matter most. Three industries: food, pharmaceutical, medical.

Industrial food production facility

Food

  • Frame AI around your production data and quality standards.
  • Keep everyday tools controlled and traceable.
Vial filling line in a pharmaceutical environment

Pharmaceutical

  • Place your usage against sensitive data.
  • Measure the data-preparation effort they call for.
Technician in a cleanroom, controlled medical environment

Medical

  • Frame AI around health data and devices.
  • Clear rules state what can be processed, and by which tools.

These manufacturers often stack the AI Act with frameworks such as IFS, BRCGS or GMP.

Our difference

An audit rooted in your plants and lines

A useful AI audit starts from your lines, your data and your constraints. Here is how the Assets 4.0 approach compares.

 
Assets 4.0
Generalist audit
Starting point
Your real usage and data
A standard questionnaire
Scope
Your use cases, costed
A generic catalogue
Domain knowledge
Food, pharma, medical and their constraints
Limited sector context
Data
CMMS, MES, LIMS taken into account
Little link to industrial systems
Deliverable
Costed prioritised plan, owners
A gap report
What follows
Roadmap and optional support
Engagement ends at handover

Two angles together

You handle value and risk in one engagement.

A manufacturer’s language

We speak production, quality and maintenance.

Your data stays with you

We document the flows without extracting them from your perimeter.

Estimate

What will your audit cost?

An industrial audit has a size. Answer seven questions and you get the workload in days and the matching amount, with what is included at that level.

How many sites are involved?Every site adds interviews, data and a debrief.
What scope?One line reads quickly. Several trades mean crossing different logics.
How many people to interview?Production, quality, maintenance, methods, IT, management.
Will your data be usable during the audit?This is the decisive factor. Without data the audit yields an opinion, with it a costed case.
Remote or on site?A visit adds field observation, which an interview does not replace.
Which sector constraints?They weigh on the documentation expected and on the vocabulary.
Which deliverable do you expect?From a prioritised map to the brief for the first building block.

Your estimate

Answer the seven questions to reveal the workload and the amount.

 excl. tax

    What would move this estimate

      Request the quote

      Indicative estimate, built from a one-day base plus the days each factor adds. The firm price is the one on the signed quote.

      Frequently asked

      What executives and CIOs ask us

      Does this audit cover regulatory compliance?

      No. This is an opportunity audit: it finds where AI creates value and puts the use cases in order. The European framework, ISO/IEC 42001 and the GDPR are taken into account as design constraints. We do not deliver a compliance audit, a certification or a label, which is the remit of an accredited body.

      Is my company covered by the AI Act?

      The AI Act applies to organisations that develop or use AI systems in the European Union, with obligations by risk level. Most companies are covered, at least as users. The audit establishes which of your usages fall under the text.

      Which AI Act deadlines should we prepare now?

      Prohibited practices and the AI literacy obligation have applied since 2 February 2025. Transparency obligations and enforcement powers become effective on 2 August 2026. High-risk systems follow in 2027 and 2028. The audit places your usage on this timeline.

      What is ISO/IEC 42001 and should we get certified?

      It is the first international AI management standard, published in December 2023, based on the PDCA cycle. Certification is not mandatory. The audit uses its structure to place your practices and, if you wish, prepare certification by an accredited body.

      How do we know if our usage is high risk?

      The AI Act classifies certain uses as high risk, for example in recruitment or safety, with reinforced obligations. The audit identifies whether any of your usages fall into this category.

      What is shadow AI and why map it?

      Shadow AI is the use of AI tools without approval or visibility: assistants, extensions, free online services. That is often where data leaks concentrate. The audit inventories it to bring it back into a framework.

      How do AI and the GDPR fit together in industry?

      As soon as an AI tool processes personal data, the GDPR applies: legal basis, minimisation, informing people, impact assessment. The audit spots where your usage touches this data.

      How long does an AI audit take?

      Allow 2 to 3 h remotely, by video call, with a single point of contact. Allow 3 to 4 h for the full audit. The report reaches you within 2 business days.

      How do we prioritise AI use cases when everything feels urgent?

      We score each case by value and feasibility, then keep 3 to 5 costed priorities. Prioritisation rests on expected return and estimated effort, not on hype.

      How do we estimate the return of an industrial AI project?

      We estimate time saved, risk reduced and business value for each priority case. The report costs the effort and the expected return, so you can decide with clarity.

      What does the action plan delivered at the end contain?

      It shows where to start, the estimated effort, the order of work, the owners and the deadlines. It covers the priorities, the owners and the deadlines.

      What are the penalties for AI Act non-compliance?

      The regulation provides graduated financial penalties by severity, effective from 2 August 2026. The audit helps you reduce this exposure ahead of the deadlines.

      Is the audit also for industrial SMEs?

      Yes. The scope adapts to the size of the organisation. An SME can handle a first targeted scope, remotely and without a heavy internal effort.

      Do you issue a certification or a label?

      No. We are not a certification body. The audit produces a report and an action plan. ISO/IEC 42001 certification is delivered by an accredited body; our work can prepare it.

      Does our data stay confidential during the audit?

      Yes. The work starts from your existing usage and your data stays with you. We document the flows without extracting them from your perimeter.

      Let us take stock of your AI usage.

      Let us start from your real usage. Together we set the scope, the opportunities to seize and the first action plan, with no commitment.

      Request an audit