Fundamentals of AI in Manufacturing (FAIM)

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Understand where AI can make a difference in manufacturing

Fundamentals of AI in Manufacturing is a 10-week programme for people working in manufacturing who want to understand AI, where it can add value and how different AI approaches can be used across manufacturing.

Each half-day session combines accessible learning with a guided, manufacturing-focused workshop. You'll gain hands-on experience with prepared AI models, explore how different parameters affect results and build the confidence to identify where AI could support your organisation.

No prior coding, AI or machine-learning experience is required.

Programme information at a glance

  • Duration: 10 weeks
  • Start Date: TBC - register your interest
  • Format: Half-day lecture + guided workshop each week
  • Cohort Size: 16–20 participants (subject to demand)
  • Price: £2,500 + VAT per participant (£2,250 for NMIS members)

Why this programme is different

AI grounded in manufacturing

Explore AI through manufacturing data and problems, from numerical prediction and image inspection to sensor data and large language models.

Hands-on learning

Work with prepared AI models in guided workshops, adjusting key parameters and seeing how changes affect manufacturing-focused results.

Build confidence where AI fits

Develop the knowledge to recognise where AI could add value, which approaches could be appropriate and what is needed to use them effectively.

Our approach

We know every manufacturing organisation faces different challenges. That's why we begin by understanding your business before the programme starts, ensuring your team works on opportunities that matter most.

  1. Book a discovery call
    A short conversation to understand your organisation, current challenges and whether the programme is the right fit.
  2. Manufacturing use case discovery
    If appropriate, we'll facilitate a structured discovery session to identify a suitable manufacturing challenge, assess organisational readiness and define the project your team will develop throughout the programme.
  3. Learn while solving a real challenge
    Throughout the 10-week programme you'll develop practical data science skills while applying them directly to your chosen manufacturing use case with support from NMIS specialists.
  4. Continue your AI journey
    Finish the programme with new capability, a validated use case and a roadmap for future AI and data-driven improvement across your organisation.

Start your organisation's AI journey with confidence

AI has the potential to transform manufacturing, but successful adoption starts with identifying the right opportunities. This programme helps you understand where AI can deliver value and how to implement it effectively.

Contact us

Who is this programme for?

This programme is designed for manufacturing organisations looking to understand how AI can improve operational performance. Whether you're exploring AI for the first time or planning your next step, you'll gain practical knowledge while developing opportunities relevant to your own business.

This programme is ideal for organisations that:

  • Want to understand where AI can deliver value
  • Are exploring AI adoption within manufacturing operations
  • Have operational challenges they would like to investigate
  • Want to build internal AI capability
  • Are looking for practical guidance rather than technical theory

What you will learn

Programme overview

Across 10 sessions, you'll build an understanding of how artificial intelligence works and where it can add value in manufacturing. Starting with AI-ready manufacturing data, you'll progress through neural networks, model training and explainability before exploring applications using numerical data, images, time-series data and text.

Each session combines accessible learning with a guided, manufacturing-focused workshop. You'll work with prepared AI models, explore how different parameters affect results and develop the confidence to identify which AI approaches could be appropriate for different manufacturing challenges.

Week 1: From the Data Pyramid to AI-Ready Manufacturing Data

Understand what manufacturing data exists, where it sits, its quality and quantity, and when a challenge might benefit from AI rather than straightforward analysis.

Module 2: AI Technologies and Applications

Week 3: Training Neural Networks

Understand how AI models are trained and how training and validation data influence their performance.

Week 4: AI Models for Numerical Prediction

Explore models for predicting manufacturing outcomes and learn how to assess model fit and prediction error.

 

Week 5: Improving AI Models - Data, Training and Explainability

Explore how data quality, quantity, training and other factors affect model performance, explainability and trust.

Week 6: Working with Images 

Explore AI approaches for image-based manufacturing applications such as defect inspection, microscopy and quality assessment.

Week 7: Preparing and Encoding Non-Numerical Data

Understand how categorical, textual and other non-numerical manufacturing information can be prepared for use by AI models.

Week 8: Working with Time-Series Data

Explore AI approaches for sensor signals, sequences, forecasting and anomaly-related manufacturing problems.

Week 9: Working with Text and Large Language Models

Understand how text and large language models can be used in manufacturing, including where they fit, what they require and their limitations.

Week 10: Completing the AI Tools Pyramid

Explore advanced approaches including transformers and generative AI, then bring your learning together by mapping appropriate AI tools to manufacturing data and decisions.

What you'll achieve

By the end of the programme you'll have:

  • Understand core AI concepts and their potential within manufacturing

  • Recognise different AI modelling and numerical approaches and where they can add industrial value

  • Navigate prepared AI models, adjust important parameters and interpret the effect on model performance

  • Understand how AI algorithms are trained, tuned, evaluated and explained

  • Apply AI concepts through guided manufacturing workshops

  • Map appropriate AI tools to manufacturing data and decisions

Part of Applied Data & AI for Manufacturing 

From data foundations to the latest developments in agentic AI.

Applied Data & AI for Manufacturing brings together four courses designed to help manufacturers build capability across data and AI.

Follow the full pathway or select the course that matches your current level and needs.

01. DATA FOUNDATIONS 

Data science in Manufacturing

02. APPLY AI 

Fundamentals of AI in manufacturing 

COMING SOON

03. CREATE AGENTS 
Creation of AI agents in manufacturing.

COMING SOON

04. ORCHESTRATE
Agentic architecture and orchestration. 

 

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about working with NMIS on aerospace projects.

The first step is a conversation with our team to understand your manufacturing challenges, business objectives and project requirements. Whether you're looking to increase production readiness, reduce manufacturing costs, improve MRO capability or strengthen supply chain resilience, we'll identify where NMIS expertise can add value and help define the best route forward.

Data Science in Manufacturing focuses on understanding, analysing and using manufacturing data. Fundamentals of AI in Manufacturing builds on this by exploring how artificial intelligence can be applied to solve manufacturing challenges and support better decision-making.

Yes. Throughout the programme you'll develop an AI use case based on your own organisation, supported by NMIS specialists.

The programme uses a hybrid approach. Sessions are delivered in person and broadcast live, allowing flexibility for participants where appropriate. However, to get the most from this course, we recommend attending in person, if you can.

Yes. Alongside scheduled cohorts, we can develop bespoke programmes tailored to your organisation, manufacturing processes and strategic priorities. Contact us to discuss your requirements.