AI Consultant Yorkshire.
Waypoint North is an AI consultancy built for manufacturers, based in Cottingham, East Yorkshire. It is led by John Cook, who has more than 25 years of manufacturing leadership and is Vice Chairman of Make UK Yorkshire & Humber. We work across Yorkshire and the Humber, and nationwide.
Cottingham, East Yorkshire · In person across Yorkshire & the Humber
An AI consultant who has run what you run
There are AI consultants in Yorkshire. Most come from technology, finance or digital agency backgrounds and have learned to speak manufacturing's language. John Cook spent 25 years living it, from the shop floor to the boardroom. As Vice Chairman of Make UK Yorkshire & Humber, he is part of the region's manufacturing community rather than a visitor to it.
Years of manufacturing leadership
Production, P&L ownership, capital programmes and multi-site continuous improvement, across medical devices, HVAC and smart-city technology.
National policy perspective
UK Chair of Make UK's Technology, Innovation & Digitisation Policy Board and a Made Smarter board member, so you hear where policy is heading early.
Dependency built
Every engagement transfers skills, tools and confidence into your team. Our measure of success is how quickly you stop needing us.
Not all Yorkshire AI consultants are built the same
| Typical AI consultant | Waypoint North |
|---|---|
| Technology background, learned the language of manufacturing | 25 years running manufacturing operations |
| Works with any kind of business | Manufacturing only, from single-site to multinational |
| Starts with a tool or a platform | Starts with the Leadership Deep Dive and your real constraints |
| Hands over a strategy document | Builds capability your team owns when we leave |
| Little link to national adoption programmes | Method aligned with the UK AI Adoption Roadmap for Manufacturers |
Based in East Yorkshire. Working across the region.
Waypoint North is local to the region, not a national firm with a regional office. We work with manufacturers across Yorkshire and the Humber: the precision engineering and advanced materials businesses of Sheffield and Rotherham, the engineering clusters of Leeds and Bradford, the food and drink producers of the East Riding, and the process and energy manufacturers of the Humber. Most clients choose a blend of on-site and online work.
- HullHome base · East Yorkshire
- LeedsWest Yorkshire
- SheffieldSouth Yorkshire
- BradfordWest Yorkshire
- YorkNorth Yorkshire
- HarrogateNorth Yorkshire
- WakefieldWest Yorkshire
- HuddersfieldWest Yorkshire
- DoncasterSouth Yorkshire
- RotherhamSouth Yorkshire
- GrimsbyHumber
- ScunthorpeHumber
Scan. Pilot. Scale. Aligned with the UK AI Adoption Roadmap.
Understand before you spend
An honest picture of AI maturity, data readiness and the highest-value quick wins, starting with the Leadership Deep Dive.
Prove value fast
Two or three bounded applications, measured honestly against numbers your board already trusts.
Make it standard, then step back
Documented process, trained people and governance that holds up, so the capability stays when we leave.
Co-funding through programmes such as Made Smarter, BridgeAI or Innovate UK may be available. Eligibility varies by programme and funding round, and we check it with you.
What Yorkshire manufacturers ask us most
What does an AI consultant for Yorkshire manufacturers actually do?
Waypoint North helps Yorkshire manufacturers find where AI will create the most value, prove it with a small number of practical pilots, and build the skills, governance and processes that let your own team carry it on. It usually starts with the Leadership Deep Dive, which shows each function's readiness and where the leadership team agrees and differs.
Where in Yorkshire do you work?
Waypoint North is based in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, and works in person across Yorkshire and the Humber, including Hull, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, York, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Doncaster, Rotherham, Grimsby and Scunthorpe. Manufacturers elsewhere in the UK are supported through a blend of on-site and online work.
Can Yorkshire manufacturers get funding for AI adoption?
Funding may be available. Made Smarter, BridgeAI and Innovate UK have all supported technology adoption by manufacturers, but eligibility, amounts and timing vary by programme, region and funding round. Our Scan, Pilot, Scale approach is aligned with the UK AI Adoption Roadmap for Manufacturers, which helps when building the evidence an application needs. We check what applies to you case by case.
How quickly will we see results?
Pilots are deliberately small and bounded, so that they show measurable results within weeks rather than months. We agree the measures with you before anything is deployed, so the results stand up in front of your board.
What size of manufacturer do you work with?
Any size, from single-site businesses to multi-site and multinational groups. What matters more than size is a leadership team that wants to build lasting capability rather than buy a strategy document.
How do we get started?
Either complete the Leadership Deep Dive, which is free at the functional level and takes 25 to 35 minutes per leader, or contact John directly for an honest first conversation.
Yorkshire manufacturer? Start here.
The Leadership Deep Dive gives every leader a personal report, and your team one clear place to start.