The Made Smarter Digital Internship programme has helped Fleming Howland to test and adopt new technologies

Fleming Howland has accelerated its shift towards digital manufacturing after tapping into student skills through the Made Smarter Digital Internship programme.

Paul Fleming, MD of Fleming Howland, with Made Smarter digital intern Kian Tavakoli

The Hapton-based furniture manufacturer worked with Kian Tavakoli, a graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University, to digitise furniture designs and upholstery cutting patterns for CNC production.

The three-month paid placement enabled Fleming Howland to convert legacy designs into structured CAD files, improving repeatability, reducing material waste and enhancing consistency across production runs.

Paul Fleming, Managing Director of Fleming Howland, said: “Having Kian join us through the Made Smarter Digital Internship Programme has been a genuine catalyst. His digital skillset allowed us to accelerate a complex CAD-to-CNC workflow that would otherwise have required outsourcing. Beyond the technical delivery, his presence has sparked a wider conversation about how traditional furniture making can evolve through smart manufacturing tools.”

During the placement, Kian worked closely with production teams to map existing processes, digitise cutting patterns and align digital design with practical upholstery workflows.

“As my first real experience of a manufacturing business, it transformed my understanding of how digital skills can make a practical difference on the factory floor,” he said. “The internship helped me grow technically and professionally, but it also showed how digital change works best when it’s done with people, not to them.”

The internship was delivered through Made Smarter North West, the government-funded initiative supporting SME manufacturers to adopt advanced digital technologies. The programme enables businesses to test digital workflows in a structured, low-risk way before committing to wider operational change.

Over the past year, Made Smarter North West’s latest cohort of 18 interns has worked directly on factory floors and within engineering teams, applying a wide range of digital technologies to real production challenges. These include robotics and automation, artificial intelligence, data and analytics, CNC and CAD-to-CNC workflows, virtual reality and digital twins, system integration and wider workflow digitisation.

Donna Edwards, Programme Director for Made Smarter North West, said: “These digital internships are delivering exactly what manufacturers need: practical digital skills and fresh thinking, while giving students and graduates paid, hands-on experience on real industrial projects and a direct stepping stone into employment.”

Since its inception in 2019, Made Smarter has supported more than 2,500 manufacturers across the North West, providing access to expert digital advice, technology adoption roadmaps, skills development opportunities and funded technology projects.

To find out more about the Digital Internship programme and to read the latest white paper, visit: madesmarter.uk/adoption/internship-programme