A TRADITIONAL COMPANY MEETS AI

AI Adoption in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

A note before we begin: Our client wishes to remain anonymous. Those who embrace AI early on gain a competitive edge that speaks for itself through results, rather than through announcements.
 

A company with decades of manufacturing tradition and artificial intelligence—at first glance, they seem worlds apart. This contrast highlights what makes for a successful AI implementation in established companies: clear benefits, reliable guidelines, and secure handling of their own data.
This is where devsuit, as an app agency, supports companies that don’t want to treat AI as a distant future concept, but rather as what it has long been: a practical tool that lightens the load of everyday work—if implemented correctly.

When Foresight Is a Tradition

Our client is a medium-sized manufacturing company with a long history, whose products require precision, patience, and experience. The fact that such a company has remained successful to this day with a stable workforce is a remarkable achievement—and no coincidence. It is the result of leadership that has never viewed progress as a threat, but rather as an opportunity: investing in modern machinery early on, anticipating developments, and bringing people along for the ride.
This approach extends to the topic of AI. The impetus came from the executive team itself, driven by the entrepreneurial vision of integrating tradition and technological progress. This was accompanied by a clear mandate: Employees should understand what AI can do, where its limits lie, and what data protection requirements apply before they get started.
One goal took center stage: creating freedom. When AI takes over repetitive, time-consuming tasks, more time remains for what cannot be automated—consulting and genuine person-to-person contact.

Privacy First—Not Just a Footnote

In conversations with established companies, one topic almost always comes up: data protection. And rightly so. The concern about inadvertently disclosing sensitive information is one of the biggest obstacles to AI adoption—and one of the most legitimate.
devsuit addresses this concern with clear principles that can be applied regardless of the tool used: - **Data minimization**: Always enter only as much data as necessary—and never enter particularly sensitive data or trade secrets into open systems. - **The license matters**: Free accounts often train the AI using the data you enter. For corporate data, you need business or enterprise licenses with a data processing agreement and training disabled. - **Data location in the EU**: Whenever possible, data remains within the European legal jurisdiction—in accordance with the GDPR and the European AI Regulation. - **Humans make the final decision**: AI provides the draft, but responsibility for the result remains with humans. Facts, figures, and names are always verified. These guidelines are not merely a theoretical set of rules. They protect customers, the company, and our own work in equal measure—and give employees the confidence to try out AI in the first place.
Our client goes one step further here and extends this protection: In collaboration with a local provider of an AI security gateway, the company ensures maximum data protection—for its own industrial data as well as for its customers’ data.

AI proficiency is a requirement, not an option

Effective February 2, 2025, Article 4 of the AI Regulation requires companies that use AI systems to ensure that their employees have sufficient AI expertise. In practice, this means conducting and documenting training sessions, establishing written internal policies, and designating a responsible person.

We build what we teach

The key difference lies in where this knowledge comes from. devsuit doesn’t teach AI from a textbook. As an app agency, we use AI daily in our own development—licensed and properly set up in-house. Based on this hands-on experience, we know what works, where the pitfalls lie, and how AI can be safely integrated into real-world processes.
And it is precisely this knowledge that flows to where it has the greatest impact: into the products we develop for our clients. An introductory meeting opens the door. But added value is also created when AI is not just used as a tool, but built into your own software or app as a feature. Our project for Your Future Europa demonstrates
how this works: a hybrid app that manages the recruitment and onboarding process for international nursing professionals. At its core is an AI-powered chat that provides precise answers based on company-specific data and immediately resolves common inquiries. For more complex questions, the system seamlessly transfers the inquiry to a human employee. It’s the ideal combination of automation and personal service, which also embeds the data protection principle of “people make the decisions” into the product itself.
This project is not an isolated case. Demand is shifting noticeably: SMEs and startups are increasingly requesting applications in which AI is not an afterthought, but a central, value-adding component. We already have several such projects in the works. What is emerging here is a fundamental shift: away from the question “Should we use AI?” toward “Where does AI deliver measurable ROI—and how do we integrate it securely into our product?”

What This Means for Your Business

Whether it’s a long-established company or a growing startup. A successful entry into AI rarely stems from a fascination with the technology itself, but rather from a specific goal. The right starting question isn’t “We need AI,” but rather “Where is a process unnecessarily costing us time, money, or frustration?” Only then can the right tool be selected.
To help you get started, devsuit has developed the Digital Growth Check: a concise assessment of your current business processes that, in just a few days, identifies where digitalization and AI can deliver the greatest business impact. It includes concrete recommendations for action and an ROI estimate. It’s a low-barrier first step that requires no major upfront investment. Establishments with a long history, in
particular, demonstrate just how important it is to take the next technological step—with foresight, responsibility, and a focus on people. That’s exactly where we’re here to support you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Implementing AI in a Company