Case Study: NIM Group (Norfolk Iron & Metal) cuts scrap rates and reduces costs with DataRobot

Steel Manufacturer Reduces Scrap Rates – and Costs – with AI

NIM Group, a century-old steel manufacturer, needed to turn data into faster, more consistent decisions across quoting, inventory and machine settings but lacked the in-house data science capacity to do so. They engaged DataRobot to automate predictive analytics and scale AI use cases from the shop floor to executive offices.

DataRobot automated data prep, model building and productionalization (including APIs and monitoring), enabling NIM Group to predict optimal machine settings and demand more quickly. The analytics team now delivers models weeks faster (moving from weeks/months to near real-time), cut scrap rates significantly—driving substantial cost savings given steel prices—and improved forecasting to prevent lost sales and excess inventory; DataRobot’s solution also helps less-experienced operators ramp up faster while continuously refining models in production.

NIM Group

Ben Dubois

Director of Data Analytics