An AI consultant in Shropshire and the West Midlands.
Contextric is an independent AI consultancy based in Shrewsbury. We help businesses across Shropshire and the West Midlands work out where AI will save time, choose tools that are safe to use, and put them to work. In person, when it helps.
Local, and in person.
Plenty of AI advice happens over video calls, and much of ours does too. But the best reviews, workshops and training usually happen in the room, alongside the people doing the work.
- Anywhere in the West Midlands: Shropshire, Telford, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country, Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire
- Regularly in Birmingham and London for meetings, and further afield when it helps
- Travel included anywhere in the West Midlands; further afield, expenses at cost
- Remote by default for anything that doesn’t need us there
Recent work close to home.
A food manufacturer in the West Midlands
A day alongside the admin team of a 60-person manufacturer found 11 to 22 hours a week that AI could save, across orders, invoicing and production paperwork. Read the case study.
A wealth manager in Shropshire
An independent check of an AI tool’s security claims before the firm committed to it. Read the case study.
Businesses of every kind
We work with manufacturers, law firms, accountants and businesses of every kind and size across the region.
AI in the region’s industries.
The West Midlands runs on a mix of businesses, and AI helps each of them differently.
- Manufacturing and engineering
- From the Black Country to Telford: orders, invoicing, production paperwork and quality records, the office work behind the factory floor.
- Food, drink and farming
- Across Shropshire and the Marches: specifications, compliance paperwork, orders from retailers and wholesalers, and customer queries.
- Professional and financial services
- In Birmingham and the county towns: drafting, document review and client admin, without risking client confidentiality.
- Distribution and logistics
- Along the M54 and M6: order entry, delivery queries, proof of delivery and chasing invoices, work that suits AI agents well.
Funding and support for AI in the region.
Several local programmes can help pay for new technology and training. They fund equipment, software and courses rather than advice, and we can help you work out what to ask for before you apply.
Made Smarter West Midlands
For small and medium-sized manufacturers across the region, including Shropshire, Telford and the Black Country: a digital technology specialist, workshops, match-funded grants of up to £20,000 for technology including AI, and a funded digital intern. Made Smarter
Shropshire Growth Hub
Free business support for Shropshire, Telford and Herefordshire, from advice and funding events to sessions on using AI, such as the annual Shropshire Digital Summit. Marches Growth Hub
West Midlands Skills Bootcamps
Fully or part-funded courses for people who live in the West Midlands Combined Authority area, including practical AI for business. West Midlands Combined Authority
Programmes, budgets and eligibility change. Check with each programme before you plan around it. We’re independent of all of them.
How we can help.
- AI health check
- A fixed-price review of the AI tools your people use, better options and any data protection concerns. £750 + VAT.
- AI training, on site
- Hands-on sessions for your team at your premises, adapted to your tools and your policies.
- Independent AI advice
- Which tool, which supplier, and what it will really cost, from someone with nothing to sell you.
- AI agents
- AI that takes on whole jobs, like credit control, quotes and orders, built around your systems.
Talks and workshops for local groups.
We run practical sessions on using AI safely and well for chambers of commerce, business networks, trade groups and professional societies across the region. No sales pitch: straight answers to the questions your members are asking.
- Using AI safely: what’s fine to put into ChatGPT and Copilot, and what isn’t
- Where AI saves time in a small business, with real examples
- Choosing tools without wasting money
Questions from local businesses.
Will you come to us?
Yes. We’re happy to work on site anywhere in the West Midlands, and further afield when it helps. Reviews, workshops and training often work best in person.
Do you charge for travel?
Not within the West Midlands: travel is included in the price. Further afield, travel expenses are charged at cost.
Can you train our team on site?
Yes. Hands-on training usually works best at your premises, using your own tools and examples from your own work.
Is there funding for AI in Shropshire and the West Midlands?
Sometimes. Made Smarter West Midlands offers match-funded grants of up to £20,000 for manufacturers adopting new technology, including AI. The Shropshire Growth Hub offers free business support, and West Midlands Skills Bootcamps include funded AI training. Schemes and eligibility change, so check with each one.
Where are you based?
Shrewsbury, in Shropshire. We’re also in Birmingham and London regularly for meetings.
Do you work outside the West Midlands?
Yes. We work with businesses across the UK, in person or remotely, whichever suits the work.
Where should a local business start?
Usually with a free 30-minute call, then an AI health check: a fixed-price review of the AI tools your people use, better options and any data protection concerns.
Start with an AI health check.
A fixed-price review of how your business uses AI today, and what to change.
- The tools your people use, including the ones nobody signed off
- Better options, where they would save time or money
- Data protection: where your data goes, who can see it, and any UK GDPR concerns
- Clear next steps, in a short written report that’s yours to keep
£750 + VAT, fixed price.
Book a free 30-minute intro call.
Tell us what you're working on. You'll get an honest view of what would help and what a sensible first step would be. No obligation.
Or email hello@contextric.com