Yining Shen
ProMaterial brings AI to magnet manufacturing, helping the factories behind electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines and robotics cut waste and improve quality.
Project
ProMaterial Ltd
URL
Year founded
2023
Business stage
Seed
High-growth sectors
Advanced Manufacturing
Sector
Manufacturing
Location
Wales
Funding
Highly Commended Applicant
The problem and opportunity
Precision magnets power EVs, wind turbines and robotics, but factories still rely on late, fragmented quality checks. Defects are found often after cost, carbon and time are already locked in, causing scrap, rework and weak traceability. As demand for these critical components grows, manufacturers need smarter, more connected quality systems. This is a large and overlooked opportunity to modernise a supply chain the clean energy transition depends on.
The solution and innovation
ProMaterial combines multimodal AI vision, precision hardware and material-specific intelligence to understand not only what defects occur, but why they happen. Unlike conventional inspection systems, our platform continuously adapts to different materials, geometries and production conditions, transforming quality control from a final checkpoint into an intelligent decision layer that improves manufacturing performance.
Market and ambition
We are addressing a multi-billion-dollar manufacturing opportunity, starting with the global magnet industry and expanding into advanced metals, additive manufacturing and semiconductor materials. Our ambition is to build the trusted AI platform for precision manufacturing, becoming the global category leader in industrial quality intelligence.
Founder perspective
Yining Shen founded ProMaterial to bring advanced AI into one of manufacturing’s most overlooked challenges. Moving from fintech into a traditionally male-dominated sector, she wants to use technology not only to improve how factories work, but also to make advanced manufacturing more accessible and inclusive.
Women in Innovation Award
Highly Commended Applicant of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award 2025/26, receiving tailored business support and access to specialist training and networks. View all winners and highly commended applicants from the Women in Innovation cohort 2025/2026.