A new consultancy has launched today with a strong message for businesses in the UK. Boxtree Consulting, founded by operational transformation expert Max Pardo-Roques, is warning firms that simply purchasing AI subscriptions is not enough to achieve true transformation. In fact, the company argues that businesses that stop at purchasing AI licenses are missing out on potential savings worth hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.
Pardo-Roques, Boxtree’s founder and CEO, brings his expertise in Lean methodology to the table. The methodology, derived from Toyota’s production system, focuses on identifying manual business processes that can be automated with AI technology. This can include tasks such as invoice checking, data entry, scheduling, and compliance. Boxtree guarantees that every engagement with a client will be cost-neutral within the first year and aims for a five-to-one return on investment.
Pardo-Roques explains, “Many CEOs, finance directors, and operations directors tell me they are implementing AI. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that they have simply purchased a few Copilot licenses, resulting in some individuals being more productive and improved marketing copy. This is not transformation. The manual processes that actually hold the potential for significant savings, such as invoice checking, data entry, and repetitive tasks, are often left untouched. In a typical mid-sized business, these processes can consume hundreds of thousands of pounds of staff time per year. With AI technology, much of this work can now be automated within the systems the business already uses.”
This warning comes at a time when there is mounting evidence of a two-speed AI economy. According to data analyzed by the Bennett School of Public Policy, less than three in ten UK businesses with under 50 employees were using AI in 2025, while 44% of firms with more than 250 employees were utilizing AI. A report by the government’s AI Champion for Advanced Manufacturing in June also highlighted this trend in the industry, warning that many businesses are stuck in a “pilot trap,” conducting AI experiments that never make it to production. In a recent article for The Sunday Times, former prime minister Rishi Sunak also expressed concerns about the slower adoption of AI, stating that this could put smaller businesses at a disadvantage. He argued that AI cannot be treated as just an IT issue.
Boxtree’s approach is intentionally more practical and less flashy. The company conducts a Lean diagnostic to map a client’s processes and determine the value of any waste within them. From there, a business case is built for each opportunity, with projects only moving forward if the first-year returns exceed the cost. Boxtree’s AI solutions are then integrated into the systems the business already uses, rather than being added on through a new ERP or finance platform.
Pardo-Roques states, “Most of the industry has it backwards. They start with the technology and then search for a use case. We start with the process and the value attached to it, and we only automate where the numbers make sense. This is why we can guarantee cost-neutrality in the first year – if a project won’t pay for itself, we won’t recommend it.”
With its base in Birmingham, Boxtree works with businesses in manufacturing, logistics, professional services, and other sectors that rely heavily on operations. The company aims to help businesses unlock the potential of AI and achieve true transformation.
