Timaru businesses don't need another generic AI pitch. Semantic search (RAG) only earns its keep when it's built around the workflow you actually run on a wet Tuesday, and that's how we scope every engagement we take on in Canterbury.
Semantic search (RAG) that lives in your stack, not on a vendor's roadmap. Shipped from Canterbury.
Our goal is to give Timaru businesses a three-day weekend, so people can spend more time with their families and the people they love :)
What semantic search (RAG) actually does
Search that understands intent, not just keywords. Your team types what they mean - and gets the right document, ticket, or product from across every system, with citations.
- 01 Indexes Drive, SharePoint, Notion, Slack, your CRM
- 02 Returns answers with source links - no hallucinations
- 03 Permissioned so staff only see what they should
- 04 Re-indexes nightly so results stay fresh
Built on: Pinecone Claude Postgres pgvector Vercel AI SDK
What you actually get
Every engagement is scoped and quoted up front. This is what is in the box.
- A working pilot, in productionNot a prototype on someone's laptop. The first slice of semantic search (RAG) runs against real work within weeks.
- Your data stays yoursIt runs on your accounts and your tools. If we part ways you keep the system and everything in it.
- The workflow mapped before codeWe write down what good looks like for Timaru businesses first, so nobody is guessing at handover.
- Support after it landsThe people who built it stay reachable when the business changes shape around it.
How semantic search (RAG) compares
The two things most businesses do instead, and where each one runs out.
| Hiring for it | An off-the-shelf tool | Kiwi Dynamics | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit to how you work | Fits perfectly, costs a salary | You bend your process to suit the tool | Built around the workflow you already run |
| Time to something useful | Immediate, and permanent | Quick to switch on, slow to make fit | A working slice in weeks, then hardened |
| Who owns the data | You do | The vendor, on the vendor's terms | You do, in your own accounts |
| When it breaks | That person sorts it, if they are in | A support queue and a ticket number | The people who built it |
| What it costs | A salary, every year, forever | Per seat, forever, used or not | Scoped and quoted up front |
What we keep seeing in Timaru.
- South Canterbury runs on port logistics, food processing, and dairy - AI here is about coordinating shifts and shipments with fewer phone calls.
- Port of Timaru, food processors, dairy, and a wide trades sector. AI tools that integrate with existing ERP and POS land best.
We work with teams across Timaru: Timaru CBD · Marchwiel · Highfield · Geraldine · Temuka · Pleasant Point.
Talk to us about this →How we build semantic search (RAG) for a Timaru team.
We scope narrow, ship a working pilot, then harden it into production. The first slice is the highest-leverage workflow for your Timaru business, so value lands before the build is finished. AI search over your data.
Talk to usHow the work runs
- Find the one workflowWe look for the job costing Timaru businesses the most hours or the most leads, and deliberately ignore the rest for now.
- Ship a working sliceA narrow version goes into production in weeks, against real work, so the value shows up before the build is finished.
- Prove it, then widenWe measure it against what the work cost before. If it does not pay for itself, we say so rather than scaling it.
- Harden and hand overLogging, fallbacks and a real handover, so it keeps running when we are not in the room.
The outcome for Timaru teams
If we build the right slice first, Timaru teams feel the difference inside the first month. Average search time drops from 6 minutes to 12 seconds.
Not your typical AI agency.
Honest about what AI can and cannot do
Ships the one workflow that pays for itself
Hours given back, never the size of the invoice
*Every engagement is scoped and quoted up front. Results vary by workflow and business.
FAQ
How quickly can we see something running?
Week three for a clickable internal demo against real data. Week six for a slice your team can actually use. We hold ourselves to those numbers because they're what stops a project drifting into "endless discovery".
What's the smallest engagement you'd take on?
A two-week paid discovery for Timaru businesses that aren't sure whether the build is worth doing at all. You get a one-page write-up of what we'd build, what we'd skip, and what it would cost. About 30% of those discoveries end with us recommending you don't proceed.
Has this actually shipped for a real Timaru?
Yes. Average search time drops from 6 minutes to 12 seconds. We'll share comparable engagements on the call.
What tools do you build semantic search (RAG) on?
For semantic search (RAG) we usually reach for Pinecone, Claude, Postgres pgvector, Vercel AI SDK. We're tool-agnostic at heart - we pick what your Timaru team can actually run after we hand the build over, not what looks good on a vendor sticker.
One reply, one direction.
We don't run sequences or follow-up automation. One useful answer, one decision on your side.
Talk to us about this
Tell us what you're trying to do and we'll reply with how we'd build it - no obligation.