Kuken Industries searches 70 years of drawings in minutes

Kuken Industries, a major Japanese manufacturer of cooling towers, has digitized 70 years of engineering drawings but faced challenges for newer engineers to locate the right drawings efficiently. Partnering with Japanese AI startup Recursive and using OpenAI models, Kuken developed an AI search system and field app that allows engineers to search by part number, upload images or PDFs, and quickly find relevant drawings. The tool is expected to reduce drawing search time by 90%, freeing experienced engineers to mentor younger colleagues and enabling newer engineers to work more independently. Kuken is also developing an AI tool to check drawings for discrepancies, with prototype tests showing about 90% accuracy in flagging genuine issues, aiming to preserve engineering knowledge for future generations.

(Source：OpenAI)