Kuken Industries searches 70 years of drawings in minutes

Kuken Industries, a major Japanese manufacturer of cooling towers and ventilation equipment, has digitized 70 years of engineering drawings but faced challenges for newer engineers in locating the right records. Partnering with OpenAI and Japanese startup Recursive, Kuken developed an AI-powered search system that lets engineers search by part number, upload images or PDFs, and quickly find relevant drawings. Testing showed OpenAI models accurately extract details cost-effectively. The tool is expected to reduce drawing search time by about 90%, freeing experienced engineers to mentor and newer engineers to work more independently. Kuken is also prototyping an AI tool to review partner drawings, with about 90% of flagged issues being genuine discrepancies. The initiative helps pass engineering expertise to the next generation.

(Source：OpenAI)