Kuken Industries searches 70 years of drawings in minutes

Kuken Industries, a major Japanese manufacturer of air conditioning and ventilation equipment, has digitized 70 years of engineering drawings but faced challenges in making them easily searchable for newer engineers. Partnering with AI startup Recursive and using OpenAI's models, Kuken developed a search system that allows engineers to find drawings by part number, image, or PDF in minutes instead of hours. The tool is expected to reduce search time by 90%, enabling experienced engineers to mentor others and newer engineers to work more independently. Kuken is also extending AI to review drawings for discrepancies, aiming to pass on engineering expertise to the next generation.

(Source：OpenAI)