AI in manufacturing
Put AI to work on the paperwork you retype.
Most of a plant's data never reaches a system. It sits on inspection sheets, travelers, customer POs and drawings, or somebody types it in again by hand. AI is now good at reading exactly this kind of paper: handwriting, scans, PDFs and email.
We build AI tools that read what you already receive, fill in your database or spreadsheet, and flag anything unclear for a person to check. Every value links back to the page it came from, and every build is scoped and priced before the work starts.
Inspection sheets
Inspection sheets become measurement records.
The measurements are already written down, then filed in a binder where nobody can trend them. The tool reads each scan, matches every value to its feature and tolerance, and flags the ones it cannot read.
Measurements7710-A, Op 30
- Ø 12.00
- 12.01
- Length 45.0
- 45.08
- Bore 8.00
- UnreadableCheck
- Flatness 0.05
- 0.03
The bore value is unreadable on the scan. R. Chen confirms it.
Customer POs
Customer POs become sales orders.
POs arrive as PDFs and email attachments, each customer in its own layout. The tool fills in the order and compares it with your records, so a changed revision or price is caught before anything ships.
Sales order, draftPO 58213
- Part
- 7710-A
- Revision
- C, on file BCheck
- Quantity
- 250
- Due
- Oct 14
The PO asks for a newer revision than the one on file. Sales confirms it before the order is released.
Travelers
Travelers become a job history you can search.
The traveler follows the job across the floor and ends up in a filing cabinet. The tool reads the initials, stamps and dates against each operation, so the question of who ran operation 20 becomes a search.
Job historyJob 4418
- 10 Saw
- J. Alvarez, Sep 12
- 20 CNC mill
- R. Chen, Sep 12
- 30 Deburr
- Not signedCheck
- 40 Inspect
- M. Okafor, Sep 13
Operation 30 has no sign-off. The supervisor checks it before the job closes.
RFQs
RFQ packages become a draft quote.
An estimator reads every drawing line by line before a price exists. The tool pulls out the material, quantity, operations and the tolerances that drive the cost, so the estimator checks a draft instead of starting from an empty sheet.
Quote, draftBracket, RFQ 2291
- Material
- 6061-T6 plate
- Operations
- Saw, CNC mill, deburr
- Outside
- Anodize, clear
- Tolerance
- 40.00 ±0.01Check
A tight tolerance drives the price. The estimator confirms it and sets the price.
More use cases
The same idea works on most paperwork.
If it arrives on paper, as a PDF or in a spreadsheet, and somebody types it in again, it is a candidate. These are the ones we hear about most.
Shop-floor paper
- First-article inspection reportsOne record per checked feature
- Job cards and time sheetsLabour hours per job
- Pre-use equipment checklistsA dated inspection log
- Machine logbooksMaintenance history per machine
- Shift handover logbooksA shift log you can search
- Scrap and rework tally sheetsScrap by part and reason
- Near-miss and incident cardsA safety incident log
Supplier paperwork
- Mill certificates and CoCsChecked against the PO spec
- Supplier invoicesMatched to the PO and the receipt
- Packing slipsA receiving log
- Calibration certificatesA gauge register with due dates
- Safety data sheetsA chemical inventory with hazards
Spreadsheets
- Production schedulesA scheduling board
- Stock sheetsAn inventory database
- Maintenance schedulesA preventive maintenance plan
- Approved supplier listsSupplier records with expiry dates
Beyond paper
- Machine manualsAnswers to alarm codes, with the page cited
- Operator downtime notesDowntime reasons you can report on
- Order-change emailsFlagged changes on the matching job
Send us one form. See what comes out.
A scan, a PO or a spreadsheet is enough to start. The first call is free, and every build is scoped and priced before the work starts.