Neaton Auto Products Manufacturing Achieves Efficiency with CADDi's AI Data Platform

In the constantly evolving landscape of manufacturing, Neaton Auto Products Manufacturing (NAPM), a lead supplier in the automotive parts sector, recently embraced a transformative shift by integrating CADDi, an advanced AI data platform designed specifically for the manufacturing industry. Headquartered in Ohio, USA, NAPM's commitment to reducing inefficiencies has led them to centralize over 140,000 datasets that span four decades of design and production history. This strategic move has culminated in a labor reduction of up to 70%, streamlining operations across various departments including engineering, quality control, and procurement.

Identifying the Challenges
As a Tier 1 automotive parts supplier, NAPM faced significant hurdles due to fragmented data management processes. With design and production data scattered across numerous shared drives and convoluted folder hierarchies, pinpointing accurate specifications, confirming the latest versions, and sharing information between departments proved to be cumbersome and labor-intensive. Engineers and quality assurance personnel found themselves investing excessive time in data collection rather than focusing on high-value tasks. The situation was exacerbated by the existence of handwritten notes and scanned documents, which further complicated data retrieval and reusability.

Recognizing the increasing importance of data integration as the manufacturing sector transitions to digitalization and AI utilization, NAPM identified a pressing need for a centralized system to connect all departments involved in development, production, quality, and shipping. This integration is crucial for leveraging AI’s capabilities for timely error detection and rapid decision-making. The procurement department also encountered limitations, as historical parts and pricing data were not easily accessible, restricting their capacity for strategic sourcing.

The CADDi Implementation
In pursuit of overcoming these challenges, NAPM made the pivotal decision to implement CADDi. This AI data platform has enabled the unification of more than 140,000 datasets, encompassing data from Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, ERP systems, and even handwritten notes. By establishing a cohesive foundation of manufacturing intelligence, the platform enhances various operations throughout the company.

The unification of drawings and related documents has allowed NAPM's engineers to reduce their data collection workload by a remarkable 40% to 70%. Time that was previously consumed by folder exploration is now redirected towards high-value activities such as design and verification.

Beth Crose, a QA manager at NAPM, commented, "Before implementing CADDi, the effort required to access necessary information served as a significant barrier to data utilization. With these barriers removed, we have reduced QA-related data collection time by about 50%. Now, we can reference drawings, design notes, and QA sheets from one central location, allowing us to focus on root cause analysis immediately."

Since the adoption of CADDi, the number of users has surged from an initial 30 to 85, marking a 183% increase in active utilization across teams, highlighting the platform's potential as a cornerstone for operational excellence.

Future Prospects with CADDi
With the groundwork for manufacturing intelligence now firmly in place, NAPM is eager to explore the expansion of CADDi’s capabilities. Plans are being developed to improve estimation efficiency, as well as to foster greater visibility of costs. By linking design drawings with estimation and procurement information, NAPM aims to enhance the objectivity of pricing assessments based on historical similarities, paving the way for data-driven discussions with suppliers.

In the coming months, NAPM intends to broaden the scope of supplier and parts data registration on the CADDi platform. This initiative aims to alleviate the burden of procurement tasks while simultaneously bolstering strategic sourcing efforts.

Naomi Noda, Vice President of Design Engineering at NAPM, shared her insights: "The primary goal of integrating CADDi was to enhance our procurement capabilities. A key challenge in procurement is optimizing part costs, which directly impacts both our profit margins and the prices offered to our customers. Through CADDi, we have unified previously scattered data, allowing our team to refocus on core activities. We will continue to accelerate the establishment of a data foundation for AI utilization."

About CADDi
CADDi is a revolutionary AI data platform that analyzes and co-relates data across the manufacturing engineering and supply chain. By extracting insights from these datasets, the platform enhances production activities and decision-making processes. With expertise in the manufacturing sector combined with cutting-edge AI technology, CADDi is committed to transforming disparate data and experiences into valuable assets, driving competitive advantage for manufacturers.

About CadDi Inc.
Founded with the mission to unleash the potential of the manufacturing sector, CadDi Inc. supports manufacturers by converting scattered data and experiences into valuable resources, facilitating informed managerial decisions. Operating globally across four countries including Japan, the US, Vietnam, and Thailand, CadDi is dedicated to driving global transformation in manufacturing practices. To date, the company has raised a total of ¥25.73 billion in funding. Notably, its component procurement support service has integrated into the AI platform business, marking the cessation of individual component and assembly product offerings.