Launching a Digital Transformation Project

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Hilltop Technology Laboratory specializes in parts manufacturing through machining processes and equipment development. One distinctive characteristic is that 80% of their orders consist of 1-2 units per drawing, with over 4,000 varieties of parts manufactured monthly. Hilltop has built a unique system for CNC machining, called ‘HILLTOP SYSTEM’, that enables 24-hour unmanned operation by digitizing the thoughts and techniques of their skilled workers.

This allows for high-quality, high-precision, and ultra-fast delivery manufacturing, despite the focus on low-volume production and prototyping. Based on the accumulated processing data and system, they now offer a cloud service that automatically generates processing data and work instructions from 3D engineering data. As a team of processing technology and design professionals, they cater to the diverse needs of their customers every day.

Hilltop has developed their own systems, from sales to manufacturing, achieving factory automation. However, as system development is not their primary business, they were concerned about keeping up with the recent pace of advancements solely through in-house development. Additionally, the wide range of in-house systems led to increased maintenance and development workload, reaching the limits of in-house development.

To address this situation, Hilltop launched a company-wide digital transformation project to drive change. While maintaining in-house system development for core business areas, they decided to introduce and integrate superior external tools when available, aiming to strengthen Hilltop’s systems.

Enhancing Management Capabilities through Faster Similar Drawing Searches and Inter-Departmental Collaboration

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During the digital transformation project’s interviews with each department, the utilization of drawing data and searching for similar drawings were identified as critical issues. Hilltop manufactures over 4,000 varieties of parts per month, with varying order frequencies from customers, resulting in a massive volume of drawing data. However, relying on memory and manual searches for past similar drawings was extremely time-consuming, even with dedicated staff.

In many cases, searches were not conducted at all, assuming the drawings would not be found. Hilltop had attempted to develop an in-house drawing search system but abandoned the development due to technical hurdles, leaving them to continue with manual searches. In their search for a tool to solve this issue, Hilltop repeatedly compared various options and ultimately decided to introduce the drawing data utilization cloud, CADDi Drawer.

Yuki, the President and CEO, explains the reasons behind their decision:

“Compared to others, we felt that CADDi Drawer had an advantage in terms of similar drawing searches and its intuitive UI.”

- Yuki Yamamoto, President and CEO, Hilltop

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“The ability to display differences when comparing similarities was particularly significant. Even slight differences can lead to product defects if drawings are reused without noticing the differences. Sales representatives can also consider price and other factors based on similar drawings, taking into account the differences, which improves their proposal capabilities.”

“The ability to link order history was also a major deciding factor. At Hilltop, we rarely have orders for single items, aluminum only, or cutting only. We often receive requests to procure iron materials and pressed parts as well. Our purchasing function is highly developed.”

“By using CADDi Drawer, manufacturing, purchasing, and sales can collaborate to consistently propose a flow from prototyping to mass production trials and eventually mass production processing.”

- Yuki Yamamoto, President and CEO, Hilltop

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Furthermore, Yuki was impressed by CADDi’s remarkably rapid development. Witnessing the release of new features in less than a year after the launch of CADDi Drawer, he felt that they could keep up with the world’s pace of advancement better than developing systems in-house. Recognizing the value of utilizing external resources was also a key factor in their decision to adopt the system.

Focusing Resources on Our Strengths to Keep Up with the World’s Pace of Advancement

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The introduction of CADDi Drawer significantly reduced the search time for similar drawings at Hilltop. The search volume has more than tripled compared to the past, resolving the situation where searches were often abandoned altogether.

“The contribution of CADDi’s customer success team has been significant since the implementation.”

- Yuki Yamamoto, President and CEO, Hilltop

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“They not only sell the product but also provide support in various aspects, such as usage and utilization guidance, employee interviews, and hosting briefing sessions. Their comprehensive support, both online and through on-site visits, is much appreciated.”

Hilltop plans to further expand the utilization of CADDi Drawer in the future. The digital transformation project prioritizes upstream processes such as customer management and purchasing management, but they will also actively engage in the digital transformation of manufacturing aspects, including production management and tool life management.

Regarding the future, Yuki states:
“Hilltop has strengths in what we have built in-house, but that alone is not enough to keep up with the world’s pace of advancement. Going forward, we want to concentrate our resources on truly specialized areas. Now, there are excellent external services available. We want to break away from our self-reliance, collaborating with various services while focusing our resources on our strengths. In the future, we will concentrate on the digital transformation of manufacturing aspects that were previously out of reach.”