Unytite R&D teams reduce engineering and production search time by more than 90 percent using CADDi Drawer
Four-decade U.S. fastener manufacturer centralizes more than 60,000 drawings and production documents to improve access to engineering and quality information
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CADDi, a global technology company that develops data intelligence platforms for manufacturing, today announced the release of a new customer case study detailing how Unytite, Inc. reduced engineering and production search time by more than 90 percent by centralizing manufacturing drawings and records using CADDi Drawer.
Members of the Unytite and CADDi teams during a recent onsite visit.
Preserving decades of manufacturing data constrained by fragmented access
Founded in 1986, Unytite manufactures bolts, nuts, and cold and hot formed structural fasteners used in infrastructure, heavy equipment, and automotive applications. As production demands increased and customer specifications became more detailed, teams faced growing challenges accessing engineering, production, and quality information quickly. Critical documents such as drawings, inspection sheets, routings, tooling instructions, and quality alerts were technically available but dispersed across network storage, ERP systems, and email, making them hard to find.
Before implementing CADDi Drawer, teams across R&D, Quality, Sales, and Production spent significant time locating historical information needed for quoting, analysis, and process review. Engineering teams investigated past quotation designs across multiple systems. Quality teams searched for prior alerts, countermeasures, and customer feedback. Sales and Production teams lacked consistent visibility into routing notes and specification changes. An internal survey captured the issue directly. One team member noted, “I searched inside the internal network storage, ERP system, and emails. Only certain people know where the right documents are.” Reliance on specific individuals slowed response time and made knowledge transfer more difficult.
Centralizing manufacturing knowledge with CADDi Drawer
According to Jinshuo Li, Senior Manager of Customer Success and Business Development at CADDi, “Unytite’s U.S. facility plays a critical role in supplying large volumes while meeting strict standards and ensuring full traceability. As we explored how CADDi could truly make a difference, we determined that what their R&D team needed was knowledge centralization, so anyone can find needed information quickly by searching one central repository.”
To address these challenges, Unytite implemented CADDi Drawer across Production, Quality, Sales, and R&D. The platform centralized nearly 60,000 drawings, inspection sheets, routings, and customer specifications into a single searchable environment with controlled revision history.
Teams can now search by drawing number, part name, keywords, or similar designs to locate information in less than one minute. As a result, Unytite reduced engineering and production search time by more than 90 percent. They were able to save over 200 hours in their engineering and production teams.
Improving efficiency across engineering, quality, and sales
With centralized access to historical drawings and records, R&D teams can review past designs, quotation studies, and quality issues more efficiently when evaluating new work. Quality teams can immediately cross-reference drawings, alerts, and prior corrective actions, shortening investigation cycles.
Sales and Production teams benefit from improved visibility into past products and specifications, reducing delays caused by information handoffs between departments. The shift also reduced dependence on individual knowledge holders. As one R&D employee shared, “I used to ask senior members where files were stored. Now I just search Drawer.”
The Unytite case study demonstrates how manufacturers can reduce operational delays by making existing engineering knowledge searchable and reusable across teams, without adding headcount or changing core systems. The full Unytite case study is available at us.caddi.com/case-studies
About CADDi
CADDi is an AI powered data platform that makes design and supply chain data accessible and actionable for manufacturing teams. Headquartered in Tokyo and Chicago, the company was founded in 2017 by industry veterans Yushiro Kato and Aki Kobashi, formerly of McKinsey, Apple, and Lockheed Martin. Its flagship product, CADDi Drawer, uses advanced AI to centralize and analyze unstructured design and production data, helping manufacturers improve efficiency, reduce redundancies, and unlock innovation. Recognized globally for innovation, CADDi was listed in Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies and won the SaaS Award for Best Business Intelligence and Engineering Management Software. To learn more or to book a product demonstration, visit us.caddi.com.
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Milbien Medina
Senior Manager, Brand Marketing at CADDi USA