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This long-standing issue has become increasingly problematic due to several modern pressures and systemic challenges:<ul><li>Fragmented Data and Siloed Operations: Despite the vast amounts of data generated by CAD, PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), PDM (Product Data Management), and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems, it often remains scattered and trapped in departmental silos. This lack of integration means that procurement struggles to verify past pricing, engineers spend hours manually searching for relevant design precedents, and critical information is isolated within departments, leading to inconsistencies and hindering collaboration.</li><li>Version Control Chaos: Manually tracking CAD file versions is highly inefficient and prone to human errors, resulting in lost work, accidental overwriting of critical changes, and a general state of disarray when consolidating input from multiple contributors. Traditional PDM systems, with their "gatekeeper" or "check-in/check-out" approaches, force sequential editing, creating downtime and stifling real-time collaboration and iterative design. This rigid methodology fundamentally clashes with the agile, concurrent, and iterative approach needed for rapid product development today.</li><li>The Design-Manufacturing-Supply Chain Gap: A persistent challenge is the disconnect between industrial design aesthetics and the practical realities of engineering and manufacturing. Designers may inadvertently prioritize form over manufacturability or cost-effectiveness, leading to designs that are difficult or expensive to produce, necessitating extensive rework. The critical considerations of manufacturing processes, vendor quotes, and assembly flow need to be integrated from the very beginning of a project.</li><li>The Knowledge Drain: The manufacturing sector faces a persistent talent shortage and an aging workforce, with senior leaders taking decades of invaluable, often undocumented, "tribal knowledge" with them as they retire. This expertise is crucial for tasks like design problem-solving and understanding design precedents, and its loss exacerbates data silos and makes it harder for new hires to find and utilize past information, prolonging onboarding times.</li><li>Increased Market Pressures: The demand for faster speed to market is a top priority for manufacturing leaders, with <a href="https://us.caddi.com/resources/whitepaper/the-american-manufacturing-pressure-and-productivity-index" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">23% identifying it as their biggest priority for 2025</a>. However, inefficient digital processes, stemming from scattered and inaccessible data, significantly slow down product development. For example, 67% of engineers stated that access to performance data from other projects would lead to faster designs. Custom manufacturing, by its nature, often means starting designs from scratch for each new request, further straining resources and extending delivery times.</li></ul>

Addressing these multifaceted challenges requires a holistic approach that goes beyond merely addressing software compatibility:<ul><li>Invest in Integrated, Cloud-Native Solutions: Transitioning to cloud-native CAD platforms with built-in PDM can help eliminate version control chaos, facilitate real-time collaboration, and provide a single source of truth for design data.</li><li>Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration: Implement centralized communication platforms and standardize workflows to break down departmental silos. Encourage early and continuous collaboration between industrial designers, mechanical engineers, and manufacturing teams to ensure designs are not only innovative but also manufacturable and cost-effective.</li><li>Prioritize "Design for Manufacturability" (DFM): Integrate manufacturing and supply chain considerations into the design process from day one. DFM aims to optimize production methods, reduce costs, enhance quality, and shorten development cycles, recognizing that 80% of a product’s cost is determined by its design. This involves simplifying designs, standardizing components, and making informed material choices.</li><li>Digitize and Democratize Knowledge: Actively capture the expertise and insights of experienced professionals through structured documentation and knowledge management systems to convert tacit knowledge into explicit, digital formats. This preserves valuable insights and can enable AI-powered knowledge bases.</li><li>Automate Data Extraction and Analysis: Leverage new technologies like AI and machine learning to automatically pull dimensions, materials, and other attributes from drawings, thereby speeding up model creation and minimizing human errors.</li></ul>

While the above best practices are crucial, implementing them effectively often requires an underlying technological framework that can truly connect disparate data and democratize knowledge. CADDi's AI-driven data platform provides this essential layer, acting as a manufacturing data lake that aggregates, analyzes, and extracts critical insights from your entire operational ecosystem.Here's how CADDi helps overcome CAD file interoperability and related data challenges:<ul><li>A Unified Data Lake for All Manufacturing Data: CADDi consolidates information from all your existing systems—including CAD, PLM, ERP, PDM, CAM, quality defect reports, and even scanned paper drawings—into a centralized, unified data repository. This eliminates data silos and creates a "single source of truth" that is readily accessible across all departments, from engineering to procurement and production.</li><li>AI-Powered Intuitive Search and Similarity Detection: CADDi revolutionizes how users find and interact with drawing data. Instead of relying on specific IDs or inconsistent labels, it leverages AI machine vision and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to make drawings and their embedded information intuitively searchable.</li><li style="text-indent: 1em;">Similarity Search: CADDi's patented technology allows users to search by shape, instantly identifying visually similar parts across decades of drawings, even from scanned images or hand-drawn sketches. This significantly reduces the time spent searching for information from hours to seconds.</li><li style="text-indent: 1em;">Keyword Search: Users can find drawings based on any text within them, such as material, size, designer name, part name, or notes, including data extracted from title blocks and footnotes.</li><li>Democratizing Institutional Knowledge: By automatically linking past designs with their complete historical context—including actual costs, supplier performance, and quality data—CADDi digitizes and democratizes tribal knowledge. This empowers less experienced employees to quickly access and leverage the insights of veteran designers and procurement specialists, reducing dependency on a few key individuals and accelerating new hire training.</li><li>Facilitating Design Reuse and Standardization: CADDi's ability to identify similar parts helps manufacturers spot opportunities for design reuse and standardization, even in high-mix environments. It allows designers to build upon successful precedents, optimizing future products for manufacturability and cost-effectiveness.</li><li>Streamlining Cross-Functional Workflows: CADDi directly supports crucial processes like quotation and procurement by linking new RFQ designs to similar past projects, providing immediate access to historical pricing, material, and production data. This enables sales teams to respond faster and more accurately, and procurement teams to compare suppliers and negotiate better deals.</li></ul>In essence, CADDi transforms raw, fragmented manufacturing data into a strategic asset, enabling companies to not only navigate but thrive amidst increasing product complexity. By providing unparalleled visibility and intuitive access to unified data, CADDi empowers teams to make faster, more informed decisions, fostering innovation, reducing costs, and ultimately enhancing competitive advantage.To see how CADDi can transform your manufacturing operations, explore our <a href="https://us.caddi.com/product-tour?utm_source=Website-Referral&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_content=Blog&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_term=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">interactive product tour</a> or <a href="https://us.caddi.com/demo-request?utm_source=Website-Referral&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_content=Demo&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_term=blog" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">book a personalized demo</a>.

Overcoming CAD File Interoperability Issues in Manufacturing Design: Unlocking the Data Lake

And why do we love it at CADDi?The American Medical Device Summit (AMDS) is a conference that brings together leadership from top medical device companies to find opportunities for innovation and collaboration. CADDi was fortunate enough to attend the 12th annual conference in our home of Chicago, and we’re looking forward to supporting the conference in the future.

The AMDS states four key themes of the summit that they aim to achieve:<h3>Design</h3>The AMDS seeks to improve design of new medical devices by sharing cultural best practices at the summit. Regardless of what a company specializes in, philosophy around design elements like revision, change management, and collaboration have the same goals. The AMDS seeks to provide an opportunity for leaders to discuss how they each address these challenges and collaboratively come up with new solutions.<h3>Product Development</h3>The medical device industry moves fast. As new technology emerges, there are always applications in improving treatment plans. Understanding how to transform new technologies into new products is a major challenge facing every medical device company. AMDS understands that the best way to move fast is to collaborate. Specialists in different fields can cross-reference new opportunities to each come up with new products in their areas.<h3>Quality and Regulatory</h3>Another shared challenge by everyone in the medical device space is navigating regulatory bodies. These policies are necessary to ensure safety and consistency in treatment, but can slow down opportunities for innovation if managed improperly. Exactly what testing is required, what forms need to be submitted to who, and other tasks change year by year in response to new technologies and findings. The American Medical Device Summit brings together those facing these same challenges to share information and processes.<h3>Innovation</h3>Perhaps the most impactful outcome of the AMDS is providing opportunities to innovate on wholly new technologies. Each participant has different perspectives on what new technologies are worth exploring and to what ends. By collaborating across different industry areas, completely novel uses can be hypothesized and explored.

The AMDS facilitates these goals with a variety of activities, including:‍<ul><li>Expert speakers providing sessions on their specializations, to share best practices and stimulate discussion</li><li>Meeting opportunities bringing together leaders across businesses to collaborate and innovate</li><li>Showroom floors where sponsors can show off new products to help device manufacturers</li><li>“Marketing 365”, a trademarked marketing program that allows invitees to share valuable knowledge via blog posts and other content</li><li>Invitee catalog that organizes business intelligence to help you make valuable connections</li></ul>

CADDi and AMDS align on many goals in elevating manufacturing intelligence. We recognize that in fast-moving, ever-changing industries like medical device manufacturing, there are sometimes conflicting goals. You need to constantly innovate new products while meeting rigorous regulatory requirements. At the same time, improving speed to market is a massive priority. Not only does the first mover have a big advantage, sometimes lives are on the line when new devices are delayed.‍To all of these ends, we developed CADDi to make innovation and collaboration more efficient. Iterating on products to meet standards is much easier when you can easily retrieve past designs. These days, the most excess time in bringing a new product to market isn’t in physical production or shipping, which have each been already optimized. Instead, the best time savings are in data-based decision-making, like sourcing component parts, revising designs, and estimating costs. These are the areas CADDi seeks to improve in speed and consistency.‍The more you can improve the efficiency of design and collaboration, the more innovative and experimental you can be. CADDi empowers the spirit of AMDS in software with our best-in-class innovative features.‍See it all in action by <a href="https://us.caddi.com/demo-request?utm_source=Website-Referral&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_content=Demo&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_term=blog" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">checking out a demo</a> or walking through our <a href="https://us.caddi.com/product-tour?utm_source=Website-Referral&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_content=Blog&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_term=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">interactive experience</a>.

American Medical Device Summit - Why CADDi Loves AMDS

If speed to market is such an impactful factor for business success, what stops companies from improving it? Often, it’s because they’ve misunderstood what parts of the production timeline can be most impactfully improved.In the broadest terms, the steps of taking a product from conception to availability for purchase can be classified as “physical” or “digital”. Designing the product, determining specifications, sourcing the component parts, and pricing it and listing it for sale are all examples of digital steps (although sometimes these are still completed with physical resources). Molding, assembling, tempering, coating, and transporting the product are examples of physical steps.Generally speaking, it’s easier to understand the time costs of physical steps than digital steps. They’re more consistent and observable – a machine will complete a job in a predictable time every time, and it’s unambiguous when it’s finished. Compare that to something like procuring component parts, which could take wildly different times per project, often ends at an ambiguous stage of “good enough”, and may require revisiting several times.Accordingly, companies often focus on time-saving for the physical steps. The improvements are more obvious, justifying the investment: if you spend some amount of money upgrading a machine to complete jobs some number of minutes faster, you can calculate exactly how much that improves your time to market.Because of that focus, many of the most impactful improvements to the physical process have already been made, by both your company and your competitors. Due to the expertise and diligence of shop management, American manufacturing is already very advanced on the physical side. Spending more in this area will have diminishing returns. Instead, the most impactful improvements remain in the digital process, where recent innovations have opened up massive opportunities for acceleration.

Manufacturing professionals already understand that their digital process contains unnecessary slowdowns. Our surveying revealed many internal data issues that procurement professionals, salespeople, and engineers all identified as consistent causes of slowdowns. For example:<ul><li>55% of procurement professionals say that access to every part in inventory plus historical data would lead to faster collaboration with engineering and faster product development</li><li>59% said that such data would reduce the risk of defects and faulty parts</li><li>67% of engineers said access to performance data of other projects would lead to faster designs</li><li>63% of engineers said data connecting design choices to production costs would accelerate the process</li></ul>Right now, data to answer these questions likely does exist somewhere in your systems. However, it’s likely scattered across several programs, requiring manual cross-reference and tedious searching. If finding data that saves time itself takes a lot of time, you’re not making any improvements.Another major slowdown for speed to market is in having to rebuy parts that don’t match specifications. When asking procurement professionals, we found that 77% of respondents have to find a new part, product, or supplier because the first purchase didn’t meet engineering specifications. This is a hugely expensive delay, basically sending you back to square one in the worst cases. Like many other slowdowns, it all stems from crucial information remaining in silos and not being available fast or consistently enough.

For most of manufacturing history, these types of slowdowns were an unpleasant inevitability. Tracking down needed data first meant phone calls to someone who would dig through a filing cabinet for you and then ship over a tube full of drawings. Then we got fax machines, email addresses, spreadsheets, and CAD tools. Each step created a bit more efficiency, but still required manual searching and cross-referencing that bogged things down.In recent years, however, new modes of interacting with data have emerged from technologies such as machine vision and natural language processing. Instead of needing to memorize specific IDs or inconsistent labels, this new technology can find data through intuitive metrics.For example, let’s say you’re trying to find an older design for bearing with 8 flanges and a square inner hole to reference for a new procurement order. You’d either need to know the specific ID number for the part you’re looking for, or scroll through endless drawings tagged “bearing”. With new technology, like our software CADDi, you can just make a quick sketch of what you’re looking for and search by design similarity.With this fast and intuitive searching, many sources of slowdowns can be mitigated or eliminated. Costly errors, such as procuring parts that don’t meet specifications, can be avoided. This increase in speed compounds, as engineers and procurement professionals who aren’t bogged down by simply finding the data have more time to analyze the data. That means more procurement consolidation leading to faster turnaround, and better quality designs that can be built more efficiently.Meeting the market’s need for any given product is a race. Make sure you’re quick off the starting line by having the data you need easily at hand. <a href="https://us.caddi.com/demo-request" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Check out a demo</a> or <a href="https://us.caddi.com/product-tour?utm_source=Website-Referral&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_content=Blog&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_term=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">walk through our interactive tour</a> to see how CADDi can do this for you.&nbsp;

Accelerating Speed to Market

Fixture design is a crucial aspect of manufacturing and fabrication processes. A fixture refers to a workholding device that rigidly holds a workpiece in position during manufacturing operations such as machining, welding, assembly, or inspection. Proper fixture design ensures accuracy, precision, safety and efficiency in production.Fixtures play a vital role in holding workpieces securely and accurately in relation to the cutting tool or measuring device. This minimizes errors, prevents damage to the workpiece, and results in consistent and high-quality finished products. Additionally, fixtures reduce labor time by eliminating the need to manually position and clamp the workpiece for each operation. The fixture designer must have in-depth knowledge of manufacturing processes, materials, and quality control to create effective fixtures suited to the particular workpiece and fabrication methods.

Accuracy and precision are primary goals in fixture design. The fixture must securely hold the workpiece in the correct orientation and position for the machining operations to produce parts to precise specifications. Any movement or vibration during machining will negatively impact tolerances.Operator safety is also a key consideration. The fixture design should eliminate pinch points and sharp edges. It must prevent the workpiece from slipping or coming loose to avoid potential operator injury.Ease of operation goes hand-in-hand with safety. The fixtures should allow quick, ergonomic loading and unloading of workpieces to maximize productivity. Simple, mistake-proof designs help reduce cycle times. Easy access for measurement and inspection is also important.Well-designed fixtures make it effortless for the operator to repeatedly position workpieces accurately. This results in higher quality parts produced faster and more safely.

There are three main types of fixtures used in manufacturing:<h3>General fixtures&nbsp;</h3>General fixtures are specially designed devices that firmly secure the workpiece in a set location and orientation, acting as the platform for manufacturing operations. They precisely locate a part in relation to the cutting tool or measuring device. They provide repeatability and interchangeability to facilitate high-volume production. General fixtures impose restraints on the movement of the workpiece, creating stability needed for operations like inspection, welding, assembly, marking or machining.<h3>Jigs</h3>A jig is a type of custom-made tool used to produce identical, interchangeable parts. Jigs provide repeatability, accuracy and interchangeability in the manufacturing process. Jigs securely hold a part and guides the cutting tool. By providing precision and rigidity, jigs produce high quality, uniform products. Jigs are commonly used for repetitive drilling, boring, tapping, reaming, and milling operations.<h3>Mandrels</h3>A mandrel is a tapered or cylindrical shaft used for holding workpieces while manufacturing symmetric parts. Mandrels expand workpiece openings allowing uniform and concentric machining. They provide a firm, stable base for the piece to be shaped around. Mandrels are commonly used in applications like gear manufacturing, metal spinning, and tube bending. They assist in achieving correct shape, size and surface finish.

Effective fixture design requires carefully considering and incorporating key elements that enable the fixture to properly locate, support and hold the workpiece during manufacturing operations. The main elements of fixture design include:<h3>Locating Points</h3><ul><li>Locating points position and locate the workpiece in the correct orientation and alignment for machining and fabrication operations. They are the main reference points for establishing part position.</li><li>3-2-1 location is a common principle used to fully constrain a part with a minimum number of points. It involves 3 points to locate the part’s position along the X, Y and Z axes, 2 points to locate orientation around the Z axis, and 1 point to prevent rotation around the X and Y axes.</li><li>Locating points are positioned to contact the machined surfaces of the part, not the raw stock surfaces.</li><li>They should be as close to the cutting tool area as possible to maximize accuracy and rigidity.</li></ul><h3>Clamping Devices</h3><ul><li>Clamps apply forces to rigidly hold the workpiece against the locating points and prevent movement during cutting, drilling and other operations.&nbsp;</li><li>Different types of clamps include strap clamps, wedge clamps, swing clamps, toggle clamps, and hydraulic or pneumatic clamps.</li><li>Clamps must provide adequate force but not apply excessive pressure that can distort the part. Clamp placement is also key.</li><li>Quick-acting clamps allow faster loading and unloading of parts to minimize cycle times.</li></ul><h3>Tool Guiding Elements</h3><ul><li>Tool guides direct and position cutting tools, drill bits, and other implements to ensure they approach the part properly and follow the right machining paths.</li><li>Common tool guiding elements include jigs, fixtures plates, bushes, and tool holders positioned around the workpiece.</li><li>Tool guides provide support very close to the machining operation for maximum accuracy. Their design depends on the type of operation, tools, and optimal approach angles.</li></ul>

When designing fixtures, choosing the right materials is crucial for creating a fixture that can withstand the rigors of manufacturing while keeping costs down. The material used for fixtures must have sufficient strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance.<ul><li>Strength – The fixture must be strong enough to hold the workpiece securely in position without deforming or breaking. The material must have high yield and tensile strength to withstand clamping forces and cutting forces during machining.</li><li>Wear resistance – Fixtures undergo significant wear during use. The points where the workpiece contacts the fixture experience friction that can erode the material over time. Materials that resist wear, like tool steel, can prolong the usable life of the fixture.</li><li>Corrosion resistance – Exposure to coolants, oils, and water can cause fixtures to corrode. Using corrosion-resistant materials like stainless steel helps prevent seizing, sticking, and contamination issues caused by rust buildup.</li></ul>Selecting durable materials that meet the demands of the manufacturing process is key to creating effective, long-lasting fixtures. Strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance should all factor into the decision.

Fixtures are made up of various standard components that work together to securely hold the workpiece. The main components are:<ul><li>Bases – The base provides a foundation for the fixture and is mounted to the machine table. It maintains the overall structure and position of the fixture components. Common bases include plates, angles, t-slots, and cast iron blocks.</li><li>Locators – Locators position and locate the workpiece in the correct orientation within the fixture. Locators only restrain the workpiece in certain degrees of freedom. Common locators include round pins, diamond pins, buttons, edges, and nests.</li><li>Clamps – Clamps apply forces to clamp and hold the workpiece securely against the locators. Common clamps include strap clamps, wedge clamps, eccentric cams, toggle clamps, and hydraulic clamping.</li><li>Other Components – Other standard components include jacks and risers for adjusting the height of the fixture, bushings and liners to adapt parts of the fixture, screws and bolts to hold components together, and stops to position movable components of the fixture.</li></ul>Proper selection and positioning of these standard components is crucial for an effective fixture design. The components must work together to hold the workpiece rigidly without deformation while allowing the necessary machining operations.

The design process for a fixture involves several key steps:<ul><li>Analyze the workpiece – Thoroughly examine the workpiece geometry, required tolerances, amount of material removal needed, and other specifications. This analysis guides decisions on locating points, clamping, and other components.</li><li>Determine locating points – Choose appropriate points on the workpiece to locate it precisely and repeatedly in the fixture. Common locating principles include 3-2-1 location, 6 point location, and divot location.</li><li>Design the clamping system – Select clamps, supports, and pressure mechanisms to securely hold the workpiece without deformation. Consider the forces involved, accessibility for loading/unloading, and potential clamp interference.</li><li>Add other components – Incorporate additional elements as needed for material handling, chip control, lubrication, safety guards, instrumentation, and more. Standardize components when possible.</li><li>Refine and optimize – Evaluate the fixture design via CAD modeling, FEA analysis, machining simulations, and/or prototyping. Refine the design to improve machining performance, safety, longevity, and other factors.</li><li>Documentation – Create detailed drawings, schematics, setup instructions, and specifications to guide fixture fabrication and use on the shop floor. Thorough documentation enables consistent, high-quality fixture replication and operation.</li></ul>

The fixture design field continues to evolve as new technologies emerge. Some key trends shaping the future of fixture design include:<ul><li>Greater automation – To speed up fixture design and manufacturing, more companies are utilizing automated design software and additive manufacturing. This enables faster iteration and adjustments to fixtures.</li><li>Use of new materials – Newer materials like composites and plastics are gaining popularity for fixtures due to their durability, lightweight nature, and ease of manufacture compared to traditional metal fixtures. The use of new materials allows designers more flexibility.</li><li>Focus on flexibility – There is a rising focus on designing modular, adjustable, and flexible fixtures that can accommodate design changes and product variation. Quick change tooling and fixturing allows reconfiguration and adaption for mixed model production.</li></ul>

Overall, fixture design is an integral engineering task that enables mass-production and automation in manufacturing. Correct fixtures directly impact product quality, productivity and costs. Investing in good fixture design ultimately results in significant savings of time, effort and expenses in the long run. This makes fixture design expertise highly valuable in fabrication and machining industries.

Streamlining Manufacturing: How Fixture Design Can Optimize Your Fabrication Process

In this on-demand webinar, Patrick Harrigan, VP of Partnerships at CADDi, and Greg Cunningham, Platform Specialist at IMAGINiT Technologies, deliver a candid game plan for manufacturers ready to unlock the true potential of AI-driven growth. The session cuts to the heart of why most AI initiatives stall — fragmented engineering data, tribal knowledge buried in inboxes, and processes that weren't built to scale — and lays out a practical roadmap to fix it. Watch to learn how to transform legacy engineering data into a competitive advantage, break down silos across design, manufacturing, and supply chain, reduce costly rework, and build the structured data foundation that AI actually requires to succeed. Whether you're just beginning your AI journey or looking to accelerate an existing initiative, this recording gives you actionable steps you can put to work right away.

Greg Cunningham

A Practical Game Plan for AI in Manufacturing: Transforming Legacy Data Into Strategic Insights

This SME Media–hosted webinar (sponsored by CADDi) is a manufacturing outlook discussion built around CADDi’s 2026 Manufacturing Outlook Survey, drawing on responses from ~230 U.S. manufacturing leaders (senior manager through C-suite) across a broad mix of verticals. The presenters, Aaron Lober (VP Marketing, CADDi US), Chris Cope (VP Engineering), and Patrick Harrigan (VP Partnerships), frame 2026 as a year of “winning with fewer people, higher costs, and no margin for error.” They contrast 2025 (described as comparatively stronger investment and expansion) with 2026, where leaders expect to prioritize operational efficiency, ROI discipline, and doubling down on what already works rather than launching big new initiatives. Key themes covered:<ul class=""><li class="">Skilled labor shortage as the top constraint (described as accelerating and now affecting not just the shop floor but also engineering, design, and operations), driving companies to focus on hiring/training/retention and tools that help newer employees ramp faster using institutional knowledge.</li><li class="">AI adoption is widespread but uneven: many manufacturers have tried pilots, some failed to deliver ROI, and concerns around data quality and cybersecurity (including risks of uploading proprietary data to public LLMs and “hallucinations” impacting processes) are prominent.</li><li class="">A major quantified inefficiency: employees spend ~1 hour/day searching for parts data, positioning better parts-data access as a lever for large productivity gains.</li><li class="">Practical “fast ROI” opportunities emphasized include design/part reuse (framed as one of the highest-impact decisions), better engineering–procurement collaboration, and reducing friction caused by siloed systems of record (PLM/PDM vs ERP, etc.), which limit context-sharing and cause rework.</li><li class="">The webinar closes with actionable guidance: start with business problems and ROI targets, not tools, run cross-functional ideation/stack-ranking to find high-value low-effort starting points, and focus on building repeatable, predictable AI workflows (including strong prompting practices) rather than “trying AI and seeing what happens.”</li></ul> Overall, it’s a strategy-and-practice session aimed at manufacturing leaders looking for near-term operational wins, especially by leveraging existing design and supplier knowledge, while navigating 2026 headwinds like labor scarcity, cost pressure, and policy uncertainty. Access the on-demand recording today.

The 2026 Manufacturing Outlook: How Leaders are Investing, Adapting, and Competing

Manufacturers are facing a silent crisis: decades of institutional knowledge are walking out the door as experienced engineers retire, turnover rises, and supplier ecosystems shift. At the same time, teams are drowning in unstructured files — drawings, quotes, QC reports, and tribal process notes — making it harder than ever to reuse past work, avoid repeat mistakes, and train new talent. AI has the power to reverse this trend — not by replacing experts, but by capturing, structuring, and amplifying their knowledge across engineering, procurement, and operations. Join CADDi’s VP of Partnerships Patrick Harrigan and CADDi’s VP of Engineering Chris Cope for a deep-dive discussion on: You Will Learn<ul class=""><li class="">Why knowledge attrition is the #1 hidden cost in manufacturing transformation</li><li class="">How AI is being applied today to digitize, structure, and unlock legacy engineering + supplier data</li><li class="">Real examples of teams using AI to speed RFQs, avoid repeat quality issues, and ramp new engineers faster</li><li class="">Frameworks for evaluating AI tools that support — not disrupt — your workforce</li><li class="">A practical roadmap to start preserving expertise before it's gone</li></ul> This session is designed for forward-thinking manufacturing leaders who want to future-proof their organizations and empower their teams — not replace them. Watch this webinar today!

Preserving Manufacturing Expertise in an AI Era

American manufacturing has been on a negative trajectory for the last half century. In the last 20 years alone, 30% of Americas small and midsized manufacturers have been absorbed by larger competitors or gone out of business. Trade policy alone isn't enough to save the American Manufacturer. To dominate the 21st century, American Manufacturers need to innovate faster than ever before. Fortunately a fresh crop of leading innovators in this new AI-powered era is beginning to emerge. We're here to bring you their stories. Consolidating components purchasing across a global supply chain. Speeding up DFM to get products to market faster. Enforcing reuse to avoid unnecessary duplication and carrying costs. These are just a few of the success stories that CADDi customers have pioneered over the last year. We're here to deep dive some of these for you. The CADDi team will get under the hood on approaches used by our top customers so you can deploy them in your own business. Don't miss this chance to grab the AI-enabled playbooks that are making companies like, Subaru, Kawasaki, Dairy Conveyor Corp, Denso, Ebara, and others so successful at improving QCD.

Designing a Smarter Manufacturing Sector

The webinar is now available on demand!Discover how manufacturing leaders are transforming enterprise data, breaking down silos to create systems of insight that drive competitive advantage. Learn how AI is helping manufacturers navigate tariff impacts with data-driven domestic sourcing strategies that offset rising costs. See how AI-powered workflows streamline engineering and supply chain processes, enabling intelligent design reuse and faster access to critical data. Explore how data becomes a strategic advantage for high-mix, low-volume manufacturers—driving rapid, accurate quotes and operational efficiency. Find out how AI is helping manufacturers manage cost volatility by optimizing supplier negotiations and uncovering hidden savings opportunities.Watch the webinar anytime, on demand!

From Tribal Knowledge to AI Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Power of Your Manufacturing Data

Unlock the Power of Your Manufacturing Data – On DemandYour legacy drawings, machine logs, and “tribal knowledge” hold a goldmine of insights—if you know how to use them. In this on-demand webinar, manufacturing leaders reveal how AI is transforming unstructured data into actionable insights, faster decision-making, and measurable business results. Watch now to learn how to:<ul class=""><li class="">Turn fragmented data into a complete digital foundation</li><li class="">Empower your team with AI-powered search and insights</li><li class="">Reduce costs, speed time-to-market, and optimize supplier relationships</li></ul>

Philip Carpenito

Preparing Manufacturing for the AI Revolution

In this IMTS+ webinar with AMT and CADDi, Cathy Ma moderates a discussion between Aaron Lober and Philip Carpenito on how AI and data can assist manufacturers in managing tariff disruptions. With 86% of recent survey respondents experiencing increased costs due to tariffs, experts emphasize the importance of AI as a productivity multiplier in manufacturing. Aaron and Philip highlight the need for better data harmonization and the potential of AI in optimizing procurement processes. The conversation also stresses the significance of collaboration between OEMs and suppliers, particularly for smaller manufacturers who must adapt quickly to remain competitive. Ultimately, U.S. manufacturers must adopt AI tools to enhance operational efficiency and navigate the complexities of the current manufacturing landscape.

Cathy Ma

IMTS+ Webinar: Smarter Supply Chains

The rules of global trade have changed once again. Following the April 2025 announcement of sweeping tariffs— including a baseline 10% on all trading partners and reciprocal measures targeting China—manufacturers are under urgent pressure to stabilize costs, reduce lead times, and maintain profitability. This expert panel unpacks the true scope of the tariff impact— not just on material costs, but on customs delays, regulatory uncertainty, and strategic sourcing decisions. More importantly, we explore how manufacturers can leverage their own data and new AI-driven tools to stay ahead. Hosted by Aaron Lober, VP of Marketing at CADDi, the panel features Yushiro Kato, CEO of CADDi, and Patrick Harrigan, CADDi’s VP of Partnerships, in a candid discussion about real solutions for:<ul class=""><li class="">Reducing supplier risk and discovering new partners onshore</li><li class="">Identifying design-driven cost savings opportunities</li><li class="">Avoiding customs gridlock and overpayments</li><li class="">Building a resilient, adaptive supply chain strategy</li></ul> This session is ideal for VP- and C-level leaders in manufacturing, supply chain, and procurement who are AI-curious and looking to gain a strategic edge in uncertain times. We’ll close with a brief look at how CADDi is already helping U.S. manufacturers stabilize costs and simplify sourcing across borders.

How Manufacturers Can Stabilize Supply Chain Costs in a Volatile Tariff Landscape

CADDi leverages AI to digitize drawings and procurement data, making manufacturing insights searchable by shape, text, dimensions and part names.