#90: Unleashing Unstructured Data: AI’s Manufacturing Revolution

Stay Sharp in Digital Engineering

In this episode, hosts Juliann Grant and Jonathan Scott are joined by Patrick Harrigan, VP of Partnerships at Caddi, to explore the transformative role of AI in unlocking the potential of unstructured data in manufacturing.

While most conversations in digital engineering focus on structured data—PLM, ERP, and CAD—this episode dives deep into the massive (and often untapped) world of unstructured data: paper documents, legacy drawings, tribal knowledge, and more.

💡 Topics Covered:

• What unstructured data actually means in a manufacturing context
  
• Why up to 80% of valuable data remains unused—and how AI is changing that
  
• The difference between systems of record and systems of insight
  
• How AI is accelerating the conversion of historical documents and tribal knowledge into searchable, useful intelligence
  
• Real-world applications for AI-powered insights—from reducing engineering inefficiencies to improving quality control
  
• What makes manufacturing data uniquely challenging for general AI tools—and how purpose-built platforms are adapting
  
• The future of connected insights across structured and unstructured data domains
  
• Why “agentic AI” and human-in-the-loop workflows matter now more than ever
  

🔧 Key Insight:
AI isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a powerful tool for surfacing decades of buried knowledge and connecting data silos across the digital thread. Whether it’s improving design reuse, surfacing legacy quality fixes, or simply saving engineers from being “librarians,” the potential is vast.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or watch on YouTube.
📩 Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Stay Sharp—and stay curious.

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