BOM Automation

How one industrial distributor stopped pricing by memory across hundreds of local companies

Outcome

Take-off time

30 sec

Estimator time freed

~25 hrsevery week

Drawings processed

~50every week

The Problem

Estimators built every Bill of Materials manually by reading CAD and PDF drawings, counting fixtures and fittings, and measuring pipe and cable runs sheet by sheet. Each drawing took around 30 minutes, with results varying between estimators and missed items sometimes making it into quotes.

What We Understood First

The Work Was Highly Manual

Estimators spent most of their time reading drawings, counting fixtures, measuring runs, and searching catalogs instead of reviewing the quote.

Every Drawing Had to Be Read Sheet by Sheet

CAD and PDF drawings came in different formats and levels of quality, making take-offs dependent on careful manual interpretation.

Symbols Rarely Matched Catalog Names

The same material could appear as a drawing symbol, description, or catalog item, making part matching a repetitive and time-consuming task.

Accuracy Depended on the Estimator

Missed items and inconsistent results often came from volume and fatigue, rather than a lack of estimating knowledge.

The Goal Was to Support Judgment, Not Replace It

Estimators still needed to review and approve the final Bill of Materials. The system needed to handle the repetitive work while keeping people in control.

Solution

Automated drawing analysis

Reads CAD and PDF drawings to detect symbols, fixtures, fittings, and measurable line runs.

Automated Bill of Materials

Turns drawing data into a complete draft Bill of Materials in seconds, instead of requiring manual counting.

Intelligent catalog matching

Matches detected materials to the internal catalog, even when drawing labels and catalog names differ.

Human review built in

Gives estimators a live BoM they can review, edit, and approve before it moves into the quoting process.

What We Didn’t Automate

The final judgment stays with the estimator.

The system handles the repetitive work of reading drawings, identifying materials, and matching them to the catalog. Estimators still review, edit, and approve the Bill of Materials before it moves into the quote.

What Changed

25×

FASTER TAKE-OFFS

30 minutes → 30 seconds per drawing

~25 hrs

ESTIMATOR TIME FREED

Roughly 25 estimator-hours reclaimed every week

“Estimators get their time back to review the work, make the call, and move the quote forward.”

~50 DRAWINGS PROCESSED WEEKLYWith complete, catalog-linked Bills of Materials ready for review.

What this translates to

From manual take-offs to faster, more consistent quoting.

FASTER QUOTES

Estimators can move from drawings to a review-ready BoM in seconds.

CONSISTENT ESTIMATES

Every drawing follows the same detection, matching, and review process.

MORE TIME FOR JUDGMENT

Estimators spend less time counting and more time checking, deciding, and quoting.

Tensions Worth Naming

TENSION 01

Speed without losing control.

Manual take-offs were slow, but estimators still needed visibility into what was being counted and matched. The system had to accelerate the work without removing the estimator from the process.

TENSION 02

Automation without sacrificing accuracy.

Drawings arrived in different formats and quality, and symbols did not always match catalog names. The system needed to handle the repetitive work while leaving uncertain matches for human review.

If you are facing this too

The Principle

Talk to us

Automate the information, not the decision.

Give estimators the complete drawing data, material matches, and a review-ready Bill of Materials. Let them make the final call.

INFORMATION → AUTOMATEDJUDGMENT → HUMAN

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