Posts

Engineering Amnesia

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  Last week, I came across an article published by ISPE (International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering) on Knowledge Management. It made me think about an equally important challenge faced by pharmaceutical equipment manufacturers. Every engineering project creates valuable knowledge. Design decisions, FAT observations, IQ/OQ activities, commissioning, service visits, CAPAs and troubleshooting all contribute to an organization's engineering expertise. ❓ But here's the question: If the knowledge already exists, why is it still so difficult for engineers to find it when they need it? πŸ”The challenge isn't a lack of knowledge. It's that knowledge is often scattered across CAD repositories, document management systems, ERP, PLM, quality systems, service records and even the experience of senior engineers. 🏭 As pharmaceutical manufacturing moves towards Pharma 4.0, connected engineering knowledge is becoming just as important as connected manufacturing systems. πŸ€–  T...

*Every HVAC project is different. But does that mean we should start from scratch every time? πŸ€”*

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  One of the things I find fascinating about the HVAC industry is that every project brings its own set of challenges. A hospital isn't a hotel. A pharmaceutical plant isn't a data centre. Every customer has different requirements. But here's the paradox. While every project is unique, very few problems are truly new. Over the years, HVAC companies build an incredible repository of engineering knowledge through proposals, drawings, calculations, commissioning reports, service records, and lessons learned. Yet, when a new RFQ arrives, teams often spend hours searching through folders, emails, or simply asking experienced colleagues if they've "seen something like this before." The challenge isn't a lack of knowledge. It's making that knowledge available when it's needed. This is where AI can make a real difference—not by replacing engineers, but by helping them reuse the collective experience of the organisation. Imagine being able to ask: "Hav...

🧠 The Biggest Impact of AI? A Better Starting Point.

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  Over the last few days, there's been a lot of excitement around a UK court case where an AI law firm helped win a legal dispute. Most of the conversation has been about whether AI is replacing lawyers. I think we're asking the wrong question. What caught my attention wasn't just the courtroom victory. It was something much more fundamental. AI changed the starting point. πŸ’‘ Instead of beginning with a blank page, the claimant was able to prepare documents, organise evidence and build a strong foundation before expert legal representation became necessary. That changes the economics of accessing expertise. And that's a pattern we're beginning to see far beyond the legal profession. Whether it's consulting, patents, compliance, accounting or customer support, AI has the potential to make expert services more accessible by reducing the effort needed before the expert steps in. To me, that's the real story behind the headlines, and one that has implications fo...

Haven’t we solved something like this before?

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  πŸ’‘ “Haven’t we solved something like this before?” If you’ve worked in an equipment company where every order becomes a project, this question probably sounds familiar. Yet, despite years of accumulated experience, teams often find themselves recreating proposals, revisiting engineering decisions, and relearning lessons that already exist somewhere — buried in folders, reports, systems, or simply in people’s memories. As organizations grow, knowledge grows too. But the ability to reuse that knowledge efficiently often does not. In my latest article, I explore: πŸ”Ή Why project-driven organizations struggle to reuse knowledge πŸ”Ή The hidden cost of “forgotten expertise” πŸ”Ή How Generative AI is changing the way companies can access and build on their accumulated experience Would love to hear your thoughts — have you seen this challenge in your organization? Further read : https://www.rajashreerajadhyax.com/post/when-every-order-is-a-project-why-is-knowledge-so-hard-to-reuse #Generativ...

πŸ”§ When Field Engineers Need Answers, Not More Manuals

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  Recently, the founder of an Engineer-to-Order (ETO) biotech equipment company shared a common challenge. A custom bioreactor at a pharmaceutical plant suddenly stopped working. The field engineer was on-site, but the error was unusual. Manuals existed. Service notes were available. Yet finding the right solution took multiple calls, discussions, and document searches. πŸ’‘ His observation was simple but powerful: "The challenge is not that we don’t know enough. The challenge is finding the right knowledge quickly enough." This is a reality many field engineers face every day. ⚙️ Valuable troubleshooting knowledge is often: • Stored in people's memories rather than systems • Scattered across manuals, emails, and service records • Difficult to access when time is critical πŸ“Š Modern equipment generates huge amounts of data, but data alone doesn't explain what's happening. Engineers still need context, past experiences, and machine-specific knowledge. πŸ€– This is where...

Moving Beyond the Draft: GenAI in Custom Manufacturing

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  Moving Beyond the Draft: GenAI in Custom Manufacturing In ETO and MTO manufacturing, writing technical manuals is often a slow, manual data hunt. Engineers spend up to 30% of their time just chasing CAD models, ERP data, and supplier sheets. While some claim Generative AI can instantly "write" these manuals, the 2026 reality is much more practical. AI isn't replacing the engineer; it is acting as an automated assistant to handle the heavy lifting. ⚙️ The 70/30 Rule of AI Documentation The AI handles the 70%: It extracts data from CAD and ERP systems, builds the skeleton draft, populates part tables, and translates for global markets. The Human handles the 30%: Experienced engineers provide the critical "human-in-the-loop" expert review, adding the nuanced tribal knowledge that no software can replicate. πŸ’‘ For custom equipment manufacturers, the goal isn't to have completely AI-written manuals. The goal is to eliminate the "documentation tax" and...

AI for Engineering & Design in Made-to-Order Companies ⚙️

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In Made-to-Order (MTO) businesses, engineering teams rarely start from scratch — yet they often spend significant time recreating, modifying and searching for past designs πŸ“. Engineers must work across specifications, drawings, calculations, change requests and documentation while coordinating with multiple teams. Knowledge is usually scattered across files, folders and experienced individuals, making execution slower and harder to scale ⏳. AI can help by acting as an engineering copilot πŸ€–. It can assist in searching past designs, understanding specifications, generating documentation, analysing change impacts and helping teams reuse engineering knowledge more effectively. This can improve both speed and consistency while reducing repetitive effort πŸ“Š. In the next posts, the series will continue exploring how AI can transform other functions in MTO companies πŸš€ #AIForMTO #AIInEngineering #Manufacturing #DigitalTransformation #GenerativeAI

Beyond Search - How AI is Changing Knowledge Management

Our CEO, Devesh Rajadhyax, recently delivered a session titled *“Beyond Search – How AI is Changing Knowledge Management”*, where he explored how Generative AI and Large Language Models are transforming the way organizations discover, manage, and interact with knowledge. The session explored the shift from traditional search-based systems to intelligent, AI-driven knowledge experiences — where users can interact conversationally with enterprise knowledge, uncover insights faster, and make better decisions across functions. As Devesh Rajadhyax noted during the talk, *“What ChatGPT did for individuals is what enterprises have been trying to achieve with Knowledge Management for decades.”* The session examined the limitations of conventional knowledge management approaches and the transformation being driven by the Generative AI era. To illustrate these changes, Devesh presented two contrasting examples — a large engineering enterprise and a small design firm.  At Cere Labs, building ...

AI behind the scenes in Swiggy / Zomato

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We use apps like Zomato  and Swiggy  almost every day. Ordering food has become so easy 😌 that we rarely stop to think about what’s happening in the background ⚙️πŸ€– In this article, I’ve tried to break down where AI quietly works inside these apps—from what you see on the screen πŸ“± to how your food reaches you 🚚 It’s not very technical, just a simple way to look at something we all use πŸ‘ If you get a few minutes ⏳, do have a read: πŸ”— https://www.rajashreerajadhyax.com/post/ai-behind-the-scenes-in-swiggy---zomato If you find it useful, do share it with others as well 🀝✨ #AI  #EverydayAI #FoodDelivery  #Zomato #Swiggy #AIinBusiness #DigitalExperience  

Vibe Working: From Tasks to Intent

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  Vibe Working: From Tasks to Intent “Vibe Working” is one of those terms that sounds fluffy at first… until you realise it’s quietly changing how work actually gets done. We’re moving from task-first to intent-first. Instead of figuring out which tool, which menu, which steps…
you just describe what you want and iterate with AI in a back-and-forth flow. It feels faster. Lighter. More natural. But it also raises some uncomfortable questions: * If work becomes faster, how do we define value? * If AI does the building, are we getting better at reviewing? * Are communication and judgment becoming our real “hard skills”? This isn’t about hype. It’s a shift in how we think about work itself. I’ve put together a short piece breaking this down in a practical way. Here’s the link:  https://www.rajashreerajadhyax.com/post/what-exactly-is-vibe-working-the-new-flow-of-the-modern-workplace Curious—are you seeing this “vibe” in your daily work yet? #AI #FutureOfWork #GenerativeAI #Leadersh...