Not every new manufacturing project needs to reinvent the wheel. In fact, by using the resources manufacturers already have, companies can save both time and money. The key? Using historical data.

In this episode, we sit down with Yushiro Kato, Founder and CEO of CADDi, a company that helps manufacturers unlock the potential of their historical data. Yushiro gives us his backstory before he built CADDi and shares the unique learnings he picked up along the way.

We hear how CADDi’s innovative solutions can streamline operations and reduce costs in procurement and engineering processes. Throughout the episode, Yushiro champions centralized data systems that allow engineers to easily access and reuse past drawings, simplifying supply chains.

Yushiro also highlights the unique challenges of managing a company that spans multiple countries and continents. We hear about some of the key differences in job and skill specialization between the U.S. and Japan, while we sip sake and talk ramen.

In this episode, find out:

• Yushiro explains his entrepreneurial backstory and early experience at McKinsey & Company
• Why seeing the global pain points facing manufacturing inspired Yushiro to build CADDi
• Why so many entrepreneurs come from McKinsey
• How CADDi was founded on the idea of finding solutions in historical records
• Why we don’t see many manufacturing leaders using data to be more competitive
• How democratization of data can be used to empower people at all levels of seniority
• What frontline empowerment in manufacturing looks like
• Yushiro explains the first big issue that needs to be solved in manufacturing
• What it’s like being a CEO for a company that spans five countries

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Tweetable Quotes:

• “Engineers tend to create new drawings over and over again. But why don't you leverage past data if they're mostly identical drawings in the past?”
• “There are a lot of data-related systems in place... but the systems do not really talk to each other. If you want to leverage the data in the past, you need to search across multiple systems, which is super time-consuming.”
• “Jobs are more specialized in the U.S. than Japan. So for example, in marketing, there are a lot of marketers - digital marketers, offline marketers, content marketers. In Japan, they're more generalists because they tend to be in the same company for longer."

Links & mentions:

• CADDi Drawer, a company that helps manufacturers unlock the potential of their historical data
• RAMEN-SAN, a neighborhood noodle joint that slings hot broth, ice-cold beer, and the best '90s hip-hop in Chicago, with multiple locations including River North

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.