Replicating Expert Estimation Skills with AI: Speee Releases 'Budii' Case Study for Painting Shops

Speee Inc. has released a case study of a painting shop that successfully transformed its business operations by utilizing the 'automatic opening detection' (windows, entrances, vents, etc.) feature in the AI area estimation function of 'Budii,' an all-in-one app for painting contractors.

Estimating for exterior wall painting requires understanding building structures from elevation drawings and accurately subtracting openings while applying complex calculations like slope coefficients. This task, often referred to as 'specialized tacit knowledge' that takes 2-3 years to master, is a major challenge in the painting industry. This case study demonstrates a real-world transformation where the adoption of Budii enabled the replication of expert tacit knowledge via AI, facilitating task delegation to inexperienced administrative staff and achieving significant time reduction.

Budii provides an environment where even newcomers can calculate painting areas by part in as little as 10 minutes by simply uploading elevation drawings, which the AI then analyzes to automatically determine painting areas and openings. It transforms estimation, a task previously dependent on skilled craftsmen, into a simple task that anyone can handle.

■ Practical Example: 'How a painting shop that relied on Excel and calculators compressed estimation time to 15 minutes with AI'

Company C, which operates a painting business in the eastern Japan area with 4-5 sales staff and 2 administrative staff, previously calculated exterior wall areas by hand while looking at elevation drawings, subtracting openings one by one with a calculator. This task could only be done by one veteran with 10 years of experience. Estimations took 30 minutes to an hour per project, and during peak seasons, staff had to work through holidays or at home late at night after finishing on-site work.

After adopting Budii, since the AI automatically detects openings just by uploading elevation drawings, estimation time, which previously took 30 minutes to an hour, has been reduced to about 15 minutes.

The biggest change is not just the time saved, but that estimation work, which was previously concentrated on the 10-year veteran, can now be handled by administrative staff. Because administrative staff can proceed with estimations before the sales staff returns from on-site surveys, the number of cases where quotes can be presented on the same day has increased significantly, leading to strengthened sales capabilities.

■ Why is 'AI-driven estimation' necessary in the painting industry now?

There are two structural issues with estimation work in the painting industry: 'it takes too much time' and 'there are large discrepancies between companies.' Budii provides business infrastructure that solves both simultaneously.

Challenge 1: Estimation requires expertise and cannot be done by newcomers
Painting estimation is a task that involves grasping building structures from elevation drawings, applying complex calculations like slope coefficients, and calculating painting areas for each part. If unfamiliar, it can take hours per project, and since newcomers or mid-career hires cannot produce accurate estimations, it is not uncommon for a single veteran, such as a boss or president, to be in charge of all estimations for all properties. Specialized tacit estimation skills are a bottleneck for sales productivity in painting shops.

Challenge 2: Estimations vary between companies, making it difficult for clients to compare
Standardization of estimation has not progressed in the painting industry, and quotation quantities and their basis vary greatly between companies. According to interviews conducted by Speee with homeowners, many said things like, 'I got multiple quotes, but the painting area figures were different for each company, so I couldn't judge which was correct' or 'I didn't know the basis for the quotes, so I was anxious.' By combining years of experience with AI-standardized estimation tools, painting shops can present the basis for their estimations to homeowners and gain trust in fair pricing.

■ What is the AI Area Estimation provided by Budii?

Budii is an all-in-one app that completes all functions necessary for painting sales on a single smartphone. In particular, AI area estimation is AI technology designed specifically for painting, calculated from the business structure unique to the painting industry.

- Easily calculate painting areas with AI drawing analysis
By simply uploading elevation drawings, the AI analyzes the exterior wall shape of the building and automatically calculates painting areas for each part. The AI automatically identifies openings such as windows, entrances, and vents, completing the subtraction from the painting area automatically.

- Reflect calculated results directly into quotes
Estimation results are automatically linked to quotation templates without the need for transcription. It becomes possible to complete the process from on-site survey to quote presentation within the same day.

- Transparent estimation basis for clients with standardized estimation logic
Budii provides an environment where painting shops can easily present the basis for their estimations to homeowners, helping them gain trust regarding fair pricing by visualizing the basis for estimations and itemized details by opening and part using standardized estimation logic.