TECHNOA Releases Ver. 3.3 of AI Similar Drawing Search with Hybrid Shape and Text Search

TECHNOA Inc. (Head office: Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture; President and Representative Director: Koji Yamazaki) released version 3.3 of AI Similar Drawing Search, equipped with hybrid search for shapes and text, on May 1, 2026. The new version improves the convenience of drawing use and information sharing on manufacturing floors. It adds functions that allow on-site recording, sharing, and reference to be completed in one workflow, further strengthening the product’s role as a drawing-centered knowledge and information sharing platform. The development background is to take on-site technical information sharing, centered on drawings, to the next stage. While many small and medium-sized manufacturers are steadily digitizing operations through production management systems, there are still many situations where workers must check paper documents or go back and forth to the office to reference drawings, past technical knowledge, inspection results, and defect reports. This version upgrade focuses on smoother information sharing in manufacturing sites with drawings as the core. It enables workers to quickly retrieve necessary information on site and also record and share insights as they arise. In AI Similar Drawing Search, users can link and manage notes, photos, PDFs, and other related files with drawings, supporting centralized use of information starting from each drawing. Key new functions include immediate access to related documents from QR codes on work instructions. By scanning a QR code with a smartphone or tablet, workers can view drawings, past inspection results, defect reports, and other related documents on the spot. This reduces the need to return to the office and allows workers to confirm previous cautions before starting work, helping prevent rework and streamline operations. The new version also supports direct registration of photos and videos from the shop floor. Through the screen opened from the QR code, workers can record and share on-site conditions immediately. For example, when a defect occurs, the affected area can be photographed with a smartphone and saved by drawing. Managers can understand the situation without going to the site, enabling faster decisions and instructions. Processing tips and finished conditions can also be saved as videos or photos and used as living assets for reference when similar jobs occur later. Additional productivity improvements for both the shop floor and office include support for managing multi-page PDFs by page at registration, bulk downloading of related documents linked to drawings, and direct browser printing from the preview screen. Looking ahead, AI Similar Drawing Search will continue evolving beyond a drawing storage tool into a knowledge platform that supports on-site decision-making. With this upgrade, work instructions in production management systems can serve as an information gateway, making previously buried knowledge usable on the shop floor. TECHNOA aims to establish a cycle for turning on-site insights into digital assets and contribute to technical knowledge transfer and productivity improvement among small and medium-sized manufacturers.