The client Stevens Industries is the largest manufacturer of commercial casework and architectural millwork in the United States. Known for excellence in producing high-quality, customized solutions. The Business Goal Stevens Industries needed a solution to streamline document-heavy workflows, specifically aimed at efficiently navigating and extracting critical data from extensive PDF specifications. Employees spent significant time manually processing documents—searching, interpreting, and extracting crucial information, resulting in workflow bottlenecks during bid preparations and material evaluations. The AI Agent Goal The objective was to implement an AI-powered system capable of rapidly and accurately extracting information from PDFs, structured using a construction industry standard known as Master Format. The solution needed to significantly reduce document processing time, increase data extraction accuracy, simplify interaction, and easily adapt to changing project specifications. The AI Agent was built to quickly surface key information from large PDF files — up to 500MB — by separating specification pages from drawings and focusing only on what matters. It aimed to reduce the time and errors involved in manual searches, make it simple for users to interact with the system and give feedback, and stay flexible enough to adapt to new document formats and project needs in the future.
AI system that speeds up search, improves accuracy, and adapts with user feedback. Time Savings — Substantially decreased the time users spent searching and extracting key details. A process step that used to take upwards of 30 minutes now takes less than 30 seconds. Enhanced Accuracy — The AI provided context-based answers, meaning it understood exactly what users were looking for in the documents. This significantly reduced the errors people usually make when manually searching through lengthy PDFs. Scalability — The AI Agent can easily be updated or expanded. For example, if Stevens Industries starts working with different types of documents or needs to find new kinds of information, the system can be quickly adjusted without requiring major technical changes or costly redevelopment. User Empowerment — An intuitive interface, transparent traceability of information, export functionality (CSV files) significantly enhanced user satisfaction and allows for automated workflow connections. Built-in feedback loop — The system evolves through user interaction, reducing maintenance cost and increasing long-term accuracy.
Discovery Phase: 3 Key Stages We broke the project into three clear stages to keep things focused and manageable. Each step helped us move from understanding the problem to building the solution — and planning what’s next
Problem Analysis & Project Scoping We began by closely examining Stevens Industries’ document workflows through collaborative workshops. The team analyzed sample PDFs and clearly identified challenges, workflow bottlenecks, and frequent tasks. We then finalized the project’s objectives, identifying exactly how the AI Agent would solve key business problems.
AI Agent Development & Deployment During this stage, we built the AI Agent’s user interface using React, and developed the backend with Python (FastAPI). We designed and optimized precise prompts that allowed the AI to accurately understand and extract important details from the PDFs. We also included tools that allowed Stevens Industries’ admins to easily manage and update the types of questions asked and how the AI searches through documents. After testing and validation, we deployed the AI Agent into the client’s workflow.
Next Steps: Detection Model Feasibility Tests In the upcoming phase, the team will investigate more advanced AI capabilities, particularly the feasibility of automatically identifying relevant document sections without predefined MasterFormat codes. We will also explore additional AI models for continuous improvements in speed, accuracy, and operational efficiency.
Deliverables: Custom AI solution with a user-friendly interface, admin control, transparent validation, and full documentation—seamlessly integrated into Stevens Industries’ workflow.
How does the AI agent work? The AI agent analyzes documents, understands user queries, and returns precise answers with source references — all through a simple interface.
