How Desmarais & Gagné Cut Estimation Time by 90% with AI
Desmarais & Gagné is a Quebec-based steel manufacturer. Each bid required a senior estimator to manually analyze 2D plans, identify materials, calculate quantities, determine operations, and produce a detailed estimate. OneNine Innovations designed and deployed Estimation AI, an agentic AI system that now does in minutes what used to take days.
95%+
Extraction Accuracy
90%
Time Reduction
Minutes
Instead of Days
3x
More Bids/Month
100%
Client Satisfaction
Challenge
Every bid at Desmarais & Gagné required a senior estimator to manually analyze 2D plans, identify each material, calculate quantities, determine operations (cutting, drilling, welding, bending), and produce a detailed cost estimate. This process created three major bottlenecks that limited the company's growth.
Excessive Time
Each estimate took between 5 and 30 hours depending on project complexity. A senior estimator could be tied up on a single bid for days.
Limited Capacity
The estimation bottleneck limited the number of bids possible per month, which meant missed contracts and lost revenue.
Human Error Risk
Forgotten materials or operations translated into eroded margins or lost bids. Manual processes left room for costly mistakes.
Solution
OneNine Innovations designed and deployed Estimation AI, an agentic artificial intelligence system capable of reading 2D plans and automatically generating complete estimates. The system performs in minutes what used to take hours.
2D Plan Reading & Analysis
Using OCR and Vision AI, the system reads and interprets 2D technical drawings, extracting all relevant information automatically.
Automatic Material Extraction
Materials, geometries, quantities, holes, radii, and welds are automatically extracted from the plans with over 95% accuracy.
Operation Identification
The AI identifies all required operations — cutting, drilling, bending, welding, and assembly — based on the plan specifications.
Detailed Estimate Generation
A complete estimate is generated with costs broken down by operation, giving the team full visibility into pricing.
ERP Integration
The solution integrates with existing ERP systems (Genius ERP) to convert AI-generated estimates directly into client proposals.
Result
From day one, the Desmarais & Gagné team saw transformational results. The AI system fundamentally changed how they approach estimation and bidding.
Bid on Previously Impossible Projects
The team can now submit bids on projects they previously had to turn down due to time constraints.
Senior Estimator Freed for Strategic Work
With routine estimation automated, the senior estimator now focuses on high-value strategic tasks and client relationships.
Reduced Errors, Protected Margins
Automated extraction eliminates forgotten materials and operations, protecting profit margins on every project.
Diversification Opportunities
With newfound capacity, the company can now explore diversification into other industries such as windows and aluminum.