Practical AI: How Cogna Helped OCU Reduce Job Pack Processing Times by 83%

About OCU

OCU leads the way in end-to-end infrastructure engineering in the utilities, digital, and energy markets, specialising in safely and efficiently delivering complex client requirements. 

The Challenge

One of OCU’s most pressing operational challenges was manually processing job packs - a quiet but costly task that consumed significant planner time.

In this context, a job pack is a collection of information essential for planning and executing field-based work. It typically includes Excel files with materials lists, photos, timelines, site details, and safety documentation. OCU handles up to 50,000 of these each year, with varying formats across different workstreams.

Until recently, these packs were reviewed, validated, and manually inserted into scheduling systems - a time-intensive process with potential risk of error. As OCU prepared to onboard 650 new employees, it became clear that the manual approach would no longer be sustainable. A scalable, robust solution was urgently needed.

Partnering with Cogna for a Targeted AI Solution

OCU partnered with Cogna, leveraging their AI capabilities to rapidly develop a custom software solution. OCU defined the workflow, and Cogna delivered a functional system within a matter of weeks.

Cogna delivered an application that:

• Ingests job packs directly from email.

• Understands and processes over 15 Excel formats, including variable-length Bills of Material (BOMs) and embedded images

• Automatically validates and standardises the data

• Pushes structured outputs (including extracting embedded images/overlaid drawing elements along with position data) into the ‘OCU One’ platform via API or direct import

• Flags anomalies for human review - dramatically reducing planner workload

The result? An 83% reduction in job pack processing time - freeing up planners’ capacity as OCU ramped up operations, with support for additional job pack types if required.

Why This Approach Stood Out

What impressed OCU most about Cogna wasn’t just the speed of delivery, but the opportunity to see the custom solution in action before making a major investment. With Cogna, they were able to preview and test the working platform, reducing risk and increasing confidence in their decision.

A Takeaway for Technology Leaders

This case shows that impactful automation doesn’t always require a sweeping, enterprise-wide transformation. By isolating a core constraint and collaborating with Cogna, critical problems can be solved in weeks, not months or years.