Modernizing a legacy industrial manufacturer’s digital presence

AutoDrill is a U.S.-based manufacturer of self-feed drilling, tapping, and multi-spindle solutions used in high-volume production environments. Their products are rock-solid. Their website was… historically accurate. My role was to turn decades of engineering knowledge into a modern, scalable, lead-generating Webflow site without dumbing anything down.

Type
Freelance
Client
AutoDrill
Tools
CMS Structuring
Website Migration
Development
Webflow
Web Design
Figma
HTML + CSS
JavaScript
Completed
2024
–
Services
CMS Structuring
Website Migration
Development
Webflow
Web Design
Figma
HTML + CSS
JavaScript

The challenge

AutoDrill’s previous multi-site WordPress setup reflected how the company evolved internally—not how customers think.

  • Fragmented content across regions and product lines
  • Dense, PDF-heavy documentation with little context
  • Hard-to-explain products for non-engineers
  • No clear path from “I have a problem” → “This is the right machine”

In short: excellent machines, unnecessary friction.

My role

Strategy, design, and development (end-to-end)

  • Content architecture & information design
  • Webflow build and CMS modeling
  • SEO structure and technical cleanup
  • Product storytelling for complex industrial equipment
  • Ongoing iteration with sales and engineering

I worked directly with leadership and technical stakeholders—translating tribal knowledge into something customers could actually use.

The solution

1. Single, unified Webflow platform

Migrated a multi-site WordPress environment into one consolidated Webflow site—simpler to manage, faster to load, and easier to extend internationally.

2. Product-centric information architecture

Reorganized the site around how customers buy, not how machines are manufactured:

  • Clear separation between drilling units, tapping units, and multi-spindle heads
  • Use-case driven explanations (cycle time, accuracy, throughput)
  • Reduced reliance on raw manuals as the first touchpoint

Manuals still exist. They’re just no longer doing all the talking.

3. Translating engineering into benefits

Worked through dense technical documentation (some of it older than me) and reframed it into:

  • Scannable product pages
  • Clear differentiation between models
  • Plain-English explanations of why multi-spindle drilling actually saves money

No marketing fluff. Just clarity.

4. SEO & content foundation

Built a clean technical SEO foundation:

  • Logical URL structure
  • Search-aligned product taxonomy
  • Content designed to support long-term thought leadership (not just brochures in HTML form)

Results

While this project is ongoing and iterative, the impact is already clear:

  • Easier sales conversations (less explaining from scratch)
  • Stronger positioning against competitors with flashier—but thinner—sites
  • A platform AutoDrill can grow on without rebuilding every two years
  • Internal confidence that the website finally reflects the quality of the product

Also: fewer emails that start with “Where do I find…”.

Why this project matters

This wasn’t a redesign for aesthetics. It was systems thinking applied to manufacturing:

  • Respect the complexity
  • Reduce the cognitive load
  • Let good engineering speak clearly

Industrial websites don’t need more buzzwords. They need fewer obstacles.

Mission accomplished.