YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Hynes Industries has been recognized for its use of artificial intelligence to automate quality inspections of manufactured parts.
The Youngstown-based company was one of seven businesses honored in the AI Implementers category of the AI Impact Forum awards, presented Aug. 27 by Cleveland-based Smart Business. The category recognizes organizations using AI in their operations to produce measurable results.
Hynes, a manufacturer of custom roll-formed and fabricated metal components, was recognized for developing an automated, vision-based inspection system that checks every tight-tolerance part coming off a production line.
The system replaced a manual process in which trained operators used handheld tools to measure parts. That process required two to three minutes per part and two to three employees per shift.
Hynes’ system uses multiple cameras and lasers to inspect perpendicularity, hole placement, dimensional tolerances and feature geometry in real time. Inspections take 15 to 20 seconds per part, reducing inspection time by more than 85%.
Parts that meet specifications are automatically sent to palletizing robots. Parts that fail inspection are flagged for rework, while quality data are recorded for each inspection cycle.
“For a hundred years, Hynes has built its reputation by solving the problems other manufacturers walk away from,” said Rick Organ, president and CEO of Hynes Industries. “This recognition tells us that same instinct – engineer toward the hard answer – is exactly what it takes to make artificial intelligence actually work in a meaningful way on a factory floor.”
The inspection system is part of a broader data and AI infrastructure Hynes has developed across its operations.
The company also uses sensors to monitor production equipment. According to Hynes, the technology can provide up to two hours of advance warning before an unplanned downtime event. Large language model tools also are being used to help supervisors identify patterns in shift and production data.
Hynes hired a data analytics professional to develop and manage the platform.
The company operates facilities in Youngstown and Painesville, Ohio, and Kokomo, Ind. It serves customers in the truck-trailer, data center, automated material handling, solar energy and commercial-industrial markets.
Pictured at top: Hynes Industries data analyst Keerthana Mallavarapu accepting the award from Joanna Reese of Smart Business.