Giving Superheroes More Superpowers

About C&K Industrial Solutions

For more than three decades, C&K Industrial Solutions has built a reputation as the team to call when the job is tough. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the company has become the go-to partner for municipalities and engineers across the region who need to inspect and clean pipes — particularly when the work involves large diameter pipelines, difficult bends, or heavy debris. C&K's combination of technical expertise, field experience, and relentless work ethic has made them one of the most trusted names in the business.

But as C&K's reputation grew, so did the demands on their operation. More clients, more projects, and more complexity meant the company needed to find a way to scale their capabilities without sacrificing the quality and reliability that had made them who they are.

The Challenge

C&K's growth was a testament to their excellence — but it also created a problem. Their existing pipe inspection workflow relied on software that required boots on the ground, manual data retrieval, and outdated physical components including VCRs and flash drives. The process was time-intensive, labor-expensive, and increasingly difficult to sustain as the volume of work increased.

“For years, we were who people called when they needed to handle large diameter pipelines, difficult bends, or a lot of debris,” recalls Robert Dean, Operations Manager at C&K. “But as we get busier, we wanted to make sure we’d still stand out as the ones to rely on while speeding up the process.”

The challenge was clear: C&K needed a pipe inspection solution that would allow their team to work more efficiently and at greater scale, without compromising the accuracy and service quality their clients depended on. They needed technology that could match their ambition — and bring their operation fully into the digital age.

The Solution

C&K turned to SewerAI, adopting AutoCode for AI-assisted NASSCO PACP condition coding and the PIONEER platform for inspection data management. The transition from their legacy workflow to SewerAI’s integrated platform was a fundamental shift in how the company operated — and the results were immediate.

What had previously required multiple days of work could now be completed in 20 minutes. The bottlenecks created by manual data entry, physical media retrieval, and fragmented workflows were eliminated. C&K’s team gained instant access to historical inspection data to better plan for upcoming jobs, real-time progress monitoring across active projects, and easy access to all project information through a single digital link.

But the transformation went beyond efficiency. SewerAI’s platform unlocked capabilities that C&K had never been able to offer before.

Results

Multi-Day Inspections Reduced to 20 Minutes

The most dramatic operational improvement was the compression of inspection timelines. Work that had previously consumed multiple days — from footage capture through manual coding and data delivery — was reduced to as little as 20 minutes using AutoCode. For a company managing a full pipeline of client projects, that kind of time savings compounds rapidly across every job, every crew, and every contract.

New Capabilities, New Possibilities

The impact of SewerAI on C&K’s business extended well beyond speed. The platform enabled the company to take on work that would have been impossible under their previous workflow.

“We not only saved hours on end with AutoCode, but we’re able to do work never possible before. We did the deepest structure we’d ever done, and SewerAI helped us create a point cloud model and integrate various pieces, including a drone. It was incredible.”

— Robert Dean, Operations Manager, C&K Industrial Solutions

The ability to integrate drone footage, generate point cloud models, and manage complex multi-component inspections through a single platform positioned C&K as a more capable and competitive partner for their clients — offering services that set them apart in the market.

6x Faster In-Office Assessment

Beyond the field, SewerAI delivered a 6x improvement in in-office sewer assessment and annotation speed. Combined with a 2x increase in daily field production, the platform effectively doubled C&K’s capacity without requiring additional headcount or capital investment. For a growing company managing increasing demand, that scalability was transformative.

Ease of Use and Accessibility

One of the most consistent themes in C&K’s experience with SewerAI is how accessible the platform is — even for teams that may be apprehensive about adopting AI technology.

“A lot of people are scared to go AI. They worry it’s going to take their job. SewerAI helps you do your job better and faster — and they keep coming out with new tools to help you be even more efficient. You literally have access to all of your data in a single link and a click of a button.”

— Robert Dean, Operations Manager, C&K Industrial Solutions

With just one hour of onboarding, C&K’s team was up and running on the platform. The learning curve that often accompanies enterprise software adoption was effectively eliminated — allowing the company to realize the benefits of AI-assisted inspection from day one.

A Partnership, Not Just a Product

For C&K, the value of SewerAI goes beyond the technology itself. The quality of the partnership — the responsiveness of the SewerAI team and their genuine investment in C&K’s success — has been a defining part of the experience.

“They’re here to help us. Whether you’re a small company like ours or a midsize or larger company, SewerAI makes everything easier and more efficient. Nothing else even comes close.”

— Robert Dean, Operations Manager, C&K Industrial Solutions

For a company that has built its reputation on being the most reliable partner in the room, finding a technology vendor that operates with the same ethos has been a meaningful part of C&K’s growth story. SewerAI doesn’t just provide software — it provides a platform for C&K to keep doing what they do best, faster and at greater scale than ever before.