Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving from a tech buzzword into a practical tool for industrial operations. One task seeing dramatic transformation are overhead crane inspections—a process dominated by manual labor and subjective assessments.

A webinar hosted by the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA) explored this next generation of inspections. During the “Artificial Intelligence Crane Inspection: No More Guesswork” webinar, Ronen Sharashov, Founder & CEO of Crane-Eagle, shared how drone and AI technology work together to revolutionize this critical task. He also outlined the benefits of the solution, including improved safety, higher productivity, and more efficient maintenance.

The Problem with Traditional Overhead Crane Inspections

Inspecting cranes the old-fashioned way is time-consuming and risky. Workers must climb tall structures or enter confined spaces, often in challenging weather conditions. Additionally, the industry suffers from a shortage of qualified inspectors, Ronen explained.

“Currently, there’s two groups of inspectors. One group is very experienced, but they’re approaching retirement. The other group is the young generation that doesn’t really want to go into a career as a crane inspector,” he said.

Beyond workforce issues, manual inspections are prone to inconsistency and human error. Sharashov emphasized the growing need for automation. “This gap can only be bridged and mitigated by using more autonomous technology, innovating, and applying artificial intelligence,” he noted.

How AI and Drones Enhance Inspections

The solution described by Sharashov in the presentation utilizes drones—either autonomous or piloted—to capture thousands of extremely high-resolution images during each inspection.

These images are fed into an AI system trained to detect various anomalies, including:

• Hairline and surface cracks
• Rust and corrosion
• Missing nuts, loose bolts, or bent components
• Wire rope deformities
• Structural damage

Copious amounts of data and images loaded into the AI system train the software. This process allows the machine to accurately identify anomalies as it examines the drone-captured images, said Sharashov. Other data inputs include tolerance parameters established by the crane manufacturer.

“Based on the extensive training the AI can understand the difference between rust, mold, cracks, color variations, missing nuts, or empty holes,” he added.

Further, Crane-Eagle’s proprietary algorithm can detect defects as small as 2.7 microns—less than 3% of the width of a human hair. A comprehensive diagnostics report details these insights in an operationally actionable list of tasks. These AI-generated reports include annotated images that clearly show problem areas.

“A traffic light system—red/yellow/green—rates the severity of the detected anomalies and prioritizes identified issues,” Sharashov noted. “The report also produces a bill of materials required for the repairs. This helps teams estimate repair costs and prep work orders.”

Solving Industry Challenges with AI

Utilizing an automated system that combines AI and drones tackles five key challenges facing the crane inspection field:

1. Safety – Automated overhead crane inspections reduce the need for humans to work in dangerous environments.
2. Regulatory Compliance – The data analysis incorporates applicable national and international crane standards from OSHA, CMAA, ANSI, and more. “The inspection report can provide references to different regulations to safeguard an operation and mitigate legal risk,” said Sharashov.
3. Productivity – AI-driven overhead crane inspections can detect problems early in their development. That supports predictive maintenance to prevent large-scale repairs. It also enables owners to schedule repairs during planned downtime to reduce the chance of unexpected production interruptions.
4. Cost Efficiency – The reports generated by the AI analysis ranks issues based on degree of severity. This ranking allows owners to prioritize significant issues and budget accordingly. “With this information, owners can say, ‘Crane number four needs maintenance tomorrow, but crane number 40 can be postponed to next year,’” he explained.
5. Skilled Labor Shortage – Supporting inspectors with intelligent tools allows them to maximize time and efficiency. “Automating crane inspections is not replacing the inspector,” added Sharashov. “Instead, it makes their work easier, faster, simpler, and much more cost-effective.”

Learn More About Overhead Crane Inspections

The members of the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA) represent the industry’s leading suppliers of overhead crane systems. They design, manufacture, assemble, install, and service overhead cranes and components. Collectively, CMAA members have installed more than 30,000 cranes in North America in the last decade. The organization offers a variety of crane safety and inspection resources. These include buyers’ guides, engineering specifications, OSHA Alliance safety tip and fact sheets, inspection and maintenance checklists, safety seminars and more. Learn more at www.MHI.org/CMAA.