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Industrial Inspection ServicesSouthern Tank Testers

Transforming Tank Inspection Reports with AI

How we reduced tank inspection report generation from 4-5 hours to just 30 minutes using AI-powered document automation.

Custom AI AgentsProcess OptimizationAI Integration
Transforming Tank Inspection Reports with AI

Key Results

90%

Time Reduction

30 min

Report Time Now

4-5 hrs

Previous Time

100%

Same-Day Delivery

The Challenge

Understanding the Problem

Southern Tank Testers performs critical safety inspections on industrial storage tanks across the Gulf Coast region. Each inspection generates detailed technical reports that are essential for regulatory compliance and client documentation.


The challenge: creating these reports was a manual, time-consuming process. Inspectors would return from field work and spend 4 to 5 hours per report, manually entering data into EDMS, conducting research, and formatting compliance documentation. With multiple inspections per week, the administrative burden was cutting into productive inspection time and creating significant bottlenecks.


Key pain points included:

  • Time drain: 4-5 hours per report, often requiring overtime
  • Manual EDMS entry: Tedious data input into existing document management system
  • Research overhead: Hours spent looking up standards and compliance requirements
  • Delayed delivery: Clients waited days for reports that could take weeks during busy seasons
  • Scalability limits: Administrative overhead capped how many inspections the team could handle

    • The Solution

    What We Built

    Rook AI Labs developed a custom AI-powered document generation system tailored specifically to Southern Tank Testers' inspection workflow.


    The Solution Architecture:


  • Smart Data Capture: A streamlined mobile interface allows inspectors to input field observations, measurements, and photos directly during inspections using structured forms optimized for tank inspection data.

  • AI Document Engine: The core system uses advanced language models to transform raw inspection data into professionally formatted reports. The AI understands tank inspection terminology, regulatory requirements, and client-specific formatting preferences.

  • Template Intelligence: Rather than rigid templates, the system adapts its output based on inspection type (API 653, API 650, STI SP001, etc.), findings severity, and client requirements.

  • Quality Assurance: Built-in validation ensures all required fields are complete and measurements fall within expected ranges, catching potential issues before report generation.

  • One-Click Generation: Inspectors review the AI-generated draft, make any necessary adjustments, and produce final professional PDFs ready for client delivery.

    • The system integrates with their existing workflow rather than replacing it, ensuring adoption was smooth and inspectors could focus on what they do best: thorough, expert inspections.

    The Results

    Measurable Impact

    The impact was immediate and transformative:


    Time Savings

    Reports that previously took 4-5 hours of manual EDMS entry and research now complete in approximately 30 minutes. This represents a 90% reduction in report creation time, freeing up hours every week.


    Operational Improvements

  • Inspectors complete reports the same day instead of spreading work across multiple sessions
  • AI-assisted research eliminates hours of manual standards lookup
  • Consistent, professional formatting across all reports
  • Clients receive reports within hours instead of days

    • Business Impact

  • Increased inspection capacity without adding staff
  • Improved client satisfaction through faster turnaround
  • Freed up administrative time for business development
  • Eliminated overtime previously spent on documentation

    • The system has become an integral part of Southern Tank Testers' competitive advantage, enabling them to deliver faster, more consistent service while maintaining their reputation for thorough, expert inspections.

    What the Team Says

    "

    What used to eat up half my day with EDMS entry and research now takes about 30 minutes. I'm not staying late anymore to finish reports - the system handles the heavy lifting.

    K

    Kim

    Service Manager

    "

    The reports look more professional than anything we were producing manually. Clients have commented on how thorough and well-organized they are.

    J

    Jenny

    Testing Manager

    "

    I was skeptical about AI at first, but this system gets it right. It understands tank inspection terminology and produces reports that sound like they were written by an experienced inspector.

    A

    April

    Owner

    Technical Details

    Under the Hood

    Architecture Overview


    The system is built on a modern, serverless architecture designed for reliability and scalability:


  • Frontend: React-based progressive web app optimized for mobile use in the field
  • Backend: Serverless functions handling document processing and AI orchestration
  • AI Layer: Custom-tuned language model prompts engineered for tank inspection domain expertise
  • Document Generation: PDF generation pipeline with professional formatting and branding

    • Key Technical Decisions


  • Prompt Engineering Over Fine-Tuning: Rather than fine-tuning models, we developed sophisticated prompt templates that encode domain knowledge about tank inspections, regulatory standards, and professional report writing. This approach provides flexibility to update and improve without retraining.

  • Structured Data First: The mobile input interface enforces data structure at capture time, ensuring the AI receives clean, consistent input. This significantly improves output quality and reduces hallucination risks.

  • Human-in-the-Loop: The system generates drafts for human review, maintaining inspector expertise in the final product while automating the tedious formatting and prose generation.

  • Progressive Enhancement: The system works offline for data capture, syncing and generating reports when connectivity is available - essential for industrial sites with limited connectivity.

    • Technology Stack

    AI Document GenerationLarge Language ModelsReact Progressive Web AppServerless ArchitecturePDF Generation PipelineMobile-First Design

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