Custom AI built for Kokomo's factory floors. We develop predictive maintenance, quality and SPC analytics, and machine-health systems for automotive suppliers and assembly operations — non-LLM and LLM AI that plugs into your existing MES, SCADA, and PLC stack. US-based team, strict NDAs.
Kokomo has been an automotive manufacturing town for more than a century, anchored by large powertrain and transmission plants and a dense base of tier-one and tier-two suppliers. On lines like these, an hour of unplanned downtime or a batch of scrapped parts is measured in real money. That is exactly where custom AI earns its keep — forecasting failures before they stop the line, catching quality drift before it becomes a defect, and squeezing more uptime out of equipment you already own. We serve Kokomo and the surrounding manufacturing corridor toward Indianapolis, Anderson, and Muncie.
In Plain English
What We Fix for Kokomo Businesses
Most businesses around Kokomo and Howard County do not call us asking for software. They call because the same thing keeps going wrong every week.
Calls going to voicemail while you work
The phone rings while you are on a job. By the time you call back, they hired someone else. We build systems that answer, capture what the customer needs, and get it to you.
Quotes that take days to go out
Job details end up on a notepad, in your head, and in three text messages. We put them in one place so the estimate goes out the same day.
Customers calling to ask where things stand
Every "just checking in" call interrupts real work. A customer portal lets them see it themselves.
The same information typed in three times
Written on a form, retyped into a spreadsheet, retyped again into the invoice. Enter it once and let it flow.
Training and certification expirations found out too late
Who is current on what lives in a spreadsheet someone updates when they remember. You find out a certification lapsed at the moment it matters most.
Fast, works on a phone, and turns visitors into phone calls and quote requests.
Online quote requests
MAKE MORE MONEY
Customers describe the job and attach photos. You price it accurately the first time.
A customer portal
SAVE TIME
One place for customers to see their job, documents, invoices, and status.
Scheduling
EASIER TO RUN
Jobs, crews, and equipment on one calendar. No double-booking.
Billing and online payment
MAKE MORE MONEY
Invoices go out when the work is done. Customers can pay online.
Customer tracking and follow-up
LOSE FEWER CUSTOMERS
Missed calls get captured. Quotes get followed up on. Nothing depends on remembering.
Document and record management
SAVE TIME
Contracts, photos, signed forms, and certificates found in seconds instead of folders.
Custom software built around your business
EASIER TO RUN
When your process has outgrown spreadsheets, paper, or software built for somebody else.
What about AI?
AI is one tool we can put inside your system. We use it when it saves you time, organizes information, finds something faster, or prepares work for your review.
If ordinary software can do the job better, we use ordinary software instead.
We are not here to sell you AI. We are here to build the thing that fixes the problem.
Your business does not have to change to fit our software. We build the software to fit your business.
We do not hand you another piece of software and expect you to figure out how to use it.
01We learn how your business actually works — a real week, not the version on paper.
02We find where the most is being lost — usually one specific handoff.
03We build the smallest thing that fixes it — one workflow, fixed price, a result you can see.
04We add to it as you grow — each piece connects to the last.
A person on your team can always review anything important before it goes out. We are a Indiana-based team and we work under an NDA whenever you want one.
Each example starts with the public-facing website, landing page, portal, or social handoff people actually use. Traditional AI handles the repeatable sorting and drafting. SolaceSentry reviews the sensitive gates before a human-approved output leaves the system.
Research focus: Kokomo is defined by automotive manufacturing, EV battery investment, supplier networks, workforce growth, and downtown business activity.
01 / Automotive
EV battery and automotive supplier readiness
EV suppliers, machine shops, and automotive support firms: Kokomo suppliers need visible readiness for EV, automotive, and battery-related buyers that expect quality proof and fast responses.
A reviewed buyer response, supplier packet, and readiness dashboard.
Proof metric: RFQ response time, missing certifications, and buyer rework.
02 / Workforce
Plant workforce recruiting and training
Manufacturers, staffing teams, and training partners: Large manufacturing growth creates pressure to move applicants into trained, credentialed roles without losing people in the handoff.
A verified candidate packet, training checklist, and job-readiness roster.
Proof metric: Applicant drop-off, training completion, and time-to-ready.
03 / Parts and service
Automotive service parts and order workflow
Parts suppliers, repair teams, dealers, and field service desks: Automotive service teams need order, parts, warranty, and update workflows that do not depend on one overloaded coordinator.
A reviewed parts quote, service ticket, or customer update with internal proof.
Proof metric: Quote turnaround, repeat contacts, and unresolved order exceptions.
04 / Local business
Downtown member and event follow-up
Downtown groups, member organizations, venues, and small businesses: Kokomo growth depends on member, event, sponsorship, and visitor follow-up that often starts on social media.
A member and event website captures sponsorship forms, vendor applications, event questions, RSVPs, and social campaign leads.
Step 2
Traditional AI Triage
AI classifies requests, drafts task lists, identifies missing items, and groups follow-ups by event or member.
Step 3
Business Processing
Staff see event readiness, vendor documents, sponsorship status, and communications in one board.
Step 4
SolaceSentry Review
SolaceSentry checks public promises, payment language, event policy conflicts, and sensitive contact data.
Step 5
Output
A reviewed vendor packet, sponsor response, event checklist, and status dashboard.
Proof metric: Vendor completion rate, sponsor follow-up time, and event task aging.
The point is not a generic chatbot. The point is a website-connected operating workflow with AI where it helps, SolaceSentry where risk matters, and people in charge of final judgment.
We are not trying to be the cheapest software on the shelf. We are trying to be the lower-risk custom path when cheap apps do not fit and enterprise platforms are too much. Approved setup can be split across the build while monthly support stays predictable.
The goal is simple: price above basic SaaS because the work is custom, but package the first step so the monthly decision feels closer to a serious software subscription than a traditional open-ended agency project.
2026 Appreciation Discounts
2026 USA 250 Birthday Special
10% off eligible DID service fees
Available for new approved projects and support agreements signed by December 31, 2026.
Veteran and disability-owned businesses
Additional 5% off eligible DID service fees
Veteran-owned and disability-owned businesses can stack this with the USA 250 special.
Discounts may stack up to 15% off eligible DID service fees. Hosting, software licenses, SMS, AI usage, taxes, data licenses, and other pass-through vendor costs stay separate.
We are not trying to beat every cheap subscription. We are trying to beat the total cost of forcing a local business into software that does not match how it works.
Not the cheapest app
A generic monthly tool can be cheaper when your process already fits it. We say that plainly.
Less than a full custom build
Most custom software projects start far above these entry offers. We narrow the first scope so a local buyer can start.
Premium because it fits
The value is the mapping, setup, integration, review controls, and local support around the way the work really happens.
Custom Bridge Plans
Starter Bridge
$750 activation + $399/mo
A narrow custom workflow that feels closer to SaaS: contractor follow-up, a training tracker, a simple evidence vault, or one intake flow.
Growth Bridge
$1,500 activation + $699/mo
Best for teams that need several workflow steps, light integrations, a dashboard, a portal, or staff-facing automation.
Regulated Bridge
$3,000 activation + $1,250/mo
For legal, healthcare, cyber, manufacturing, and audit-sensitive work where access controls, review steps, and evidence matter.
Bridge plans assume a 36-month support agreement. If the agreement ends early, the unpaid setup balance becomes due. Third-party software, hosting, SMS, and AI usage stay separate.
Market Price Check
Basic subscriptions
Often about $30-$550/month before extra users, add-ons, setup time, and process gaps.
Best when a business needs its calls, quotes, files, evidence, approvals, and follow-up connected around the way it already works.
Custom agencies
Public software-project guides commonly place small custom builds in the $10k-$50k+ range, with U.S. senior work often $120-$250+/hr.
DID uses fixed entry offers and smaller first scopes so a local team can prove the workflow before approving a larger build.
Enterprise platforms
QMS, field-service, SOC 2, GRC, and vCISO paths can quickly reach the low tens of thousands once onboarding and support are included.
DID is the bridge: more tailored than a cheap app, far less commitment than buying enterprise software before the team is ready.
Entry audit credit
For many local buyers, a workflow audit can be credited toward the first build when the implementation is approved within 30 days.
Setup split
Approved setup can be billed by milestone or spread over 3-12 months depending on region, scope, risk, and monthly support.
3-year partner price
A 36-month support agreement can earn a 10-12% managed-support discount, price-lock normal support rates, and reduce upfront strain.
Kokomo / Howard County: priced for the space between SaaS and enterprise.
Kokomo buyers need shop-floor-adjacent proof: quality issues, machine health, training evidence, and supplier handoffs.
Recommended first offer
Growth Bridge
$1,500 activation + $699/mo for production workflow; quality-heavy work may start at $3,000 + $1,250/mo.
Local posture
Automotive suppliers, assembly, machining, production quality, and workforce training
Underserved gap
Kokomo buyers need shop-floor-adjacent proof: quality issues, machine health, training evidence, and supplier handoffs.
DID strength
DID fits when the workflow needs part numbers, line context, photos, NCR/CAPA, training proof, or ERP/MES adjacency.
When SaaS is enough
Standard SaaS works for basic HR, timekeeping, and generic task lists.
When DID is the fit
DID fits when the workflow needs part numbers, line context, photos, NCR/CAPA, training proof, or ERP/MES adjacency.
Targeted needs
Quality, SPC, NCR/CAPA, and inspection evidence
Training and certification expiration tracking
Maintenance, supplier, and production handoff workflows
What AI development services do you offer in Kokomo, IN?
We build custom AI systems for Kokomo automotive suppliers, assembly plants, and manufacturers — not configurations of off-the-shelf platforms. Our work includes:
Predictive maintenance and machine-health monitoring on presses, CNC cells, robots, and assembly lines
Quality and SPC analytics: real-time drift detection, defect correlation, and root-cause support
Vision-based defect classification and dimensional inspection
OEE, throughput, and cycle-time optimization
Integration with existing MES, SCADA, historians, and PLCs
We serve Kokomo and the broader Howard County manufacturing base, with clients tuned to their specific equipment, process recipes, and quality obligations. We do not sell pre-packaged solutions.
Which Kokomo industries do you focus on first?
Our vertical wedge in Kokomo is advanced manufacturing: automotive suppliers and assembly, predictive maintenance, and quality and SPC workflows. These are the sectors where AI pays for itself fastest, and they sit at the center of the Kokomo economy.
Kokomo has been a powertrain and transmission manufacturing hub for generations, with large automotive plants and a deep network of tier-one and tier-two suppliers feeding them. That concentration means a lot of high-volume, capital-intensive equipment running tight schedules — the exact environment where unplanned downtime, scrap, and rework hit hardest.
We lead with these verticals because the same things that make them demanding also make them rewarding: real sensor data, measurable outcomes, and zero tolerance for guesswork. That is where our hybrid of LLMs and proprietary non-LLM AI earns its keep, and the same playbook extends to suppliers in nearby Anderson and Muncie.
What is predictive maintenance AI for Kokomo manufacturers?
Predictive maintenance AI uses sensor data — vibration, temperature, current draw, acoustic signatures, and cycle counts — to forecast when a machine or tool is likely to fail so it can be serviced before it stops the line. Instead of running to failure or over-servicing on a fixed calendar, you intervene exactly when the equipment tells you to.
For Kokomo automotive suppliers running high-volume stamping presses, CNC cells, robotic weld stations, and transmission assembly lines, the payoff is concrete:
Fewer unplanned shutdowns and emergency call-outs
Longer tool and bearing life from condition-based service
Maintenance scheduled around production windows, not breakdowns
Lower spare-parts inventory carried "just in case"
We build the models against your own historian and sensor data so the predictions reflect how your equipment actually behaves, not a generic textbook curve.
How does your AI improve quality and SPC workflows?
We build AI that strengthens statistical process control instead of replacing it. Your control charts and gauges stay; our systems add an early-warning layer on top of them. They ingest measurement and process data in real time, detect drift and out-of-control conditions earlier than fixed control limits, and correlate defects back to upstream process variables.
In practice that means flagging a slow shift in a critical dimension before it crosses a spec limit, pointing engineers at the likely root-cause variables, and keeping a traceable record of every excursion. For Kokomo plants operating under automotive quality regimes such as IATF 16949 and PPAP, that translates to:
Tighter process capability (improved Cpk) and less variation
Fewer escapes and customer rejects
Faster root-cause analysis when something does go wrong
Audit-ready traceability for quality reviews
The goal is to give your quality engineers a sharper instrument, not to hand control of the process to a black box.
Can you integrate AI with our existing MES, SCADA, and PLC systems?
Yes. Integration is core to what we do. Most Kokomo plants run a mix of MES, SCADA, historians, PLCs, and quality databases accumulated over decades, and none of it was designed to talk to a modern AI model out of the box.
We connect AI to that stack through OPC UA, MQTT, historian queries, database connections, and file or batch exports — whatever your environment supports. If your tags are inconsistent, your data lives in silos, or different cells use different formats, we handle the mapping and normalization. Data preparation is part of the project, not an afterthought.
We do not force you to rip and replace functional equipment or control systems. We build around what is already on the floor.
What is non-LLM AI and why does manufacturing need it?
Non-LLM AI refers to forecasting models, anomaly-detection algorithms, optimization engines, classification systems, and simulation logic that do not generate text like ChatGPT. Manufacturing runs on numbers and physics, so most shop-floor problems call for deterministic, explainable, high-precision models. Typical examples on a Kokomo line include:
Predicting bearing, spindle, or tooling failure from sensor trends
Detecting anomalies in cycle time, torque, or energy draw
Classifying weld, casting, or surface defects from inspection data
Optimizing line balance, changeover, and maintenance scheduling
We pair these with LLMs only where language genuinely helps — for example, summarizing maintenance logs and shift reports or letting a technician query equipment history in plain English. The right tool depends on the task, and for precision work the right tool is rarely a language model.
How do you protect proprietary process data for Kokomo plants?
Security is foundational, not an add-on. All personnel are US-based and operate under strict NDAs. Process recipes, tooling parameters, and yield data are among the most valuable intellectual property a supplier owns, and we treat them that way.
We design for on-premise or edge deployment when the floor demands it, encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access, and full audit trails. Our background includes digital forensics and high-scrutiny environments, so we understand adversarial contexts and tight data boundaries.
We do not move your data outside your environment without explicit authorization, and we never use it to train third-party models. Your process knowledge stays yours.
What does AI development cost for a Kokomo manufacturer?
Our typical rate range is $90–$300+ per hour depending on project complexity and team composition. Specialized custom non-LLM AI — predictive maintenance models, optimization engines, vision systems — can reach approximately $1,200 per hour for highly technical work.
Total project cost varies with scope. A focused predictive-maintenance pilot on a single line might run 150–400 hours, while a plant-wide quality, maintenance, and OEE platform can exceed 1,000 hours. We provide estimates after discovery and do not lock into fixed bids that force shortcuts on a safety- or quality-critical system.
Historically our clients have seen 40–60% cost savings over five years versus licensed platforms once you account for per-seat fees, customization, and the downtime and scrap avoided. We focus on total cost of ownership and real ROI, not sticker price.
How long does a manufacturing AI project take in Kokomo?
Timelines depend on scope and data readiness. A focused predictive-maintenance or SPC pilot on one line or cell typically takes 2–4 months from discovery to a working deployment. A plant-wide quality, maintenance, and OEE platform can take 6–18 months with iterative releases.
We work in phases — discovery, data assessment, model development, on-floor validation, deployment, and ongoing support — and we put working prototypes in front of your engineers early. Validating against real shop-floor conditions before scaling matters far more in manufacturing than in a demo environment.
If you have a launch ramp, an audit window, or a customer deadline driving the schedule, tell us upfront and we adjust team size and cadence accordingly.
What is Third-Way Alignment and how does it apply on the shop floor?
Third-Way Alignment is our approach to AI development, built on three laws: Mutual Respect, Shared Flourishing, and Ethical Coexistence. On a Kokomo shop floor it means we build AI that augments your maintenance techs, quality engineers, and line operators rather than replacing their judgment.
The systems surface predictions, anomalies, and root-cause candidates with clear, inspectable explanations, and the people who actually know the equipment make the final call. That matters on a line where a wrong automated decision can scrap parts, damage tooling, or risk safety.
Founder John McClain brings nearly two decades in digital forensics and government work to this, and that forensic, accuracy-first mindset shapes how we build for environments where explainability and audit trails are non-negotiable.
Who do you serve in and around Kokomo?
We work with automotive suppliers, assembly operations, metal-forming and machining shops, and other advanced manufacturers across Kokomo and Howard County. Our team is fully US-based and operates under strict NDAs.
We also serve nearby Indiana manufacturing markets, including Indianapolis, Anderson, and Muncie, and we can support multi-plant rollouts across the region. Kokomo clients value our ability to integrate with legacy control systems, respect tight data boundaries, and deliver measurable uptime and quality gains.
We do not try to be a fit for everyone. If your project needs precision, reliability, and explainable AI on a real production line, we are built for it. If you just need a quick chatbot, there are cheaper options.