Hershey's Ice Cream uses Coram AI to cut waste from production alerts

Hershey's Ice Cream modernized video security at its facilities with Coram AI, keeping existing cameras but changing the software layer that analyzes them. The shift lets the 130-year-old manufacturer isolate the exact risk window during metal-detector alerts instead of scrapping full production runs.

Why it matters: - Hershey's Ice Cream can now limit production losses when a metal detector triggers an alert. - The change reduces the amount of product discarded during food-safety investigations. - Faster investigations also support employee safety across the company’s properties.

What happened: - Hershey's Ice Cream, founded in 1894, upgraded video security across its properties with Coram AI. - The company kept its existing cameras and replaced the software layer that manages and analyzes them. - Hershey's Ice Cream produces millions of gallons of ice cream annually for nationwide distribution. - The company is family-owned and based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The details: - Before the change, staff had to manually review hours of grainy footage from a legacy camera system after incidents. - Metal-detector alerts previously forced production to stop, lines to be dismantled, and significant volumes of product to be discarded. - The old system could not show exactly where a risk began or ended. - With Coram AI, investigations that once took hours now take seconds. - During metal-detector incidents, the team can isolate the exact risk window instead of shutting down and scrapping an entire run. - Zach Waite, vice president of production development, said the platform is “one of the best investments we've made in food safety and employee safety across our properties.” - Coram AI is based in Sunnyvale, California.

Between the lines: - The move shows how manufacturers can use AI software to extend the life of existing security hardware. - The main operational gain is not just better surveillance. It is faster decision-making that directly limits waste. - For food makers, the ability to answer “what happened” quickly can determine whether a problem affects one pallet or an entire production run, according to Coram AI CEO and co-founder Ashesh Jain.

What's next: - Hershey's Ice Cream is likely to keep using the system to speed future incident reviews and reduce avoidable scrap. - Coram AI says its platform is built to work with existing infrastructure and avoid costly rip-and-replace projects. - The company says it serves more than 1,500 organizations across North America, including manufacturers, schools, healthcare groups, government agencies, places of worship, hospitality groups, retailers and Fortune 500 enterprises.

The bottom line: - Hershey's Ice Cream turned existing cameras into a faster food-safety tool, and that is saving product when metal-detector alerts hit.