What SLINED does

SLINED, Inc (doing business as Straight Line Design) is a private, founder-owned engineering and industrial automation firm headquartered in Vinton, Texas, near the US-Mexico border. Founded in 2010 by Rafael "Rafa" Hernandez, the company operates with a five-person core team spanning mechanical and electrical engineering, CNC machining, and manufacturing supervision. SLINED designs and builds custom automation, robotic, and vision-inspection solutions — ranging from one-piece fixtures to complete automatic machines — for enterprise manufacturers primarily in medical devices, appliances, and general industrial production.

The company's core technology stack combines custom-designed robotic arms, computerized vision systems for real-time defect detection and assembly verification, PLC-integrated automation controls, and in-house CNC manufacturing. Case-study-documented capabilities include a Semi-Automatic Vision System that pairs manual product handling with robotic vision inspection to eliminate packaging seal defects in medical manufacturing, and robotic-arm installations that have improved ergonomics, cycle times, and injury rates in appliance assembly. SLINED claims near 100% reliability in defect detection via its vision systems, though the technology is described as rule- and sensor-based rather than AI-native, with no disclosed machine-learning models or proprietary data assets.

Commercially, SLINED operates on a project-based, quote-driven model with free evaluations as the top-of-funnel entry point. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is structured around project scope, with multi-year contracts cited on larger engagements. The go-to-market motion is direct enterprise field sales anchored by facility visits and a case-study-driven website; geographic reach is regional across the border region with on-call nationwide capability. Revenue, funding history, and customer counts are not disclosed, and the firm is bootstrapped with no institutional investors, M&A activity, or disclosed partnerships.

Name

SLINED

Legal name

SLINED, Inc

Website

https://slined.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SLINED is a Vinton, Texas-based custom engineering and industrial automation firm that designs vision systems, robotic arms, PLC-integrated automation, and specialty fixtures for medical, appliance, and industrial manufacturers across the US-Mexico border region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation and Custom Manufacturing Equipment

NAICS

All Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (333248), Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (3332)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Factory Automation Cells & Integrated Systems (Assembly, Welding, Painting Lines) (IMAHAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems (IMAHAHAE), Motion & Machine Control (CNC, Robotics Controllers, Servo/Motion Controllers) (IMAGABAG)

Keywords

• Industrial automation systems
• Custom machine design
• Vision inspection systems
• Robotic integration services
• Manufacturing process optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

El Paso

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Engineering and Manufacturing Services: SLINED provides custom engineering services ranging from one-piece fixtures to complete automatic machines. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements with clients in the manufacturing sector. Services are tailored to each client's unique needs, with pricing based on project scope and complexity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

SLINED designs, engineers, and builds custom industrial automation and manufacturing equipment for clients ranging from one-piece fixtures to complete automatic machines. Its offerings center on vision inspection systems, custom-programmed robotic arms, PLC-integrated automation controls, and CNC-manufactured specialty parts, delivered as project-based engineering services to manufacturing firms in the medical, appliance, and broader industrial sectors.

Product overview

SLINED is an engineering company offering a portfolio of manufacturing and automation solutions. Their core offerings include Vision Systems, Robotics, Automation, and custom Manufacturing services. These products work together to reduce manufacturing costs, increase productivity, and improve quality for clients. Their Semi-Automatic Vision System combines robotic arms with vision inspection to automate quality control, while Production Optimization consulting provides tailored solutions for unique client needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vision Systems Computerized vision systems for quality control inspections, assembly verification, real-time defect detection, and packaging seal verification. The system gathers data from images, video, or sensors and evaluates them against pre-programmed variables, achieving near 100% reliability in defect detection. Sold to industrial manufacturers seeking to replace operator-dependent visual inspection.
• Robotics (Robotic Arms) Custom-designed and programmed robotic arms that assemble, pick up, place, sort, and package components or products. Designed to work in conjunction with vision systems, with minimal maintenance requirements. Sold to manufacturers needing flexible automation of assembly and packaging tasks.
• Automation Systems Control systems that operate equipment, machinery, and processes with reduced human intervention, available as fully automated or semi-automated configurations. Reduces labor costs while improving quality, accuracy, and precision on manufacturing lines. Sold to manufacturers across industrial, commercial, and consumer-product sectors.
• Custom Manufacturing Custom parts and specialty designs produced in-house to automate or facilitate production of industrial, commercial, and consumer products, ranging from one-piece fixtures to complete automatic machines. Built on SLINED's in-house CNC machining, welding, and design capabilities. Sold to manufacturers needing specialty tooling and components.
• Semi-Automatic Vision System A semi-automatic system that moves products through packaging and vision inspection, combining manual material handling with automatic vision systems and robotic arms to verify packaging seal quality. Designed to limit or eliminate errors in quality verification and is documented as eliminating product recalls caused by packaging deficiencies for a medical manufacturer.
• Production Optimization Consulting Consulting and engineering engagement in which SLINED's production specialists review a client's unique situation and develop tailored solutions and equipment that improves their business. Delivered via a free initial evaluation followed by a custom project quote. Sold to manufacturers across medical, appliance, and general industrial sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced product packaging deficiencies and improved seal quality leading to fewer product recalls
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Genesis Systems Group: Large industrial automation integrator focused on robotic welding, assembly, and material handling systems. Comparable to SLINED's custom cell work, though at significantly higher scale and program complexity.
• Remtec Automation: Custom automation systems integrator specializing in robotic cells, assembly, and material handling for manufacturers. Direct comparison to SLINED's vision-and-robotic integration work for mid-sized industrial customers.
• Patti Engineering: Mid-sized US controls and automation integrator with expertise in PLC, robotics, and SCADA for industrial customers. Comparable in scale, regional service model, and integration-heavy custom project mix.
• JMP Engineering: North American automation systems integrator delivering custom machinery, robotics, and controls for industrial clients. Direct comparable on project-based custom automation with embedded controls and vision.
• Midwest Engineered Systems: Custom automated machinery and integrated systems provider for industrial manufacturers, with strong CNC, robotics, and vision capabilities. Overlaps with SLINED's full-stack custom-engineering and integration offering.
• Acieta: US-based custom robotics and automation integrator building assembly, material handling, and vision-inspected cells for industrial manufacturers. Closely comparable to SLINED in business model (project-based custom cells) but at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Cognex: Global leader in machine vision systems and industrial barcode readers. Supplies the vision technology that integrators like SLINED deploy; a broad incumbent that competes indirectly for the same inspection-application budgets.
• Rockwell Automation: Global industrial automation and information provider offering PLCs, motion control, and integrated production solutions. Competes with SLINED at the larger end of the controls and integration market and shapes the technology stack its customers already use.
• FANUC America: Major supplier of industrial robots, CNCs, and robomachines. Sets the technology baseline for the robotic arms and motion control SLINED integrates into its custom cells.
• KEYENCE Corporation: Global manufacturer of sensors, machine vision systems, measurement instruments, and microscopes for factory automation. Relevant broad incumbent on the machine-vision side of SLINED's offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100057090295376
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slined-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SLINED