diff --git a/src/anomalib/deploy/inferencers/openvino_inferencer.py b/src/anomalib/deploy/inferencers/openvino_inferencer.py
index bb57a8d65a..8dea77b92e 100644
--- a/src/anomalib/deploy/inferencers/openvino_inferencer.py
+++ b/src/anomalib/deploy/inferencers/openvino_inferencer.py
@@ -4,12 +4,12 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 import logging
-from importlib.util import find_spec
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
+from typing import Any
 
 import cv2
 import numpy as np
+from lightning_utilities.core.imports import package_available
 from omegaconf import DictConfig
 from PIL import Image
 
@@ -21,14 +21,6 @@
 
 logger = logging.getLogger("anomalib")
 
-if find_spec("openvino") is not None:
-    import openvino as ov
-
-    if TYPE_CHECKING:
-        from openvino import CompiledModel
-else:
-    logger.warning("OpenVINO is not installed. Please install OpenVINO to use OpenVINOInferencer.")
-
 
 class OpenVINOInferencer(Inferencer):
     """OpenVINO implementation for the inference.
@@ -102,6 +94,10 @@ def __init__(
         task: str | None = None,
         config: dict | None = None,
     ) -> None:
+        if not package_available("openvino"):
+            msg = "OpenVINO is not installed. Please install OpenVINO to use OpenVINOInferencer."
+            raise ImportError(msg)
+
         self.device = device
 
         self.config = config
@@ -110,7 +106,7 @@ def __init__(
 
         self.task = TaskType(task) if task else TaskType(self.metadata["task"])
 
-    def load_model(self, path: str | Path | tuple[bytes, bytes]) -> tuple[Any, Any, "CompiledModel"]:
+    def load_model(self, path: str | Path | tuple[bytes, bytes]) -> tuple[Any, Any, Any]:
         """Load the OpenVINO model.
 
         Args:
@@ -121,6 +117,8 @@ def load_model(self, path: str | Path | tuple[bytes, bytes]) -> tuple[Any, Any,
             [tuple[str, str, ExecutableNetwork]]: Input and Output blob names
                 together with the Executable network.
         """
+        import openvino as ov
+
         core = ov.Core()
         # If tuple of bytes is passed
         if isinstance(path, tuple):