JC Automation drives pharma with AI data integration
JC Automation, a technology company based in Humacao, Puerto Rico, has expanded its services with artificial intelligence programs designed to optimize manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical and industrial clients.
“Any company that doesn’t incorporate artificial intelligence into its manufacturing processes and at all stages of its business now is falling behind,” said Juan Sénquiz, president of JC Automation.
Founded 28 years ago, the family-owned company provides automation and software services to much of Puerto Rico’s pharmaceutical sector, including Amgen, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol Myers Squibb, as well as clients in the mainland United States and Europe.
The company recently introduced a program called OpsDNA, which integrates business data to provide operational insights in real time.
“In this program, we transform all the data generated by a business’s systems so that it tells the story of its processes and we can maximize production,” Sénquiz said. “Having the story your data tells clearly and immediately enables the integration of artificial intelligence.”
To achieve this, JC Automation applies the Unified Namespace framework, which Sénquiz described as “the secret sauce to put all the business information in an integrated way and with context.”
By consolidating data from production, quality control and maintenance systems, companies can identify efficiencies, reduce costs and make faster decisions. Sénquiz said clients are already seeing results, citing a chemical plant that now accesses hundreds of data points in real time through a single platform.
He added that JC Automation itself has grown from $8 million in revenue five years ago to $20 million today, with more than 190 employees across three businesses.
The company also runs the Impetus program, which trains young engineers and scientists in Puerto Rico for careers in automation and pharmaceuticals.
“With Impetus, we train students in engineering, science and technology, and then we give them opportunities right here at JC Automation or at pharmaceutical companies that hire them,” Sénquiz said.
