The time for experimentation is over. For IMA, Artificial Intelligence is a clear and strategic path, not just a technological bet but a long-term trajectory. Today, this vision takes tangible shape with the creation of two new centers of excellence: IMA AI LAB and Embedded Data Machines. Both units have been established within the Group’s Research and Innovation Department, with an ambitious yet coherent mission: to transform AI into measurable industrial value.
This initiative marks a qualitative leap compared to the efforts already in place. While artificial intelligence has so far been part of specific projects, the goal now is to centralize, strengthen, and systematize the developed expertise, making it accessible and scalable across all relevant areas of application.
AI in industrial processes: focus on practicality
At the heart of IMA’s strategy lies a pragmatic approach. AI technologies should not be a superstructure—they must improve, simplify, and optimize. In this spirit, the two new units will work in synergy to integrate artificial intelligence into the Group’s machines, plants, and processes, with a particular focus on:
- Integrated intelligent features: IMA’s machines will be equipped with software modules that can dynamically adapt to production environments, optimizing operating parameters and minimizing waste or downtime.
- Advanced data analysis: The AI infrastructure will be capable of collecting, interpreting, and correlating data in real time, generating insights that support predictive maintenance and continuous performance improvement.
- Advanced troubleshooting: Perhaps the most revolutionary area. Through advanced algorithms, IMA aims to give its systems proactive diagnostic and intervention capabilities, anticipating and resolving issues before they occur.
- Enhanced technical support: AI-based technologies will also be applied to support systems, offering customers smart, personalized tools that drastically reduce downtime and intervention times.
“AI should serve work, not complicate it”
“Artificial Intelligence is not an experiment for IMA—it’s a deliberate direction,” says Dario Rea, Director of Research and Innovation at the Group. “We’ve decided to structure our expertise to accelerate the development of solutions that improve the performance, reliability, and service of our technologies.”
This is a multidimensional approach, one that addresses connectivity, automation, training, and technical support, all guided by a fundamental principle: AI must be responsible, transparent, and useful. It is not an end in itself, but a concrete ally to productivity.
Rea also stresses the importance of usability: “AI should serve work, not complicate it. It should generate value, not overhead. It must be responsible, useful, and transparent.”
An evolutionary vision, not just technological
In the pharmaceutical world—highly regulated, technologically intensive, and facing increasing operational constraints—every incremental improvement in predictive management, machine uptime, or data quality can make a real difference. Within this context, IMA’s initiative stands out as a forward-looking move: not just as a supplier of technologies, but as a continuous innovation partner for its customers.
The creation of IMA AI LAB and Embedded Data Machines is not merely an organizational change. It is the expression of a corporate culture that knows how to listen to the signals of the future and translate them into immediate, concrete, and scalable solutions. A future where artificial intelligence does not replace human ingenuity, but amplifies it. Where every machine is not a closed mechanism, but an open window on knowledge.