Johnson & Johnson commits to tech & automation in huge $55 billion US investment

Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson is investing more than $55 billion to enhance various US business areas including technology, automation and operations.

Johnson & Johnson will stagger the mammoth investment over the next four years as it seeks to advance manufacturing, research and development capabilities to tackle the world’s toughest healthcare challenges.

The investment begins with a new high-tech facility in Wilson, North Carolina, that will not only add US-based jobs but manufacture cutting edge medicines to treat patients in America and around the world, the firm stated.

New facility expands Johnson & Johnson’s manufacturing capacity

The 500,000 square foot, state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing facility will expand Johnson & Johnson’s capacity to manufacture next-generation medicines for people living with cancer, immune-mediated and neurological diseases, according to the announcement. 

It will also support approximately 5,000 jobs during construction and create over 500 positions in North Carolina as well as generating $3 billion impact across the state in the first 10 years of operations, Johnson & Johnson claimed.

Johnson & Johnson has more manufacturing facilities in the US than in any other country and is a leading investor in American innovation and research and development (R&D).

Investments target tech, robotics and operations improvements

In addition to the new Wilson facility, Johnson & Johnson’s increased investment in the US will support three more advanced manufacturing facilities and the expansion of several existing sites across the company’s innovative medicine and MedTech businesses, creating high-paying, high-technology jobs.

Furthermore, Johnson & Johnson will be making significant investments in extensive R&D infrastructure aimed at developing lifesaving and life-changing treatments in areas such as oncology, neuroscience, immunology, cardiovascular disease and robotic surgery.

Meanwhile increased technology investments will help make drug discovery and development faster, support workforce training and enhance business operations, the company added.

Johnson & Johnson uses intelligent automation to advance healthcare

Johnson & Johnson is renowned for its use of intelligent automation to advance operations and healthcare. It has its own intelligent automation council that focuses on both short-term wins and long-term strategies. A key component Johnson & Johnson’s intelligent automation strategy is to reimagine end-to-end business processes with a digital-first approach, shifting employees’ focus from manual tasks to more engaging, creative and purpose-driven work.

“Although automation and new technology adoption has always been a challenge in R&D due to heavy industry regulation, intelligent automation has improved and simplified the experience by creating capacity to innovate and fuel insights that enable better decision making in drug development,” Jitendra Sinha, VP, head of technology R&D told Forbes. It also creates efficiencies resulting in less time spent on routine tasks in medical safety and regulatory, improves working capital and reduces cost to serve patients, he added.

Geralyn Giorgio leads change management for Johnson & Johnson’s enterprise intelligent automation program. “The pandemic has expedited the importance of increasing the role of digital technologies into work culture,” she wrote on PEX Network. “To prepare for the future, digital technologies such as intelligent automation must be embraced early on to reimagine end-to-end processes and be fully integrated into the way that we work. Getting there entails cross-functional collaboration, where all functions play an important role.”

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