i.Systems develops software based on artificial intelligence to optimize productivity and reduce waste
i.Systems was founded in 2007 by Danilo Halla, Igor Santiago and Ronaldo Antônio da Silva — three former Unicamp students who met at the Faculty of Engineering and Computing (FEEC Unicamp). With a focus on sustainability, the company develops software solutions based on machine learning and artificial intelligence to control industrial processes in various segments, such as sugar-energy, paper and cellulose, food and petrochemicals.
The company's main product is Leaf, a process control software, launched on the market in 2010. The solution can be installed in a customized way on different machines to control pre-established parameters, with the aim of reducing resource consumption and increase productivity. Initially adopted by a soft drinks industry in Jundiaí, today the software serves more than 150 different applications in groups such as Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM), a world leader in the production and sale of niobium.
Now, the company is betting on a new product called Calix, a solution for forecasting industrial demands. The software provides a more assertive reading of the market, production and what will be sold the following week, helping to plan industrial production lines. In short, the smart platform uses artificial intelligence to generate value in the supply chain. The cloud solution aims to reduce the time that companies spend on operational tasks so that they can dedicate these efforts to creating new strategies and optimizing planning. “This is a product aimed at the various industries that still use traditional spreadsheets for this type of work. Artificial intelligence analyzes sales history to make predictions. The objective is to reduce demand planning time”, explains Halla.
Commitment to the ESG agenda
Currently, i.Systems' focus is to increase its space in the market and introduce Calix software in a strong and consistent manner. Furthermore, it hopes to expand its participation in the international market. Recently the company started a large project with a Colombian company.
All this evolution sought by i.Systems is based on ESG values (the acronym in English refers to good environmental, social and corporate governance practices), which led the company to join the Global Compact Brazil Network, an initiative of the Nations United Nations (UN) to mobilize the business community, leading it to adopt practices based on the principles of human rights, dignity of work, environmental protection and combating corruption. i.Systems also carries out affirmation and relationship actions with the community — such as with the Vozes diversity group, which seeks to guarantee the representation of social minorities within the company. In 2021, its workforce included 20% LGBTQIAP+ people in leadership and executive-level positions.
Unicamp’s support network
Halla says that the inspiration to start the business came from her colleague Santiago, after studying an entrepreneurship subject at Unicamp. Based on the experience, Santiago encouraged the idea of setting up a company and then invited Halla and Antônio da Silva, his friends from class, to participate. “The fact that we graduated from Unicamp opened doors, like the first project we signed with Coca-Cola. The support from the University, through its laboratory structure, proximity to other researchers, research grants and the submission of projects to Fapesp, was fundamental for i.Systems to develop its technology and establish itself as a company”, recalls Halla .
The Unicamp ecosystem
i.Systems is an example of a company that makes up the Unicamp ecosystem. Enterprises founded by people who have or had a link with the University, such as students, former students, teachers and employees or former employees, are considered as daughter companies of Unicamp. In addition to companies that were incubated at Incamp or created based on technology developed at the University, the so-called spin-off companies.
Inova Unicamp has open registration to map new companies in its ecosystem. Find out more about free registration at: https://www.inova.unicamp.br/cadastro-filhas/.
This report was originally published on the Innovates Unicamp.
