20+ Years of Predictive Wins:  Inside the PdMTECH and Azima Impact on Puerto Rico’s Critical Infrastructure

What began in 2001 as a shared commitment to reliability engineering has evolved into a partnership that supports sectors where uptime is non-negotiable — such as in pharmaceuticals, where quality assurance and operational continuity are paramount. From its base in Puerto Rico to operations across the Caribbean and mainland U.S., PdMTECH has leveraged Azima hardware and advanced diagnostics to build a reputation for trust, precision, and long-term performance.

Founded in 2001, PdMTECH is a Puerto Rico-based consultancy specializing in reliability engineering and predictive maintenance. From the start, the company aligned itself with cutting-edge technology providers, and Azima was among the first. PdMTECH became the official representative for DLI Engineering (now Azima) in Puerto Rico, providing local companies with access to advanced vibration analysis tools. Through this partnership, the company gained access to industry-leading diagnostics and continuous monitoring solutions, enabling PdMTECH to offer services that were ahead of the curve in the Caribbean region.

With a focus on delivering actionable insights and measurable results, PdMTECH has built a strong presence across Puerto Rico, expanding into the U.S. mainland and wider Caribbean markets. Early adoption of Azima technologies allowed them to deliver service and expertise that quickly earned customer trust in highly regulated and operationally critical sectors.

Some organizations in Puerto Rico have traditionally relied on preventive maintenance with limited or no use of predictive tools—yet they continue to experience equipment failures that hinder optimal performance. Others, like many around the world, operate their assets until failure. In critical infrastructure sectors such as pharmaceuticals, power generation, and water treatment, this reactive approach poses significant risks, including production delays, regulatory non-compliance, and costly unplanned downtime.

The opportunity — and the challenge — was to help these industries adopt a predictive maintenance model. That meant delivering early warning insights, consistent diagnostic monitoring, and reliability that customers could trust. To succeed, PdMTECH needed a partner with advanced, scalable technology capable of supporting a wide range of assets and industries across the region — and that’s where Azima came in.

To deliver predictive maintenance at scale, PdMTECH combines its in-house engineering expertise with advanced Azima diagnostic technology. Customer asset data is collected using a mix of Azima TRIO™ handheld analyzers and Accel 310 wireless sensors, depending on unique site needs and setup.

Once collected, this data is processed through Azima software — an AI-powered diagnostic engine trained on over 30 years of data and upwards of 100 trillion data points. Azima applies over 6,000 rules to detect more than 1,200 fault conditions across 50 types of rotating machinery. This comprehensive analysis allows for rapid and consistent diagnostics across diverse asset types and operating conditions. Azima efficiently detects bearing wear, misalignment, unbalance, looseness, and resonance issues, as well as more complex problems like gear tooth damage or electrical faults in motors. The Azima Watchman portal is used to post and manage reports across technologies — not just vibration analysis but also infrared, ultrasound, and more — so customers have a unified dashboard for all condition monitoring data.

By leveraging these outputs, PdMTECH helps customers anticipate failures before they escalate, prioritize interventions based on real risk, and make informed decisions that protect uptime and extend asset life.

The use of Azima diagnostic technology has delivered measurable results for customers across Puerto Rico’s most critical industries:

• From 100 Failures a Year to Zero: A Pharma Customer Saves $3MOne major medical device manufacturer had been experiencing more than 100 equipment-related downtime events every year. These frequent interruptions impacted production quality and led to significant financial losses. However, after engaging PdMTECH to implement condition-based monitoring using Azima Accel 310 wireless sensors on critical pumps, the customer dramatically reduced these failures. “They shifted all their focus… and started implementing condition-based monitoring,” says Víctor Hernández, Operation Manager. “Through that, they managed to reduce those events and non-conformities that affect quality in their products.” The impact was immediate.

In one instance, PdMTECH identified an unbalance issue in one pump and recommended dynamic balancing. The customer scheduled the fix over a weekend to avoid disrupting operations. In a separate case, wireless sensors revealed extreme temperature swings — up to 40°F — at a site in Añasco, where pumps were exposed to sun and rain. Based on this insight, PdMTECH advised installing a roof to protect the equipment, which helped stabilize performance.

These targeted interventions, supported by quarterly site visits, monthly wireless reporting, as well as training internal teams to adopt a condition-based mindset and practices not only helped the manufacturer avoid an estimated $3 million in revenue loss but also catalyzed a shift toward long-term reliability planning. The transformation was so effective that the company’s corporate office in New Jersey honored the Puerto Rico site with an internal award for excellence in predictive maintenance.

• Critical Intervention Keeps Power Generation OnlineAt a power generation facility in Puerto Rico, PdMTECH helped prevent unplanned downtime for a critical blower. The plant operates under strict constraints — equipment can only be shut down twice a day, and only with authorization from the island’s power distributor, Luma.

When plant engineers observed an alarming trend in data from their TRIO analyzer, they contacted PdMTECH for a second opinion. After conducting an in-house analysis, PdMTECH confirmed a combination of misalignment and unbalance conditions. “They burn carbon, which produces ashes that unbalance the fan,” Hernández recalls. “The trend was going up very quickly. In a matter of two or three days it was getting very high.”

With shutdowns tightly controlled, timing was critical. The PdMTECH team quickly validated the diagnosis and performed precision alignment and balancing. Their timely intervention helped the facility avoid service interruption — an essential outcome in a region where grid stability is already fragile.

• Monitoring 2,000+ Assets to Keep Puerto Rico’s Water FlowingFor the Puerto Rico central water and sewer authority, PdMTECH provides condition monitoring for over 2,000 machines across dozens of facilities island-wide. Every three months, technicians travel to these sites to collect and analyze critical asset data — helping sustain key infrastructure that residents rely on.A standout example is the Super Aqueduct, which pumps the main water line serving the island’s metropolitan region. It relies on large, high-demand pumps, and PdMTECH routinely detects early signs of issues like unbalance — addressing them before they escalate. “We constantly diagnose them with unbalance or several other problems… and they avoid the problems with our analysis,” Hernández explains.With regular insights and field support, the utility continues to deliver clean water to thousands of residents without disruption.

For over 20 years, PdMTECH and Azima have worked together to bring predictive maintenance to the forefront of the most critical industries in Puerto Rico. Built on trust, technology, and a shared commitment to reliability, the partnership has helped customers move from reactive maintenance to proactive, insight-driven strategies.

“It’s been a long and very successful relationship — one that we appreciate a lot,” said Jesús R. Sifonte, President of PdMTECH. As infrastructure demands evolve and digital tools become essential, this partnership continues to forge a path toward greater resilience and performance in the region.