Custom tools, automations & AI agents

Many industrial needs justify neither an ERP/MES program nor heavy development: quality deviation tracking, supplier portals, workflows across five legacy systems, AI agents on technical documentation. Vanguard Systems assembles the right mix for the site context: no-code automation (n8n, Make, Power Automate), lightweight databases (Airtable, Dataverse, PostgreSQL), AI agents via LLM APIs deployed on Azure or AWS Bedrock EU zone, custom web apps (Next.js) when no-code reaches its limits. Always with industrial requirements in mind: confidentiality, OT/IT integration, audit trail, lifespan beyond 5 years.

Our Expertise

Multi-system workflow automation via n8n (self-hosted, recommended for pharma), Make and Power Automate

Lightweight operational databases: Airtable, Dataverse, PostgreSQL — for long-lifespan business tools with versioning and audit trail

AI agents and chatbots via Anthropic Claude and OpenAI, deployed as SaaS or via Azure OpenAI / AWS Bedrock to respect EU data sovereignty

Power Platform apps (Power Apps, Power Automate) integrated with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem of Swiss industrial groups

Industrial SaaS integration: cloud CMMS, SaaS LIMS, quality (Kneat, Trackwise, Veeva Vault)

Custom REST / GraphQL APIs and middleware between OT systems (SCADA, historian) and IT (ERP, quality, BI)

Full custom web apps (Next.js, Node) when no-code is not enough: customer portals, heavy user tools, offline needs

Recovery and industrialisation of internal tools (critical Excel, Access, ad-hoc scripts) into maintainable and auditable solutions

IT/OT governance: SSO Azure AD, segmentation, GxP and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance on tools deployed in regulated production

Technologies

n8nMakeAnthropic ClaudePower PlatformAirtableOpenAIAzure OpenAIAWS BedrockPower AppsDataversePostgreSQLNext.jsREST APIsDockerSSO Azure ADKneatVeeva Vault

Use Cases & References

Material flow automation through RPA

Re-design of the new raw material introduction process at a Swiss fine chemistry manufacturer. Solution delivered in three streams: end-to-end flow mapping and redesign with business stakeholders, Power BI BI on historical data to identify bottlenecks, RPA and Power Automate automation of the orchestration across five heterogeneous legacy systems (ERP, MES, quality, purchasing, safety).

Technologies used:

Power BIRPA UiPathPower AutomateERP integration

Quality deviation portal with AI assistance

Custom web app for a Swiss pharma manufacturer, deployed on the non-critical zones of a GMP site: structured deviation entry by operators, deviation analysis draft by an AI agent (Anthropic Claude via Azure to remain in EU zone) using LIMS and CMMS context, systematic human validation before submission to the official quality system. Airtable backend for fast iteration during the pilot, planned migration to Dataverse for production. Azure AD SSO authentication, full traceability of AI suggestions and their acceptance.

Technologies used:

Next.jsAirtableAnthropic ClaudeAzure OpenAISSO Azure ADDataverse21 CFR Part 11

Maintenance documentation AI agent for special-machine OEM

AI agent for the field technicians of a French-speaking Swiss special-machine OEM: orchestration via self-hosted n8n, retrieval of technical documentation and failure history via RAG, LLM call (Anthropic Claude via AWS Bedrock EU zone) to generate a contextual response, delivery on mobile and tablet in the workshop or at the end customer site. Live in 6 weeks, full transfer to the internal team after pilot.

Technologies used:

n8nAnthropic ClaudeAWS BedrockRAGPostgreSQLVector database