Jamaica’s drive to modernise decades of paper-based government and business records is getting a fresh boost, with Fujitsu Caribbean opening a specialised digitisation centre in St Andrew capable of turning old documents into searchable data that can be used in digital systems and artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

The new Digitisation Operations Centre, dubbed “The Engine Room”, is already supporting major public-sector projects, including the conversion of vital records held by the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) and documents linked to the National Land Agency’s e-titling programme.

Mervyn Eyre, CEO of Fujitsu Caribbean, said the facility is designed to go beyond basic document scanning by converting information contained in paper records into structured digital data that can be searched, analysed, and integrated into applications.

“It’s not just the image of the document. It’s all of the data that can then be ingested into applications to support transformation of organisations and ultimately society,” Eyre said during an interview with the Jamaica Observer following the unveiling at the company’s Holborn Road offices on Wednesday.

Minister Audrey Marks is given a guided tour of Fujitsu’s recently launched Digitisation Operations Centre located at the company’s Holborn Rd offices in New Kingston. She is joined by Mervyn Eyre (left), CEO of Fujitsu Caribbean and permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Rocky Meade (right). (Photos: Garfield Robinson)

Pointing to Fujitsu’s work with entities such as the Registrar General’s Department (RGD), Eyre said this provides an example of how the company has helped to digitise vital records, including birth, death, and marriage records dating back to 1935, while converting information contained in the documents into searchable data.

He said the same approach is now being applied to the National Land Agency’s e-titling programme, as Fujitsu digitises records associated with the land-titling process while supporting the development of automated workflows around them.

The St Andrew-based facility utilises high speed scanners capable of processing up to 70 pages per minute, while using technology and AI tools to extract information from typed and handwritten documents.

“These are not easy jobs,” Eyre said, noting that accuracy is critical when dealing with names, property records, and other sensitive personal information.

He said the process also includes quality assurance and contextual checks to ensure that information extracted from documents is accurate and can be trusted before being fed into digital systems.

Identifying trusted digital records as a critical foundation for digital transformation, particularly in the Caribbean where significant amounts of institutional information remain in paper and card-based systems, Fujitsu said digitisation will serve as a starting point for organisations seeking to advance automation, analytics, and AI.

The approach forms part of Fujitsu’s regional strategy, which is built around three core capabilities — platforms, applications, data and AI.

In addition to digitisation, the ICT firm’s operations also span cyber security, business applications, data and AI, among other services.

Declining to comment on the total investment pumped into the firm’s newest operation, Eyre described it only as a “significant undertaking”, with much of the expenditure directed towards specialised technology and personnel.

EYRE…while the physical scanning of records can be done at Fujitsu facilities in other Caribbean markets, the Jamaican centre will provide a key part of the technology and processing capability needed to convert those records into intelligent digital documents

The centre currently employs about 45 to 50 people, although the CEO said the workforce is not fixed and will be scaled according to the volume and complexity of projects undertaken.

Deliberately targeting complex, high-volume assignments, the facility was unveiled as a shared service that will support both public and private sector customers.

Beyond Jamaica, the multinational company is building a regional pipeline, with work being undertaken or pursued in markets including Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua. Eyre expects demand for the service to increase as organisations seek to modernise their operations and prepare their information for AI applications.

“While the physical scanning of records can be done at Fujitsu facilities in other Caribbean markets, the Jamaican centre will provide a key part of the technology and processing capability needed to convert those records into intelligent digital documents,” he said.

Noting that the push towards digitisation is becoming more urgent with the rise of AI, Eyre said organisations cannot derive meaningful value from the technology without reliable digital information.

“If we really want to leverage AI in the region or in Jamaica, then we need to accelerate getting information, authentic information, sovereign information in the digital form,” he further stated.

Fujitsu, which currently works with technology partners such as Google, Fluent, Check Point, and Digital Office Solutions (DOS), is therefore seeking to support organisations in linking the conversion of legacy records with infrastructure modernisation, applications, data management, and AI.

Minister with responsibility for Efficiency, Innovation and Digital Transformation Audrey Marks, in welcoming the centre’s launch, said the facility represents an important development in Jamaica’s transition towards a more digitally enabled economy.

She said the investment demonstrates confidence in the country’s people and its potential to serve as a regional hub for technology services and innovation.

“For Jamaica, digital transformation is about improving lives. It is about making government services more accessible, making business more productive, creating opportunities for our young people, strengthening governance, and ensuring that every Jamaican can participate meaningfully in a digital economy,” Marks said.

She said that while the country has made progress in modernising public services and transitioning from paper-based processes to digital systems, the new centre will support the next phase of transformation.

“It signals our readiness to move beyond merely digitising documents towards creating an intelligent, secure, and insight-driven information ecosystem. It signals our readiness to embrace responsible innovation and to build stronger foundations for AI, digital government, and future economic growth. Most importantly, it signals our commitment to ensuring that technology serves people, improves lives, and creates opportunities for all Jamaicans,” Marks also said in her remarks during the launch.