Cognizant, IT services provider, has agreed to acquire Zenith Technologies, a privately-held life sciences manufacturing technology services company headquartered in Cork, Ireland. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition extends Cognizant’s capabilities for designing, implementing and managing end-to-end operational and information technology systems for connected biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. Interconnected “smart factories” have become a strategic priority for the industry, with production systems and processes becoming more complex because of research advances and increased demand for large-molecule biologics. “In acquiring Zenith Technologies, we expand Cognizant’s IoT portfolio and extend our life sciences domain expertise by becoming a single-source provider of end-to-end smart factory capabilities. Together, we are better positioned to help clients realize information and operational technology convergence in their manufacturing operations, and advance the development of life-saving drugs, biologics, specialized pharmaceuticals and medical devices.” Brian Humphries, Cognizant Chief Executive Officer.