New Study Finds GenAI as Top Tech Investment for Manufacturers, While 94% Expect to Maintain or Expand Their Workforce

Rockwell Automation announced the results of the 9^th annual “State of Smart Manufacturing Report.” The global study surveyed more than 1,500 manufacturers across 17 of the leading manufacturing countries.

This year’s report reveals a focus on harnessing new and emerging technologies to build resiliency, improve quality, maximize workforce potential, and drive sustainable growth.

“A skilled workforce is the cornerstone of any successful manufacturing operation, but attracting, managing and retaining workers is proving to be an ongoing challenge,” said Cyril Perducat, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Rockwell Automation. “The survey found technology alone is not the answer. To remain competitive, manufacturers need to focus their staff on embracing new technology as a core part of their evolving organizational culture, creating a technology/worker partnership that drives their business forward.”

More information can be found here.

Rockwell Automation Named Among World’s Most Ethical Companies 2024

Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, has recognized Rockwell Automation as one of the 2024 World’s Most Ethical Companies.

This is the 16^th time Rockwell has been included on this prestigious list which honors companies that demonstrate exceptional leadership and a commitment to business integrity through best-in-class ethics, compliance, and governance practices.

Rockwell Automation Unveils New Customer Experience Center in Singapore

Rockwell Automation has unveiled its new Customer Experience Center (CEC) in Singapore.

The center showcases the latest innovations in AI, robotics, and virtual reality and will help the region’s manufacturing, mining and heavy industry sectors to embrace digital transformation. The new center showcases smart manufacturing solutions for targeted industries in Southeast Asia and will help customers to understand the benefits of the Connected Enterprise and its potential to positively impact their businesses.

The CEC is situated within Rockwell’s Asia Pacific headquarters and alongside its largest manufacturing facility in the Asia Pacific region. The plant produces many of Rockwell’s wide range of products for customers worldwide, while the CEC will allow customers to experience Rockwell’s latest manufacturing technologies and get an insight into future solutions.  Together visitors will receive a comprehensive experience spanning from inception to completion.

More information here.

Rockwell Automation Spotlights the Pathway to Meeting India’s Manufacturing Goals and Net Zero Targets

The fifth edition of India Inc On The Move (IIOTM) was held in Chennai, India, in late February. The event convened some of the brightest minds in manufacturing industry, innovators, policymakers, and technology visionaries, who collectively shared their insights on accelerating India’s march towards its sustainable manufacturing and net zero goals and spotlighting the manufacturing sector’s potential to make a trillion-dollar contribution to India’s GDP.

More than 1,200 people, representing 450+ organizations, attended IIOTM this year. The event incorporated over 35 sessions featuring over 50 industry speakers who deliberated on the emergence of sustainable, secure, and smart manufacturing, India's potential leadership in high-tech manufacturing, the circular economy, and the role of automation and digitalization in enhancing the productivity and efficiency of industrial organizations.

We thank all exhibiting partners for making IIOTM a great success!

Multivista, Diginova, Softcon, Base, Mettler Toledo, Focaal, Energy Venture, Horizon, Logicon, Autosys, iCpro, Tangent, and ATC.

More information can be found here.

Rockwell Automation Launches CUBIC across Asia Pacific 

Rockwell Automation announced the regional availability of its CUBIC product line. CUBIC specializes in IEC-61439 compliant modular enclosure systems for the construction of power and electrical panels.

The CUBIC product line serves fast-growing industries such as renewable energy, mining, data centers, chemical, food and beverage, and infrastructure. It was previously available in a limited capacity in some Asian markets but is now widely available across the region.

“CUBIC’s modular switchboards can help enterprises transition from conventional power systems to a safer, more sustainable and intelligent future,” said Eric Wo, Asia Pacific MCC Business Manager at Rockwell Automation.

"The majority of industrial companies are still using traditional fixed switchboards. However, as global sustainability awareness rises these companies increasingly need to utilize IEC compliant intelligent power solutions. CUBIC’s modular switchboard system can help these companies to become more productive, improve employee safety, reduce downtime and better meet emerging global expectations for sustainable manufacturing.”

More information here.

Rockwell Automation Names Stephen Ford Chief Information Security Officer

Stephen Ford has joined Rockwell Automation as vice president and Chief Information Security Officer. He will report to Chris Nardecchia, senior vice president and Chief Information Officer at Rockwell Automation.

In this role, Stephen will develop and execute a holistic cybersecurity strategy to ensure that Rockwell and our Connected Enterprise ecosystem—the company’s infrastructure, products, and customers—are safe, secure, and resilient.

More information here.

New FactoryTalk® Analytics™ GuardianAI™ Predicts Equipment Failures, Prevents Unplanned Downtime

FactoryTalk® Analytics™ GuardianAI™ software offers maintenance engineers the insight to understand the current condition of assets on the plant floor. They receive early notice as soon as an asset begins deviating from normal. Armed with this knowledge, they can plan their maintenance activities based on which asset has the highest risk of failure and let other assets continue to run, without stopping production unnecessarily to perform service.

With FactoryTalk Analytics GuardianAI software, manufacturers receive early warning of potential asset failures based on data that’s already available. The software leverages electrical signal data from variable frequency drives to understand how a plant asset performs under normal operating conditions. It then monitors the drive’s electrical signal during operation and when FactoryTalk Analytics GuardianAI detects a deviation, it alerts to the anomaly so that manufacturers can investigate and plan the correct response. The software provides premier integration with PowerFlex® 755, 755T and 6000T drives for easy setup and deep insight for key process applications.

Find out more here.

Rockwell Automation Expands On-Machine Portfolio to Help Manufacturers Achieve a New Era in Machine Design

Rockwell Automation has expanded its On-Machine™ solution offering to empower companies to design machines that reach production faster and deliver more value over their lifespan.

On-Machine solutions enable decentralized control architectures where automation components are field-mounted rather than kept in large electrical enclosures. This approach offers more simplified, modular machines that can have lower total costs, reduced footprint and less time to operation. By enabling key components to be easily accessed by factory personnel, they are better enabled to proactively identify and address problems and increase system uptime.

More information here.

Rockwell Automation Promotes Mariya Prempeh to Oversee Operations in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei

Mariya Prempeh has been promoted to country manager of Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. This promotion marks an expansion of her current responsibilities as country manager for Singapore. In her expanded role, Mariya will be responsible for the company’s business operations and direct sales in these countries. This move reflects Rockwell Automation's dedication to growth in the region. She continues to report to Marcelo Tarkieltaub, regional director for Southeast Asia, Rockwell Automation.

Mariya will lead Rockwell Automation's strategic focus on key industries, with a particular emphasis on life sciences, semiconductors, water, wastewater, oil and gas, food and beverage (F&B) and consumer packaged goods (CPG) in Singapore, Malaysia & Brunei.

More information here.

Modernizing Dairy Farming in India

Rockwell Automation has partnered with ISAP India Foundation to modernize dairy farming in the water-scarce region of Antargaon in Wardha District, Maharashtra. The initiative—"Economic and Social Development of Indian Village Through Technology-Enabled Dairy Farming"—also involved collaboration with technology implementation partner eVerse.AI to implement the corporate social responsibility (CSR) project.

India has the world's largest bovine population and is a leader in milk production. However, it faces challenges such as low milk-yield per animal and insufficient quality of milk products. The decentralized structure of dairy farming in India and limited awareness about scientific veterinary practices among rural farmers contributes to these issues.

By partnering with ISAP India Foundation—a not-for-profit agency engaged in leading national-level livelihood promotion and agriculture marketing consultancy—Rockwell aims to improve livelihoods of dairy farmers in one of the most water-scarce areas of India by using innovative products and services that leverage digital technologies for livestock development through scientifically-proven veterinary practices.

Learn more about the initiative here.

Allen‑Bradley Offers New Modern Compact Solution with ASEM 6300B-JB1 PCs

The brand-new compact box PC, ASEM™ 6300B-JB1, brings a reliable and highly configurable solution to production automation. Users can configure Box PCs with a wide range of Intel 11^th generation processor options from Celeron to i7, and storage options from 0GB to 2TB and RAM options from 4GB to 32GB. While compact in profile, this box mount PC provides great connectivity with two or four 4K DisplayPort connections, four 2.5Gbps Ethernet connections, four USB 3.0 ports and a multi-standard serial port*. Mounting can also be adapted to user needs with choice of Book Mounting or DIN Rail.

Learn more here.

Matheus Bulho is New Rockwell Automation Senior Vice President, Software & Control

Matheus Bulho is named senior vice president, Software & Control, Rockwell Automation effective April 1. He will report to Rockwell Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Blake Moret.

In this role, Bulho will lead the operating segment that includes control and visualization software and hardware, information software, and network and security infrastructure. Bulho succeeds Brian Shepherd, who is leaving Rockwell in June to pursue other interests.

More information here.

Tackling Scope 3 Emissions in Manufacturing

A recently published World Economic Forum (WEF) white paper – “The 'No-Excuse' Opportunities to Tackle Scope 3 Emissions in Manufacturing and Value Chains”

 – serves as a practical roadmap for businesses navigating the intricate terrain of Scope 3 decarbonization and accelerating their contributions to global climate efforts.

The paper was produced by the WEF Industry Net Zero Accelerator, an initiative aimed at raising awareness of the necessity for companies to seek systemic collaboration across and between value chains on their path towards achieving net-zero emissions. Rockwell Automation is collaborating with Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy (Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge), Capgemini, Siemens, and other advanced manufacturing companies on the initiative.

More on the white paper here.

Streamline Operations with New FactoryTalk® OptixPanel™ Graphics Terminals

Factory Talk® OptixPanel™ Graphic Terminals from Rockwell Automation are sealed human-machine interface (HMI) appliances that come pre-loaded with FactoryTalk® Optix™ and FactoryTalk® Remote Access™ software licenses. This means that the device is an all-in-one solution that’s ready to run at first power-up. The pre-installed, closed operating system reduces risk in implementation and maintenance.

FactoryTalk OptixPanel Graphic Terminals are one of the solutions in the new FactoryTalk Optix portfolio. The FactoryTalk Optix portfolio allows users to choose their own technology mix, where for the first time, Rockwell Automation customers can use visualization software to design HMI applications that can natively work with both Rockwell Automation and third-party controllers and display on a choice of hardware from either Rockwell Automation or a third-party

More information here.