Products and Solutions from Rockwell Automation

New Capabilities in FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, Powered by PTC, Helps to Accelerate Digital Transformation

Latest release of Industrial IoT solution automates IT/OT integration, simplifies edge-to-cloud analytics and machine learning, creates a scalable digital thread, and includes consulting and delivery services

Rockwell Automation announced a set of new capabilities for FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, powered by PTC to simplify, scale, and accelerate digital transformation for industrial organizations. This news follows the recent announcement that the two companies are extending and expanding the scope of their strategic alliance following strong market momentum and widespread industry recognition of InnovationSuite. Since its original launch in 2018, InnovationSuite has successfully delivered a range of high-value solutions for the world’s largest automotive, consumer packaged goods, healthcare, oil and gas, and pharmaceuticals companies across 21 countries.

“The need for digital transformation has increased significantly as our customers accelerate innovation, maximize workforce productivity, and optimize operations,” said Arvind Rao, director of product management at Rockwell Automation. “These new capabilities combined with our industry-leading partner ecosystem helps us extend our technology and solutions leadership, meeting our customers’ needs for simplicity, scale, and domain expertise.”

FactoryTalk InnovationSuite is the industry’s first comprehensive digital transformation software suite that offers fully integrated industrial internet of things (IIoT), edge-to-cloud analytics, manufacturing execution system (MES), and augmented reality (AR) capabilities – required for the connected enterprise. InnovationSuite makes it simple to rapidly develop, operationalize, and ultimately scale innovative solutions to operations globally.

“We are pleased to be collaborating with the Rockwell Automation team on the next generation of our InnovationSuite offering,” said Don Busiek, senior vice president, strategic alliances, PTC. “As we help organizations realign their digital transformation goals to combat the current macroeconomic environment, we are confident that InnovationSuite offers the most comprehensive and effective way to optimize their people, products, and processes – empowering manufacturers to embrace their new normal.”

New enhancements to InnovationSuite were designed to help customers across a range of digital transformation priorities, including:

Accelerating IT/OT Integration

The recently announced FactoryTalk Edge Gateway enhances the fidelity of operational technology (OT) data with rich contextualization using the Rockwell Automation unique FactoryTalk Smart Object capability, and packages it to a configurable data model that can be mapped to upstream information technology (IT) applications to glean enterprise insights. The company recently expanded its relationship with Microsoft to accelerate digital agility from edge to cloud by integrating this trusted, unified data model with PTC’s ThingWorx IIoT Solutions Platform and Microsoft Azure IoT Hub. With the acquisition of ASEM by Rockwell Automation, customers have access to a broader portfolio of industrial edge hardware and software options.

Simplifying Edge-to-Cloud Enterprise Analytics

FactoryTalk Analytics now offers a comprehensive array of simplified data science capabilities for multiple personas—process engineers, data scientists, and citizen data scientists—and reduces analytics data preparation effort by up to 70%. New capabilities include end-to-end data orchestration with visual data modelling, open-stack connectivity, pre-built analytical templates, and self-service model deployment for a full-service customer journey.

Enabling Enterprise-Class Digital Thread

The Rockwell Automation Digital Thread uniquely enables a collaborative workflow across product designers, production engineers, and OEM suppliers, optimizing the design process from the beginning. This approach shrinks new product development time to months from years. Further, by validating and optimizing performance in a virtual environment prior to physical implementation, commissioning time is cut in half. As data models born in the design phase are automatically used in advanced analytics applications, new powerful insights can be leveraged to achieve new levels of performance.

Delivering Value through World-class Consulting and Professional Services

With the acquisition of Kalypso, Rockwell Automation now offers a full suite of consulting, data science, technology, business process management and managed services that enable the transformation of the value chain, from product to plant to customer. With approximately 250 new InnovationSuite customers and a library of dozens of repeatable industrial use cases, the Rockwell Automation consulting and delivery services are highly differentiated components of the InnovationSuite digital transformation journey to accelerate time to value.

Updated ThinManager Software Improves Industrial Application Delivery and Device ManagementTo simplify management of industrial applications and devices, Rockwell Automation has updated its ThinManager software. The latest release of the thin client management software includes new content delivery methods.

Improvements in the software include a new web browser display client that does not rely on Remote Desktop Services. This new application delivery method provides greater flexibility for delivering content and paves the way for more display client options in future releases.

The updated ThinManager software also supports the Allen-Bradley VersaView 6300 thin clients and industrial PCs. The thin clients are ThinManager ready right out of the box. The industrial PCs are ThinManager compatible. They can be used as a PC, a thin client or both at the same time to help improve the reliability of visualization applications. Expanded compatibility and strategic licensing options for the FactoryTalk View Site Edition (SE) software are also available in the new release.

To support a wider range of users globally, the ThinManager software now allows for all strings and on-terminal commands and prompts to be displayed in a user’s local language.

The ThinManager software also continues to expand visualization options for users. The latest version of the software offers:

• An updated configuration wizard for multiple monitors.
• A freeform-style layout tool instead of limited preconfigured layouts.
• Support for portrait mode in any monitor configuration.
• The use of landscape and portrait screens on a single terminal.

New Possibilities for Industrial Companies with LifecycleIQ ServicesExpanded professional services portfolio combines knowledge and technology to build long-term partnerships and address needs across the industrial value chain

To help companies innovate faster and more sustainably, especially in these trying times, Rockwell Automation is evolving its service and solutions capabilities and launching a new brand: LifecycleIQ Services.

The new brand represents the expanding ways that customers can engage with Rockwell Automation technology and highly trained professionals to improve their performance and reimagine what’s possible across their industrial value chain.

LifecycleIQ Services provide the transformative partnership that customers need and expect today. By combining digital technologies with expansive human know-how, the services help companies work faster, smarter and with greater agility at every point in their business cycle. 

“LifecycleIQ Services create a more intimate customer engagement model, one that can help companies not only solve problems, but also see new possibilities in production and transform them into reality,” said Frank Kulaszewicz, senior vice president, Lifecycle Services at Rockwell Automation. “We’re investing in providing a wide range of holistic services to help companies be more productive, safe and secure anywhere in a product, process or plant lifecycle.”

Industrial companies can use LifecycleIQ Services to achieve outcomes like:

Capturing more value from digital transformation initiatives

Digital initiatives can struggle to get off the ground because companies don’t know what steps to take or where to start. Using the knowledge and experience within LifecycleIQ Services, companies can strategically plan, implement and scale their digital initiatives.

Support can begin with defining strategic objectives, identifying use cases and quantifying business value. Rockwell Automation can then continue to support customers through implementation, ongoing maintenance and continuous innovation.

Reducing risk with comprehensive cybersecurity support

Cybersecurity is a top priority today, but few companies have specialists with both information and operations technology (IT/OT) security knowledge. Rockwell Automation is uniquely equipped to address complex security challenges in IT/OT environments. The company understands the OT environment and how it interfaces with IT and follows industry security standards.

LifecycleIQ Services can help companies adopt a proactive cybersecurity approach and address the entire attack continuum – before, during and after an event. Also, as more companies connect their plants to remote workers and partners like original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Rockwell Automation can help protect those connections with secure remote access and security posture assessment services.

Improving workforce support

Companies need new ways to support their workforces as they contend with global health challenges and skills shortages brought on by the retirement of trained workers and an influx of new technologies. They also need workforce support as they seek to make the most of IIoT technologies.

LifecycleIQ Services can help companies address their unique workforce challenges and gaps by assessing needs, identifying priorities and creating workforce development programs. Rockwell Automation also uses remote support capabilities and augmented reality technologies to help companies interact virtually with support engineers, strengthen skills with virtual training, and provide safety and security services without sending people into plants.

To improve customer experiences, LifecycleIQ Services is also introducing a new way to receive multiple services in one contract. An Integrated Service Agreement allows companies to select a package of offerings to simplify their support needs and have just one number to call to access experts and receive priority service. 

Rockwell Automation Combats Industrial Cyber Threats With New Security Certifications and Products

The company’s new certifications and expanded product line can help protect industrial operations and customer information

Companies continue to need help securing their industrial operations as they connect production and IT systems and contend with cyberthreats targeting industrial control systems. To meet this need, Rockwell Automation continues expanding its cybersecurity certifications and incorporating advanced security capabilities into more of its products.

Rockwell Automation recently received certification to the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 62443-3-3 cybersecurity standard. The certification, performed by third party TÜV Rheinland, means Rockwell Automation has demonstrated the ability to install and configure production systems to meet security requirements to level 1 as defined in the world’s leading global standard.

Rockwell Automation offers reference architectures for implementing a certified production system, such as PlantPAx 5.0, the modern distributed control system (DCS) for plantwide process control. The architectures were developed to help customers certify production systems while minimizing the need to buy new technologies as part of the process. To date, Rockwell Automation has received several certifications for the IEC 62443 series of standards.

Rockwell Automation also recently received certification for the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 27001 standard, confirming that the company’s information security management system used to protect data meets the standard’s requirements. This can give peace of mind to customers that Rockwell Automation is using best practices to protect their intellectual property, such as when customers use services like remote support and monitoring.

“Companies are facing the dual challenge of digital transformation to stay competitive, while also keeping their people, operations and intellectual property secure,” said Sujeet Chand, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Rockwell Automation. “We continue to aggressively expand our cybersecurity skills, certifications, product capabilities and services in ways that help our customers stay ahead of new threats and focus on realizing new possibilities with digital transformation.”

In addition to earning the new certifications, Rockwell Automation is also releasing new products with CIP Security to help companies secure their communications. Developed by the global trade and standard development organization ODVA, CIP Security is the only standard designed to secure communications between industrial control systems and other devices on an EtherNet/IP network.

New industrial control products offering CIP Security include:

• Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 755T AC drives
• Kinetix 5300 servo drives

Other Rockwell Automation products that already support CIP Security include:

• ControlLogix 5580 controllers
• Kinetix 5700 servo drives
• 1756-EN4TR communication module

To help protect the many devices in use today that don’t support CIP Security, Rockwell Automation is also introducing the new CIP Security Proxy device. When used in a physically secured location, the device provides CIP Security for a wide range of industrial control devices and create more secure industrial networks.

Rockwell Automation Expands Visualization Offering, Provides Customers Greater Reliability, Security

New VersaView 6300 industrial PCs and thin clients allow users to create a single, secure and dependable visualization system

Rockwell Automation recently announced the release of new industrial PCs and software to markedly improve the reliability and security of visualization applications. Visualization systems are often among the most expensive plant floor systems to maintain and are a common target for unauthorized users looking to access control system assets and intellectual property.

The new industrial Allen-Bradley VersaView 6300 PCs and thin clients combine with FactoryTalk View human-machine interface (HMI) software and ThinManager thin-client management software to create a complete visualization system. Thin clients are computers connected remotely to a server storing applications, rather than using a local hard drive. For mission critical applications, users can deploy ThinManager redundancy or a VersaView 6300 PC running local and remote applications to help ensure reliability if server communications are lost.

In addition, unlike most industrial PCs, each model in the VersaView 6300 family is individually designed to minimize or remove frequent points of failure like fans and connectors, helping reduce costs and extend the life of the PC.

“These new industrial PCs and the ability to create a more reliable and cost-effective visualization system are the result of our acquisition of ASEM S.p.A., an Italy-based provider of automation technologies,” said Dan DeYoung, hardware business director, Rockwell Automation. “We’re also working to bring the acquisition to fruition in other valuable ways, such as by offering greater customization and breadth to our industrial computers and expanding remote connectivity options.”

Customers can enhance cybersecurity when they use the new industrial PCs with ThinManager software. Multiple PCs with locally stored applications spread across a plant floor can increase the attack surface and security risks. ThinManager software allows applications to run and be maintained from a central and secure location.

Additionally, when users acquire both the visualization hardware and software from one source, support is simplified. This can reduce the headaches, costs, and mean time to repair that typically come from working with multiple vendors for support issues. Users can also save money by taking advantage of the flexible content delivery methods and simplified licensing that are available from a Rockwell Automation-based system.

The new Allen-Bradley VersaView 6300B box PCs and thin clients deliver dependable performance and are available in multiple options to match user application needs. Other benefits include:

• Atom-class book mount units are lightweight and ideal for HMI, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gateway and data-logging applications.
• i Class book mount units have a compact yet powerful design to provide space savings in control cabinets.
• i Class wall mount units provide high performance at a lower price.
• Both book and wall mount units are available in fanless construction making them ideal for applications requiring low maintenance.
• Fan cooled units will be offered for applications where additional cooling may be required.

The new Allen-Bradley VersaView 6300P panel PCs are scalable to meet a range of performance requirements. Other benefits include:

• They’re available in display sizes from 12.1 to 24 inches and offer processing power based on the seventh-generation Core i3, i5 and i7 of the Intel Kaby Lake H platform.
• These units are available with analog resistive touchscreens as well as projected capacitive touchscreens for applications utilizing multi-touch software.
• Fanless design construction reduces maintenance needs.
• True flat touchscreens have reduced bacteria-harboring nooks and crannies to help provide a sanitary work surface in food and beverage applications.

VersaView 6300 industrial PCs include Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2019 LTSC, the latest Microsoft Windows 10 IoT enterprise version. Ethernet ports are also gigabit ports to handle high volume network traffic.