Rockwell Automation Wins $15M Process Order from Vadxx Energy

New plant will convert 60 tons-per-day of recyclable and non-recyclable plastic into higher value energy products.

MILWAUKEE --(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2014-- Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) has won a $15 million engineering, procurement, construction and management contract from Vadxx Energy LLC for its first commercial-scale, plastic waste-to-synthetic crude energy facility in Akron, Ohio .

The new plant will transform end-of-life plastics into higher value energy products, recycling nearly 60 tons of waste daily, diverting it from landfill disposal. The solution includes the PlantPAx Process Automation System suite, utilizing Rockwell Automation’s multi-discipline control platform to deliver an integrated smart plant for Vadxx.

Liberation Capital , a global private equity firm, signed an agreement with Vadxx to fund the first unit and additional commercial units.

"Vadxx is focused on successfully establishing our first commercial unit as the important first step toward global expansion,” said Jim Garrett , Vadxx Energy CEO. “Liberation Capital, Rockwell Automation , feedstock suppliers, and other partners will play key roles in our growth and success.”

"Our technology represents a unique and profitable way to decrease the amount of end-of-life plastics that are disposed in landfills and convert them to synthetic oil and gas," said Jeremy DeBenedictis , vice president operations, Vadxx Energy. " Rockwell Automation strengthens our technology by providing complete design, build and commissioning of our new plant. We'll have a process technology solution that will enable us to rapidly deploy our technology globally."

“This win is significant for us because it demonstrates our sustained effort to become an industry leader in alternative energy solutions, helping to preserve the world's natural resources and promoting a cleaner environment," said Terry Gebert , vice president and general manager, Rockwell Automation Global Solutions. “Our team is helping Vadxx reduce risk, shorten its time to market, and expand to other global regions.”

Vadxx is a high-tech recycling company that converts recyclable and non-recyclable plastic into higher value energy products. Vadxx's technology offers an approach that captures the energy embedded in plastics and returns it to a useful form for society, while realizing environmental and social benefits. This conversion process is a valuable alternative for overflowing landfills as well as reducing demand for foreign energy.

For more information visit www.vadxx.com

About Rockwell Automation Global Solutions

The thousands of engineers on the Rockwell Automation Global Solutions team design, build and upgrade control, power, safety and information solutions for manufacturing clients. Working in tandem with a scalable PartnerNetwork, the company’s global solutions offerings can address a wide-range of projects including challenging multi-million dollar enterprise projects that span two or more countries. Clients include oil and gas, petrochemicals, consumer industries, life sciences, automotive, tire and heavy industries such as cement, metals, mining, pulp and paper, and power and water utilities.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis. , Rockwell Automation employs about 22,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. Milwaukee, Wis. Rockwell Automation

About Liberation Capital

Liberation Capital is a global private equity fund specializing in project finance for small renewable energy, water and waste water projects. Our investment model centers on strategic partnerships with clean tech technology firms and project developers with multi-project/multi-year investment horizons.

For more information visit www.liberationcapital.com

PlantPAx and PartnerNetwork are trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc.

Source: Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation
Keith Lester
414-382-4871
klester@ra.rockwell.com