Loading
Automation Fair 2026 Future in Focus

Off-site Tours

People in safety vest walk through a water treatment facility

Where technology and innovations meet the real world

Go inside real operations to see solutions put to work with purpose. At exclusive Off-site Tours, you’ll travel to local customers, partners and Rockwell manufacturing facilities and walk away with a better understanding of how technology is integrated, deployed and delivering results.

Cambridge Water Department: Uptime Meets Upgrade

What does it take to modernize a water plant while keeping critical operations moving? Tour the Cambridge Water Department for the story of a major control migration from PLC-5® to ControlLogix® at a 24 million gallon/day purification facility. Explore the modern treatment process and broader transformation, including new networking and ThinManager®-enabled operations designed for secure, centralized control. Hear firsthand how the utility phased the project over a year, using planned shutdown windows, careful testing and coordinated migrations to minimize downtime and protect water operations.

A large room with water treatment equipment and a skylight
Tables, chairs and barrels at the Downeast Cider Tasting Room

Downeast Cider: Brewing Smarter Growth

Downeast Cider is proving that a fast-growing beverage brand can turn smarter manufacturing into a competitive advantage. See up close how Plex helps Downeast scale with stronger inventory tracking, production control and quality management processes in a live craft cider operation — with Rockwell Automation PLCs also helping keep production flowing. With a single source of truth, improvements are pouring across the business, including reduced inventory carrying costs and lower cost of goods sold. Witness how Downeast is connecting operations into a recipe for smarter growth. 

Harpak-ULMA: Packaging Automation Unpacked

Join Harpak-ULMA, a leader in packaging machines for food, medical, pet food and industrial products, for a behind-the-scenes view of connected automation in practice. You’ll tour the Customer Experience Center, service and support operations, and demonstration areas while engaging with subject matter experts on controls, training and system integration. This is where modern packaging automation comes to life, with DataReady™ machine design, FactoryTalk® Optix™, digital work instructions, production intelligence, and centralized controls to help teams gain greater visibility, solve problems faster, and keep operations running at peak performance.

Harpack logo
Equipment at a manufacturing facility
Collage of pictures of robot for manufacturing

RightHand Robotics: A Gripping Look at Autonomy

Take a trip to RightHand Robotics' headquarters for a close-up look at intelligent piece-picking in action, where AI, robotic gripping and item-identification technology drive predictable order fulfillment. The tour offers a deep dive into physical AI and highlights how RightHand Robotics and Rockwell Automation are working together to support fast-moving warehouse environments. Get hands-on with a dozen interactive warehousing and fulfillment demos, all designed to solve real problems for real customers. Try your hand at creating orders, calibrating systems and troubleshooting errors. Can you fulfill orders better than a robot?

Righthand Robotics logo

Teddie Peanut Butter: Spreading Smarter Operations

Discover how The Leavitt Corp, known for manufacturing Teddie Peanut Butter, one of New England’s most iconic food brands, is spreading smarter operations across the organization with greater control, consistency and insight. Travel from the receiving dock to the production floor as you hear how this long-standing family company embraced change to move from manual processes to a more connected, technology-enabled operation. See how transitioning to Plex has improved manufacturing reliability, enabled paperless quality management and strengthened visibility across the business. You’ll experience digital transformation in action and see how plant-floor execution, quality, materials and business processes are working together more smoothly, thanks to Plex.

Teddie Peanut Butter jars on a production conveyor belt
A facility with manufacturing automation machines

Rockwell Automation Chelmsford: Where Intelligent Motion Lives

Experience more machines in action than can fit on the show floor. Your visit to the home of Rockwell Automation’s Advanced Motion, Safety and Sensing business gets you closer to the technology and direct access to the experts behind it. See the full portfolio of Independent Cart Technology solving real industry challenges. You’ll get hands on with 16 exclusive demos showcasing color sortation, RFID track & trace, automatic queuing, real-time dispatching and advanced safety to name a few. From there, visit sensing labs, commercial engineering and testing environments that help bring tomorrow’s innovation to life.

A man presents to a group of people in front of a machine at an Off-site Tour to Rockwell Automation Headquarters

Registration opens in August

Get ready for Automation Fair

calendar icon
Mark your calendar

Add the event to your schedule.

Save the date
globe icon
Traveling from outside the U.S.?

Plan now to get ahead. 

Create Visa Letter
desktop and mobile devices
Stay updated

Get event announcements and news.

JOIN THE LIST
speech bubbles icons
Everything you need to know

Have a question? Check out the FAQs or contact us .

READ FAQS
2026 Stevie Awards

Award winning by design

The difference is in the experience. Automation Fair earned multiple Stevie® Awards from the 2026 American Business Awards® in the Corporate & Community category for distinction in creating a standout event. 

Automation Fair is a registered trademark of Rockwell Automation.

ATS Life Science Systems: High-tech Automation for MedTech Innovation

Agenda:

  • Each tour lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, featuring unique tour stops throughout the facility
    • Dive into the latest trends in high-volume medical device manufacturing while getting to know ATS Life Sciences Systems and their partnership with Rockwell Automation
    • Tour the production floor and see how machines like the ones you use every day come to life, from design to build to test
    • And ask your questions and engage with some of the engineers and project managers behind these advances
  • The 10am tour includes lunch and runs 2 hours and 15 minutes, the 1pm tour departs after lunch service at McCormick Place
  • This tour will block 4.5 hours on your agenda, inclusive of tour, travel time and some buffer for unexpected traffic or weather delays. Those on the 10am tour will need to plan for an additional 30 minutes after the return time indicated on your agenda.

Shaping the Future of Manufacturing at the Connected Systems Institute

CSI tours will be offered in conjunction with the Rockwell Headquarters Experience.

Agenda:

  • Each tour lasts 6 hours and 30 minutes, featuring unique experiences across Milwaukee
    • Explore the Digital Transformation 100-C Contactor Line and up and coming OTTO AMR production lines at Rockwell Automation with access to our Advanced Technology, Chemical & Materials and High Current & Testing Labs
    • Take an eye-opening trip across town to the Connected Systems Institute (CSI) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and interact with their simulated manufacturing plant, labs, research facilities and the new Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab, setting it apart from other IIoT university-industry consortiums.
    • Ask your questions and engage with some of the behind-the-scenes program leaders and technology masters at Rockwell Automation and CSI at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee you won’t meet on the show floor
  • This tour will block 11.5 hours on your agenda, inclusive of tour, travel time and buffer for traffic or weather delays. Lunch will be provided. Please plan accordingly for this full day trip.

Goose Island Brewery: Where Technology Meets Taste

Agenda:

  • Each tour lasts 2 hours, featuring unique tour stops throughout their facilities

    • Walk through the heart of Goose Island’s 60,000 barrel/year brewhouse, learning about each phase of the process and the integration of industrial control and automation along the way

    • Get exclusive access and ask your questions to the brewing team across the operation who bring the passion behind the process every day

    • Top it off with a glimpse into the history and growth of Goose Island Beer Co., a trip to their stunning Barrel House and taste a sample of their iconic Bourbon County Stout. 

  • Tours return before or depart after lunch service at McCormick Place

  • This tour will block 4 hours on your agenda, inclusive of tour, travel time and some buffer for unexpected traffic or weather delays

Experience the Power of Process Automation at the PTU

Agenda:

  • Each tour lasts 2 hours, featuring unique tour stops throughout the facility
    • Experience a fully operational process facility equipped with live instrumentation and Rockwell’s PlantPAx System – allowing you to interact with the system, simulate real-world scenarios, and test high availability solutions in a risk-free environment without disrupting active operations
    • Step onto the plant floor to explore advanced diagnostics and experience the simplicity of secure remote access when safety is essential. You’ll also tackle a real-time maintenance challenge using live operational data – bringing theory into practice in a dynamic environment.
    • Engage directly with the engineers and process experts showcasing these innovations – ask questions, gain insights, and explore the thinking behind the technology
  • The 8am Monday and 10am Tuesday tours include lunch and run 2 hours and 45 minutes, all others return before or depart after lunch service at McCormick Place
  • This tour will block 4.5 hours on your agenda, inclusive of tour, travel time and some buffer for unexpected traffic or weather delays. Those on the 8am Monday and 10am Tuesday tours will need to plan for an additional 30 minutes after the return time indicated on your agenda.

Fulfillment Futurized at Procter & Gamble

Agenda:

  • Each tour lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, featuring unique experiences throughout the facility
    • Explore P&G’s “gateway to the west coast,” their most innovative and automated fulfillment center, built from the ground up to minimize touches and maximize speed and efficiency
    • Check out the high capacity Automated Case Pick process for vendor-level case orders, optimized truck fill and direct-to-store shipping, and the Automated Layer Picking System that enables 40% more cases/pallet than manual picking
    • Engineers and innovators will benefit from open discussion around the shared challenges in material handling and innovative solutions at P&G and beyond
  • The 10:30am tour includes lunch and runs 2 hours and 15 minutes, the 7:30am tour returns before lunch service at McCormick Place
  • This tour will block 5 hours on your agenda, inclusive of tour, travel time and some buffer for unexpected traffic or weather delays. Those on the 10:30am tour will need to plan for an additional 30 minutes after the return time indicated on your agenda.

Industry & Academia Come Together at Purdue University Northwest

Agenda:  

  • Each tour lasts 2 hours, featuring unique experiences across the campus
    • Talk to the students as you explore this year’s capstone projects built for real industry applications, trainer demos featuring technology currently in the field and some of the most advanced labs at a university
    • Come ready to engage and share experiences and your workforce needs, helping inform the future of a trailblazing program that universities around the world benchmark against
    • With innovation and opportunity around every corner, you’ll visit a 3D immersive studio, integrated robot lab, product commercialization center and cybersecurity center as just a start
  • Tours return before or depart after lunch service at McCormick Place
  • This tour will block 4 hours on your agenda, inclusive of tour, travel time and some buffer for unexpected traffic or weather delays

Your VIP Ticket Inside Rockwell Automation Headquarters

Please see below two options for this Tour.

Agenda – Rockwell Automation Headquarters only:

  • Each tour lasts 6 hours and 30 minutes, featuring unique experiences across the facility
    • Immerse yourself in the culture of Rockwell Automation, exploring hidden gems like our Green Roof and storied history and taking in the stunning views from our iconic clock tower
    • Go beyond the production lines with access to our Advanced Technology, Chemical & Materials, High Current & Testing, Robotics and OnCourse Labs
    • Ask your questions and engage with some of the behind-the-scenes technology masters you won’t see on the show floor
  • This tour will block 11.5 hours on your agenda, inclusive of tour, travel time and buffer for traffic or weather delays. Lunch will be provided. Please plan accordingly for this full day trip.

Agenda – Rockwell Automation Headquarters + Connected Systems Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee:

  • Each tour lasts 6 hours and 30 minutes, featuring unique experiences across Milwaukee
    • Explore the Digital Transformation 100-C Contactor Line and up and coming OTTO AMR production lines at Rockwell Automation with access to our Advanced Technology, Chemical & Materials and High Current & Testing Labs
    • Take an eye-opening trip across town to the Connected Systems Institute (CSI) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and interact with their simulated manufacturing plant, labs, research facilities and the new Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab, setting it apart from other IIoT university-industry consortiums.
    • Ask your questions and engage with some of the behind-the-scenes program leaders and technology masters at Rockwell Automation and CSI at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee you won’t meet on the show floor
  • This tour will block 11.5 hours on your agenda, inclusive of tour, travel time and buffer for traffic or weather delays. Lunch will be provided. Please plan accordingly for this full day trip.

Restored & Ready Equipment: The Rockwell Automation Remanufacturing & Repair Center

Agenda:

  • Each tour lasts 2 hours, featuring unique experiences across the facility
    • Explore the seven zones at this Legacy Support Center of Excellence where they remanufacture products as far back as PLC-2® to modern day ControlLogix®, and repair products far beyond Rockwell Automation
    • Across the facility, see advances in diagnostic testing, component-level circuit card printing, counterfeit identification and remanufacturing for sustainability
    • Ask questions of our repair technicians, who have an average of 20+ years of experience and are ready to engage 
  • Tours return before or depart after lunch service at McCormick Place
  • This tour will block 4 hours on your agenda, inclusive of tour, travel time and some buffer for unexpected traffic or weather delays