This past year, Rockwell Automation has reinvigorated our commitment to publicly celebrating the success our customers are experiencing with our products, solutions, and services.
Below is a look at our top five most-read customer stories of 2022. These stories span industries and showcase a variety of digital transformation and automation solutions.
1. Hirata Boosts Efficiency with Emulation Software
This story was by far the most-read story of 2022, and it had the most global viewership too. Hirata – an OEM machine builder based in Kumamoto, Japan – invested in Emulate3D™ emulation software to improve debugging and commissioning. The results they experienced were incredible: 30% reduction in engineering time and 70% more efficiency in debugging.
2. Fresenius Medical Care Uses Digital Twins to Drive Efficiency
Fresenius Medical Care provides solutions for people living with chronic kidney disease. They worked with us to shift from paper-based processes to digital ones that enable better global collaboration and reduce time spent on administrative work. They also created digital twins of their main products to drive efficiencies in product development and improve product quality.
Watch their interview with our editor to learn more.
3. Cooper Tire Transforms Operations with MES
Cooper Tire and Rubber is a global tire manufacturer based in Ohio. They wanted to break down information silos and enable greater collaboration, standardization, and enforcement of best practices. We helped them put a Manufacturing Execution System in place, and it’s making a significant impact on their business.
4. Fonterra Co-operative Increases Output by Measuring OEE
Fonterra Co-operative, a dairy co-operative, was searching for ways to meet rapidly growing customer demand. They already have 26 manufacturing sites across New Zealand, and it was looking like they’d need to open another. The company worked with Rockwell Automation, Microsoft, and PTC to develop a digital solution that measures OEE at each plant and identifies areas to improve. Today, the average OEE score for Fonterra’s plants is up 20% and there’s no longer a need to invest in building new facilities to meet customer demand.
5. Chicago Heights Steel Upgrades Control System, Reduces Downtime
Chicago Heights Steel is a rail reroller that buys old railroad rail, heats it up, and produces new products. Their obsolete control and electrical system was causing downtime and keeping the plant from producing at capacity. They worked with AIC, one of our PartnerNetwork™ companies, to put a new system in place that included drives, automation and control, HMI, safety, sensing, and a number of services to keep the system running well over time like spare parts and remote support. Within 3 months, rolling performance was up by over 15%. They let us come on site and film their story.
6. Bonus: Green Bay Packaging Builds State-of-the-Art Paper Mill
Hot off the presses, this story hasn’t had a chance to garner a ton of readership yet – but it’s one we know you’ll appreciate. The original Green Bay Packaging mill was built over 70 years ago, and it was no longer able to keep up with modern demand for paper products. The President and CEO decided to build a brand-new mill that used automation and digital technology to enhance productivity and better align with the company’s mission of sustainable paper product production. The new mill was built just across town from the old mill, and existing staff was relocated and trained on its operation. We were invited on site to see the new mill, and it’s truly an accomplishment.
