Rockwell Automation Outlines Tech Trends Driving Industry 5.0 at 30th Annual Automation Fair®

“With competition for technology talent extending globally, Rockwell Automation aims to deliver systems that make human-machine interactions more efficient,” said Wooldridge. “The goal is to augment existing capabilities; maximizing output and minimizing reliance on having workers physically present, to enhance both efficiency and safety.”

Technology as an enabler for Industry 5.0

It will be crucial for manufacturers to leverage technology if they are to advance to Industry 5.0. During the event, Rockwell Automation outlined four crucial areas where technology can be leveraged:

1. The evolution of cloud, edge, and software
2. Universal control and converged integrated development environments (IDEs)
3. AI-native operation management, including software as a service (SaaS) and digital services
4. Autonomous systems and augmented workforce

To enable control at the enterprise level, systems with software-defined architecture and the underlying hardware will be needed. “This does not mean that every piece of the system must be changed, or that existing hardware is becoming obsolete,” said Wooldridge. “From the device to the edge and to the cloud, the entire process needs to be smart. In the converged environment, control, safety, and motion all come together and must work in an integrated fashion.”

Wooldridge explained that by building AI-native architecture, operations management becomes more efficient. AI can be viewed in the lens of process modelling and can help simplify a new generation of design by translating systems output into valuable data insights.

Lastly, transforming automated systems into autonomous systems enables better decisions to expand human possibility. “The autonomous system is an opportunity to rethink the essential principles of autonomous control systems,” said Wooldridge. “We have the ability to strengthen existing systems with new technology.”

Ultimately, technology remains a powerful enabling force. “It must be accessible and understood by users to succeed. Rockwell Automation understands that in a digital-native world, the user experience is paramount to delivering innovative products and solutions that benefit,” Wooldridge concluded.

Catch Automation Fair on demand until February 2022

This year’s Automation Fair showcased over 10 industry forums, over 100 exhibits, and panel discussions with leading industry experts from global organizations including AB InBev, Bridgestone, Corteva, and The Kraft Heinz Company. Sessions delved into technology disruptions and opportunities ranging from topics such as cybersecurity and smart devices to workforce augmentation and advanced robotics.

Automation Fair on demand is available until February 2022. For complimentary access to virtual sessions, interviews, and show-floor tours, register here.

Rockwell Automation Expands Supply Chain Services with Acquisition of AVATA

Transaction strengthens digital thread capabilities across the value chain

Rockwell Automation has acquired AVATA, a leading services provider for supply chain management, enterprise resource planning, and enterprise performance management solutions. AVATA has significant domain expertise in enterprise applications and is a leading consultant and system integrator for Oracle cloud software applications.

By significantly improving end-to-end supply chain visibility and management, AVATA, together with Kalypso, Rockwell Automation’s industrial digital transformation services business, will help further unlock the value of information technology/operational technology (IT/OT) convergence that Rockwell Automation can deliver to customers. AVATA will be integrated into Kalypso, which is a part of Rockwell Automation’s Lifecycle Services business.

“Welcoming AVATA into our portfolio is another example of our strategy to bolster our technology and consulting capabilities to better serve our customers with cloud-native solutions that are easy to implement, use, and maintain,” said Frank Kulaszewicz, senior vice president, Lifecycle Services for Rockwell Automation.

“Manufacturers are increasingly seeking resiliency, agility, and sustainability in their supply chain and operations and are adopting cloud solutions to accelerate their efforts. AVATA augments our ability to provide our customers access to a leading portfolio of cloud solutions for enabling digital transformation.”

Kalypso and AVATA announced a formal partnership in March, joining forces to help clients accelerate digital transformation initiatives with Oracle’s suite of cloud applications. This acquisition will allow Rockwell Automation to further build upon these synergies and expand its supply chain consulting services to support end-to-end digital transformation solutions across the enterprise and onto the plant floor and then beyond to the extended supply chain.

“The addition of AVATA will strengthen our digital thread capabilities across the value chain,” said George Young, Global Managing Director of Kalypso. “Together through our existing partnership, we are working with manufacturers across a variety of industries to fundamentally change the way we discover, create, make, and sell products. This acquisition will only amplify the great results we are already delivering for our clients.”

“Joining Kalypso and Rockwell Automation will allow us to help even more companies use digital transformation initiatives to drive value and competitive advantage throughout the extended supply chain. We’re excited for what the future holds for our clients and our combined team,” said Anil Thomas, CEO of AVATA.

AVATA supports Rockwell Automation’s recent cloud-native investments, building on its open architecture to extend the digital thread and enable powerful integrations with other leading technologies, now including Plex and Oracle Cloud.

In August, Rockwell Automation completed the acquisition of Plex Systems, the leading cloud-native smart manufacturing platform. In December 2020, Rockwell Automation completed the acquisition of Fiix Inc., a cloud software company for leading-edge maintenance solutions.

Rockwell Automation Celebrates Success of Revamped OEM Partner Program with Increased Global Partners

In late 2020, Rockwell Automation announced the new OEM Partner Program, which replaces its previous Machine Builder Program. Bringing more benefits to its OEM customers to help them grow their business and provide superior value to their customers. Now, after a full year of global implementation, the program has shown great adoption, and welcomed new OEM partners.

Previously named the Machine Builder Program, the updated OEM Partner Program is showing significant benefits to OEM customers. Where the previous iteration existed for about 10 years, the updates have aligned well with OEM customers to partner and foster commercial and strategic relationships. While Rockwell Automation saw early successes in the program domestically, the global rollout has been successful in expanding partnerships in new geographic regions and industry verticals through additional benefits to OEM customers.

“The results of rolling out this program globally have been exceptional. We have quantifiably increased benefits that positively impact our Partner’s bottom line, resulting in our OEM Partners increasing their commitment to form strategic alignment with Rockwell Automation. It’s an unprecedented opportunity to pass along unrivaled co-marketing opportunities, coordinated market planning with our sales force, and improved customer engagement with co-managed objectives.” said Johannes zu Eltz, vice president, global market access, Rockwell Automation.

“The appetite for this program has been overwhelming. To date, we have welcomed over 3,200 OEM Partners to our program, with two being promoted to Platinum and 86 to Gold this fiscal year alone. We look forward to continued growth of our PartnerNetwork™ Ecosystem.”

The enhanced program includes a robust co-marketing platform for OEM customers to utilize information, industry case studies, and successes with products to benefit the community at large. Training and key industry plays have been added to increase the value of the co-marketing between OEM Partners and their customers, further formalizing business alignment.

Additionally, elevated levels of support and increased technical resources and supply chain alignment, in addition to lowering the barrier to adoption of new technologies that enable OEM Partners to create differentiation and overcome business challenges.

For more information on the OEM Partner Program or to request more information from your local sales office, please click here.

Rockwell Automation and Battery Pioneer Cadenza Innovation to Explore Driving Energy Storage and Advance Sustainability

Collaboration would create cloud-based, distributed, energy storage monitoring system, a full manufacturing execution system, and controls automation for a smart connected factory of the future

Rockwell Automation has begun collaborating with Cadenza Innovation, the award-winning provider of safe, low cost, and energy-dense Lithium-ion-based storage solutions, to define a strategic relationship including a shared goal of building the industry’s highest performance battery cell production lines.

In 2022, the companies intend to collaborate to develop a customer cloud portal to manage deployed distributed energy resources, an end-to-end battery manufacturing execution system (MES), and equipment automation to support the expansion of Cadenza Innovation’s battery manufacturing in the US and abroad.

Rockwell Automation and Cadenza Innovation intend to create a full digital thread that feeds information from business systems to the factory floor and subsequently out to the field-deployed energy storage systems to ‘close the loop’ by sharing data from the field back into Cadenza Innovation’s connected operations. This, in turn, will ensure peak performance of customer systems.

“We are excited to collaborate with Cadenza Innovation to build high-performance battery cell production. With Rockwell Automation’s global industry expertise in manufacturing and sustainability and Cadenza Innovation’s field-proven operational and mass production expertise in the battery market, we have aligned on our commitment to sustainability and innovation,” said Tom O’Reilly, vice president, sustainability, Rockwell Automation.

Working with Rockwell Automation will allow Cadenza Innovation to bring its battery technology to customers more rapidly. This further illustrates a Rockwell Automation commitment to the emerging sustainable battery sector, new energy technologies and customers, and enabling new economy manufacturing.

Combining industry-leading safety with superior energy density and low-cost, Cadenza Innovation’s patented and UL-registered supercell battery architecture stops propagation during thermal runaway. The supercell has also passed stringent safety testing by the Department of Defense. Addressing the needs of the utility, commercial/industrial, transportation and prosumer markets, Cadenza Innovation’s platform-based ecosystem fuels rapid product deployment in space-efficient configurations.

“The transition to cleaner forms of energy to combat climate change is well underway. Driven by the global adoption of EVs, utility grid storage and dozens of other uses, there’s unprecedented demand for rechargeable batteries,” said Christina Lampe-Onnerud, chief executive officer, Cadenza Innovation. “Lithium-ion batteries are the only commercially viable, readily available solution to address this need, but the world requires safer, better performing and lower-cost versions. Teaming with a world-class company like Rockwell Automation enables our companies to help address this global demand, doing so with an emphasis on sustainability. We’re thrilled to be working together.”

Rockwell Automation and The Pyure Company Engage in Strategic Agreement to Help Provide Cleaner Air and Combat COVID-19

Rockwell Automation and The Pyure Company announced a five-year strategic agreement that will allow the companies to work together to provide solutions to improve indoor air quality and fight the spread of COVID-19. Pyure is a world-leading and innovative air purifying technology company that designs and manufactures ultraviolet-based commercial air purifiers. Pyure’s solutions kill more than 99% of the most common indoor pathogens including the COVID-19 virus, according to the company.

As the pandemic has accelerated the need for companies to become more resilient, agile, and sustainable, Pyure has integrated Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and knowledge capture solutions from Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk® InnovationSuite, providing a single solution to collect, aggregate, and securely access industrial operations data. As a result, Pyure’s customers will now have the ability to access real-time data indicating how Pyure is to helping protect their environments, while integrating data and control into their building management strategy.

The joint technology assets will allow customers to compare indoor and outdoor conditions to choose the best strategy for their building and industrial processes. Customers will also be able to manage their Pyure systems from a single location and integrate their own devices into a common gateway, dashboard, and mobile app platform, giving them the ability to remotely troubleshoot and receive system service. Pyure anticipates that eventually, the trending and optimization data made possible by this partnership will be used in settings where air quality data must be recorded for reporting.

“As a global leader in industrial automation, Rockwell Automation is proud to provide companies like Pyure with solutions that maximize operational efficiencies and deliver predictive and augmented maintenance advantages,” said Rockwell’s Jason Adams, vice president of information software and solutions, Americas.

“With the COVID-19 virus remaining a top health concern around the world, we at Rockwell Automation look forward to providing products and software that allow Pyure and its customers to access their data faster and easier.”

Rockwell Automation Names Veena Lakkundi Head of Corporate Strategy and Development

Rockwell Automation recently announced that Veena Lakkundi has joined the company as Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development since Nov 1. She will report to Rockwell Automation Chairman and CEO Blake Moret.

Lakkundi joins Rockwell Automation following a progression of roles with increasing responsibility at 3M. She was most recently Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer and interim leader of Technology, Transformation and Services.

“Veena has a track record of building world-class global teams and businesses while delivering great outcomes for customers and stakeholders,” said Moret. “Her experience in strategy, research and development, sales, and marketing make her a great addition to our leadership team as we find ways to increase our value to customers. I am delighted to welcome Veena to Rockwell Automation.”

“I’m excited to join the Rockwell Automation team and oversee all strategic planning and inorganic development activities across the company,” said Lakkundi. “Rockwell Automation has already accomplished so much as a leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, and I’m thrilled at the opportunity to help in driving the company forward.”

Lakkundi succeeds Elik Fooks, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

“Elik has had an incredible impact on Rockwell Automation during a long and successful career,” said Moret. “Most recently, Elik created a high-functioning Corporate Development team that is contributing materially to the execution of our strategy. I wish him all the best in his retirement and appreciate all he is doing to support Veena’s transition.”