Rockwell Automation held its annual event, Automation Fair, in Boston with members of its global PartnerNetwork™. The event brought together more than 10,000 participants from around the world to Discover What's Possible with the hottest innovations, the smartest experts, and the latest strategies. Automation Fair is a one-of-a-kind annual event, held this year at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Nov. 6 – 9. It offered an immersive experience showcasing the value and power of Rockwell’s expertise and solutions. For the first time ever, Rockwell combined Automation Fair, its flagship event, with the best of Rockwell’s popular ROKLive Americas, PowerPlex, and Process Solutions User Group events into one groundbreaking week.
The new and improved event schedule featured 3 inspirational keynotes, more than 325 sessions along with 26 unique offsite tours and hands-on learning opportunities including 500 hours of advanced training. With an expanded 500,000-square-foot interactive expo including 120 booths, virtual production lines, and guided expo tours, attendees accessed the hottest innovations and the latest approaches to optimize production, empower workers, manage risk, drive sustainability, and achieve digital transformation.
Discover Automation Fair On Demand here.
New Research Finds Cyberattacks Against Critical Infrastructure on the Rise, State-affiliated Groups Responsible for Nearly 60%
Rockwell Automation announced the findings of its report “Anatomy of 100+ Cybersecurity Incidents in Industrial Operations”, a global study conducted by Cyentia Institute analyzing 122 cybersecurity events that included a direct compromise of operational technology (OT) and/or industrial control system (ICS) operations, collecting and reviewing nearly 100 data points for each incident.
The first edition of the report finds nearly 60% of cyberattacks against the industrial sector are led by state-affiliated actors and often unintentionally enabled by internal personnel (about 33% of the time). This corroborates other industry research showing OT/ICS security incidents are increasing in volume and frequency, and are targeting critical infrastructure, such as energy producers.
More findings from the report here.
Rockwell Automation Partners with Everactive, Increasing Customer Productivity and Sustainability
Rockwell Automation is pleased to announce its partnership with Santa Clara, California-based Everactive, a leader in wireless and batteryless condition-monitoring solutions for industrial customers.
Everactive’s solutions will complement Rockwell Automation’s Dynamix product line, which will be ideal for Rockwell customers seeking actionable insights from their rotating equipment assets, without the concern of interruption from having to replace batteries in the process. The integrated system will provide data to Rockwell’s FactoryTalk® MaintenanceSuite for asset monitoring, condition-based monitoring, and predictive maintenance programs, enabling maintenance teams to reduce asset-related downtime, decrease production cost and lower labor costs.
Read more here.
Rockwell Automation Simplifies Repair Processes, Enables Predictable Budgeting with New Repair+ Service Agreement
Manufacturers seeking prolonged life for their industrial automation products now have the option to subscribe to a Repair + service agreement tailored to support their operational needs. Eliminating the headache of individual purchase orders, the agreement includes a dedicated amount to spend on repairs or it can be created to be inclusive of all repairs on Rockwell Automation products. With 14 remanufacturing and repair facilities and spare parts hubs worldwide, Rockwell Automation is able to provide repairs on Allen‑Bradley® products and those of other popular automation brands.
Manufacturers can proactively plan and budget their maintenance, repair, and operational (MRO) costs, and manage their repairs through the myRockwellAutomation.com portal.
Learn more here or contact your Allen‑Bradley Authorized Distributor.
Rockwell Automation completes acquisition of autonomous robotics leader Clearpath Robotics and industrial offering OTTO Motors
Rockwell Automation completed its acquisition of Ontario, Canada-based Clearpath Robotics Inc., a leader in autonomous robotics, including autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for industrial applications. The acquisition includes Clearpath Robotics’ namesake research division, a leader in developing autonomous technology for the innovation market, and the industrial division OTTO Motors, which provides AMRs, the next frontier in industrial automation and transformation. Both divisions report to Rockwell’s Intelligent Devices operating segment.
“We are delighted to welcome the Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors teams to Rockwell,” said Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO, Rockwell Automation. “This acquisition marks a turning point for our customers around the world. Rockwell is simplifying and transforming the difficult yet critical function of material handling throughout the manufacturing plant with an end-to-end production logistics solution. Production logistics is key to optimizing operations across an entire facility and bringing the Connected Enterprise to life.”
Read more here.
Rockwell Automation to Build Hydroponic Farm Within Its Headquarters
By summer of 2024, Rockwell’s Milwaukee headquarters in the U.S. will house a highly automated, indoor 7,300-square-foot hydroponic vertical farm. It will be built in collaboration with Fork Farms, a Green Bay-based agriculture technology startup company.
Once fully operational, Clock Tower Farms, named in recognition of the iconic Allen‑Bradley four-sided clock atop the company’s headquarters, will be capable of producing 540,000 plants and as much as 149,000 pounds of food annually—the equivalent of more than 3 acres of conventional farmland. The first-of-its-kind facility will be housed on the 4th floor of Rockwell’s headquarters located in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point Neighborhood.
Learn more here.
Rockwell Automation and Infinitum Announce Agreement to Make High-Efficiency Low Voltage Drives and Motors Available for Energy-Intensive Industrial Applications
The partnership with Infinitum, creator of the sustainable air core motor, will deliver market-leading integrated drives and motors giving manufacturers the ability to deliver sustainable outcomes with less consumed energy, raw materials, and waste.
Under this agreement, Rockwell’s market-leading PowerFlex® drive technology will be combined with Infinitum’s high-efficiency Aircore EC motor system. This powerful package will help companies reduce their carbon footprint with a motor system that is 50% smaller and lighter, uses 66% less copper, and consumes 10% less energy than traditional iron core motors.
Read more here.
Rockwell Automation Offers More Functionality on the Plant Floor, Releases New, Fully Managed Switches
A new line of Stratix 5200 switches offer increased functionality, are easier to set up, configure and offer enhanced security features.
The Allen‑Bradley® Stratix 5200 fully managed switches offer various hardware configurations and features. These options give machine builders more value and flexibility. Key features include:
- Expansion of higher port speed options with all gig SKUs.
- Redundant and resilient architecture options that support fully managed and high-performance switch tiers.
- Simplified portfolio and switch selection that is streamlined for fully managed and high performance.
Learn more here.
Reduce Material and Labor Costs with new ArmorKinetix® Distributed Servo Drive
The new ArmorKinetix Distributed Servo Drives is an extension of the Kinetix® 5700 platform and provides customers with a scalable drive solution that helps them deliver leaner, greener, and more powerful machine designs.
Manufacturers are increasingly seeking scalable solutions that simplify their machine control architectures, minimize the number of components, reduce manufacturing time, and optimize productivity. ArmorKinetix Distributed Servo Drives enable customers to achieve these goals by providing a simplified architecture that mounts the servo solution outside of an electrical cabinet. As a result, machines can now be designed to be more modular while reducing cabinet size, cabling, and cooling requirements.
Learn more here.
Rockwell Automation Makes Decision Making Faster, More Informed with Release of FactoryTalk Analytics DataView 4.02
Rockwell Automation introduces FactoryTalk® Analytics™ DataView 4.02, an update to its analytics portfolio to help customers make faster, more informed decisions. This new version is packed with features and enhancements that offer a more responsive and reliable experience, enabling users to focus on extracting valuable insights from data without interruptions.
FactoryTalk Analytics DataView 4.02 offers automatic storyboard sharing that fosters collaboration among teams and stakeholders. Users can now seamlessly connect to FactoryTalk Edge Gateway™, FactoryTalk Live Data, FactoryTalk Historian, SQL, OPC UA and InfluxDB through the InfoPlatform service and benefit from real-time data streaming capabilities, enabling live streaming charts that auto-update. Installation updates offer simplified deployment, promoting a more responsive and reliable experience.
Learn more here.
New Study Reports 44% of Consumer Packaged Goods Leaders Accelerate Digital Transformation to Improve Quality
Global survey reveals the top challenges and opportunities of new technology for the global consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, with focuses on navigating inflation, supply chain disruptions, and more.
The 8th annual “State of Smart Manufacturing: CPG Edition” encompasses the responses of 216 CPG leaders across 13 of the leading manufacturing countries. This year’s report emphasizes the evolution of the CPG industry, inclusive of home and personal care, as well as food and beverage manufacturers, specifically about balancing quality and profitable growth, the impact of process automation, the adoption of smart manufacturing, and the essential role of technology when mitigating risks, improving quality, keeping up with competitors, and maintaining business continuity.
Read more here.
Rockwell Automation Offers Visualization and Maximum Connectivity on Plant Floors with Highly Customizable Graphic Terminals
A new line of OptixPanel™ graphic terminals has been released that can help machine builders differentiate their machines and meet a wide range of application needs. The Allen‑Bradley® OptixPanel is also compatible with FactoryTalk Optix software, providing visualization and maximum connectivity.
New OptixPanel graphic terminals offer several design options to give machine builders significant freedom to customize based on factors like cost, performance, and look and feel. Key design options include:
- Compact models are available in smaller physical sizes making certain applications easier.
- Standard models have a larger screen size and the ability to operate independently on two networks.
- Stainless-steel models that include the IP69K rated option, help meet the needs of users that have washdown requirements.
Learn more here.
