By Mike Bacidore, Chief Editor, Control Design and Contributing Editor, The Journal
Industrial production systems are designed, operated and maintained throughout their lifespan. During the 2024 Automation Fair® event in November, Jordan Reynolds, vice president of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy at Rockwell Automation, explained how the company is introducing AI as a meaningful technology change across the various stages of a production asset’s life cycle.
The task of reimagining systems and products with the ability to learn, generate instructions and optimize complex decision-making processes is an ongoing endeavor. The core portfolio is broken down into five categories: design, operations, logistics, automation and maintenance.
“It’s a pretty standard automation portfolio from a company like us,” Reynolds said.
“We think of AI not as a sixth category,” he added, “but are looking at ways we can incorporate AI and advanced analytics into the products our customers already use every day.”
AI-Assisted Opportunities
By using predictive models, embedded AI can come up with plans and materials recommendations, so operations management doesn’t need to, Reynolds explained. “Maintenance teams need to detect anomalies and know what to do about them, and AI can help there, too.”
