Already with record attendance of more than 15,000 people at Automation Fair this week in Chicago, Rockwell Automation Chairman and CEO Blake Moret announced intentions to build a 1 million sq ft greenfield plant in southeastern Wisconsin as part of a $2 billion investment plan to integrate and demonstrate technology in a holistic manner over the next five years.
“We’re putting our money where our mouth is,” declared Moret. “Designing a new facility presents the opportunity to create the future of industrial operations with highly orchestrated production,” said Moret. “We are expanding our U.S. manufacturing footprint with advanced production capability that supports growth and performance with the latest Rockwell technologies and solutions.”
The first step of a journey begins with establishing the why, explained Moret. “The work we do in manufacturing matters,” he assured. “It matters when it comes time to package food, to make sure we have clean water, energy and transportation. When we talk about how to do it better, it’s about our livelihoods and jobs, but it’s about a greater good, as well.”
The challenge is that automation is complex. “There are disparate systems,” explained Moret. “No company has a homogenous architecture. The technology is advanced. To bring it together with artificial intelligence (AI) and a systems approach, we have to be able to bring it together in as simple of a form as possible.”
Holistic systems can optimize productivity, especially when combined with AI analytics. “It’s about adapting and learning,” said Moret. “Systems can be even more performant along their lifecycles past the first day of being commissioned. When we think about the starting point, it’s looking at things holistically in a systems approach and creating autonomous systems. It’s picking the right partner and making sure your workers are ready for that journey, as well.”
Three key enablers: AI, SDA and robotics
Moret specifically identified a software-defined approach, AI and robotics as enablers of new technology, giving several examples of customers who’ve benefitted from Rockwell Automation’s integration of these technologies.
Lucid Motors, whose air vehicle is on display in the Automation Fair exhibit hall, needed to scale production rapidly. “As they prepared for the rollout of the Gravity SUV,” noted Moret, “we provided the foundation for them to be able to scale while they kept the lights on.”
Texas Instruments applied AI for energy savings. “Their facilities use enormous amounts of energy,” explained Moret. “A digital twin of the chiller enabled them to act on input from the SCADA system for energy savings.”
Hancock Iron Ore used Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk DataMosaix to be able to develop AI tools. In robotics, GE Healthcare used OTTO autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from Rockwell Automation to optimize paths for space savings. “In our own facility in Twinsburg, Ohio, we’ve created more efficient production using OTTO AMRs,” noted Moret. “All of these are examples of what we’re doing. It requires a different way of thinking about things. We’re placing a bet in our capabilities and bringing you along on that journey, as we combine the technology and that expertise.”
