Cisco and Rockwell Automation have announced a collaboration aimed at accelerating industrial digital transformation in the Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China region. According to a release from Rockwell Automation, this partnership seeks to deliver technologies and services to optimize manufacturing operations, improve productivity, and ensure industrial network security.
This initiative, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), focuses on implementing advanced automation solutions such as connected factories and industrial IoT. These solutions address the complex challenges and requirements of modern manufacturing environments.
“As industries in this region embark on their digital transformation journeys, our collaboration with Rockwell Automation is poised to deliver significant value for our customers,” said Kartika Prihadi, VP of Partners and Routes to Market Sales at Cisco. “By joining forces, we aim to empower industrial enterprises with advanced secure connectivity solutions that drive operational efficiency and unlock new growth opportunities,” added Prihadi.
Shovan Sengupta, Regional Vice President of Market Access at Rockwell Automation, echoed this sentiment, saying, “At Rockwell Automation, we firmly believe in the idea of better together and are excited to embark on this journey with Cisco to accelerate digital transformation in Asia Pacific. By combining our strengths and capabilities, we are well-positioned to help industrial enterprises navigate the complexities of digitalization and achieve sustainable growth.”
In addition to offering technological solutions, Cisco and Rockwell Automation plan to address the digital skills gap in the manufacturing sector. This will be achieved by utilizing Cisco’s Networking Academy program and Rockwell Automation’s university partnerships across the region.
Last year, Rockwell Automation and Microsoft announced a collaboration to leverage generative artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate industrial automation design and development. This initiative aims to combine technologies to advance Industry 4.0 with “industry-first” generative AI solutions, empowering workers and improving efficiency.
The introduction of Microsoft’s Azure Open AI service to Rockwell’s FactoryTalk Design Studio will enable engineers to generate code using natural language prompts. This is expected to automate routine tasks and improve design efficiency. Generative AI will potentially solve challenges in quality management, process improvement, failure analysis, and workforce training through chat-based collaboration between workers and Azure chatbots.
