Cisco and Rockwell Automation have announced a partnership aimed at accelerating industrial digital transformation in the Asia Pacific, Japan and Mainland China regions. According to a Rockwell Automation release, the partnership aims to provide technology and services to optimize manufacturing operations, increase productivity and secure industrial networks.
The initiative, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), focuses on implementing advanced automation solutions such as connected factories and industrial IoT that address the complex challenges and requirements of modern manufacturing environments.
“As industries in the region embark on their digital transformation journey, our collaboration with Rockwell Automation will bring great value to our customers,” said Kartika Prihadi, vice president, partner and route to market sales at Cisco. “By joining forces, we aim to empower industrial companies with advanced, secure connectivity solutions that increase operational efficiencies and unlock new growth opportunities,” Prihadi added.
Shobhan Sengupta, regional vice president, Market Access, Rockwell Automation, agreed, saying, “At Rockwell Automation, we firmly believe in building things better together and are excited to embark on this journey with Cisco to accelerate digital transformation in Asia Pacific. With our combined strengths and capabilities, we are well positioned to help industrial enterprises navigate the complexities of digitalization and achieve sustainable growth.”
In addition to providing technology solutions, Cisco and Rockwell Automation also plan to address the digital skills gap in manufacturing by leveraging Cisco’s Networking Academy program and Rockwell Automation’s university partnerships across the region.
Last year, Rockwell Automation and Microsoft announced a collaboration to accelerate industrial automation design and development using generative artificial intelligence (AI). The initiative combines technologies driving Industry 4.0 with “industry-first” generative AI solutions to empower workers and improve efficiency.
When Microsoft’s Azure Open AI services are introduced into Rockwell’s FactoryTalk Design Studio, engineers will be able to generate code using natural language prompts, which is expected to automate routine tasks and improve design efficiency. Generative AI has the potential to solve challenges in quality control, process improvement, failure analysis, and employee training through chat-based collaboration between workers and Azure chatbots.