Cisco and Rockwell Partner to Drive Industrial IoT in APAC

Cisco and Rockwell Automation have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on boosting digital transformation in the industrial market across the Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China region.

Through this partnership, the two companies aim to provide technologies and services that enable manufacturers to optimize operations, enhance productivity, and ensure the security of their industrial networks.

 

(L-R)：Nicole Denil, vice president, Global Market Access, Rockwell Automation • Ruchika Jain, director, marketing and strategy - Asia Pacific, Rockwell Automation • Shovan Sengupta, regional vice president, market Access - Asia Pacific, Rockwell Automation • Scott Wooldridge, regional president - Asia Pacific, Rockwell Automation • Kartika Prihadi, Vice President, Partner Sales & Routes to Market, Asia Pacific, Japan & Greater China (APJC), Cisco • Simon Young, General Manager, Strategic Industry Partners, Asia Pacific, Japan & Greater China (APJC), Cisco • Yadi Karyadi, Country Solution Architect, Indonesia, Cisco

The collaboration will facilitate the implementation of advanced automation solutions, including connected factories and industrial IoT. Additionally, Cisco and Rockwell Automation will work together to address the digital skills gap in the manufacturing sector by leveraging Cisco's Networking Academy program and Rockwell Automation's university partnerships in the region.

Addressing the digital skills gap in the manufacturing sector

Cisco and Rockwell Automation will also work towards training and building a wider talent pool to address the digital skills gap in the manufacturing sector. This will be done by leveraging Cisco’s Networking Academy program and Rockwell Automation's partnerships with universities across the region.

Cisco Networking Academy is one of the longest-standing IT skills-to-jobs programs in the world. Cisco Networking Academy provides high-quality IT and cybersecurity courses, learning simulators, and hands-on learning opportunities via a learning platform to support instructors and engage learners in 190 countries. To date, over 20 million global learners have taken Cisco Networking Academy courses to gain digital skills. Additionally, 95% of students that have taken Cisco certification aligned courses have attributed obtaining a job or education opportunity to Cisco Networking Academy.

Rockwell Automation Launches 1st Digital Transformation Experience Centre in India

Rockwell Automation today announced the launch of its first Digital Transformation Experience Centre in India, a state-of-the-art, collaborative hub, designed to inform and inspire Indian businesses about creative ways to spark productivity gains using automation.

The Gurgaon-based Centre is the first of its kind in India to fully demonstrate the integration of key technology platforms for IT-OT convergence, enabling customers to understand the benefits of the Connected Enterprise and the positive impact that it can have on their business. The Centre also illustrates how solutions and services offered are entirely scalable and can be tailored to businesses.

Inaugurating the Centre, Rockwell Automation CEO Blake Moret said, “This is a hugely exciting time for a whole range of industries in India who stand to unlock trillions of dollars in value over the next decade as a result of rapid advancements in automation technology. It’s also a complex moment, when leaders have an exceptional number of decisions to make about how and where to invest their resources to achieve the best results. With this Centre, we’re inviting businesses across the country to come and get informed and inspired about what the future could look like and how to get there.”

Dilip Sawhney, Managing Director, Rockwell Automation India said, “We believe that embarking on the journey of digitalisation and the Connected Enterprise is key for businesses to realise their full potential. Our new Digital Transformation Experience Centre enables us to show, rather than tell our customers, how our technology can help to bridge the gap between traditional plant floor technologies (OT level) and enterprise level demands (IT level). Using our technical expertise and industry know-how, we can demonstrate how we can help our customers maximise performance, advance innovation, and drive growth by unlocking new business models and adding value to existing products.”

Visitors to the Centre can experience first-hand the synergy of key technology platforms such as Network, Cybersecurity, Industrial Data Centre, Machine Learning as well as AR and VR. They can also experience scenarios showcasing how a business could fix problems faster and with less disruption to production by combining data on machinery faults, production commitments, and availability of parts along with insights into how long it would take a technician to fix the problem with the support of augmented reality.

The experience centre will also demonstrate how Rockwell Automation integrates solutions seamlessly from the plant floor up through the enterprise in collaboration with Strategic Alliance Partners like PTC, Cisco, Microsoft, and Endress+Hauser to accelerate innovation and convergence for operational and information technologies through digital transformation.

A team of Rockwell Automation domain experts will be on hand at the Digital Transformation Experience Centre to demonstrate the transformative potential of the Connected Enterprise. Experts will use real-world examples, based on anonymised Rockwell Automation customer interactions.

~ BusinessWire India

Rockwell Automation Acquires Pune-based MESTECH Services

US based Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, announced on October 1 that it has acquired MESTECH Services, a Pune-based manufacturing IT consulting firm.

Founded in 2008, MESTECH Services is headquartered in Pune, India with operations in Germany and the United States. The company touts itself as a one-stop​ technology shop for needs such as Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Digital and Smart Manufacturing, with specialization in the Life Sciences, Process, Automotive and Discrete Verticals.

The acquisition transaction is not expected to have a material impact on Rockwell’s 2020 financial results.

Matthew Fordenwalt, Vice President and General Manager, Systems & Solutions Business, for Rockwell Automation, said,"The acquisition of MESTECH expands our capabilities to profitably grow Information Solutions and Connected Services globally and accelerate Rockwell’s ability to help our customers execute digital transformation initiatives.'

"India is one of Rockwell’s fastest growing markets and MESTECH’s footprint and expertise will enable us to implement solutions faster, helping our customers increase their connectivity, efficiency, and productivity," said Fordenwalt.

It was in August, Rockwell, in its India event, has announced that it will help partner manufacturers in India equip their workforce better in working with changing technologies and bridge Industry 4.0 skill gaps by offering e-learning, instructor-led courses, certificate programs, and training workstations.

At the same time, by joining the Rockwell family, MESTECH will be able to leverage Rockwell’s products and solutions in the areas of control, process, power information solutions and industrial IoT, including FactoryTalk Innovation Suite, powered by PTC, in order to help customers develop the best possible solutions while minimizing risk."

Yatin Sankholkar, who is Managing Director at MESTECH, said in a press release statement, "We are excited about our future with Rockwell Automation, which will enable us to help more customers simplify their industrial transformations and accelerate their production timelines."

"Over the past decade, we have grown MESTECH into one of the world’s leading manufacturing execution service providers, with a focus on Technology Consulting and Software Implementation for managing manufacturing operations. By joining forces with Rockwell, we will be able to expand our market access and offer more customers the benefit of our strong industry expertise," said Yatin Sankholkar.

World's largest Automation firm Rockwell Automation to Help Indian Manufacturers

On the concluding day of the Rockwell Automation 2019 TechEd India, the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information announced its plans to help partner manufacturers in India equip their workforce better in working with changing technologies and bridge Industry 4.0 skill gaps by offering e-learning, instructor-led courses, certificate programs, and training workstations.

Speaking at the premier industrial technology training and education platform TechEd India, Dilip Sawhney, Managing Director, Rockwell Automation India said, “India Inc. is witnessing a shift towards smart factory shop floors designed to boost productivity, improve quality, and optimise costs to help companies stay competitive. However, we are also staring at a huge skills gap in the country’s workforce when it comes to operating Industry 4.0 technologies. This must be addressed at both the corporate and government policy levels to accelerate India’s digital transformation and achieve our collective vision of becoming a $5 Trillion economy by 2024."

[caption id="attachment_132856" align="aligncenter" width="700"] ilip Sawhney, Managing Director, Rockwell Automation India at TechED 2019 Mumbai[/caption]

At what has emerged as the leading technical education and user conferences in the manufacturing industry more than 300 attendees participated in a unique two-day learning and networking experience with over 70 sessions, including thought-provoking keynote presentations, expert-led technical sessions, interactive hands-on labs, and demonstrations to learn about the latest techniques and technologies to optimize production data and build secure networks to transform their business.

The event began with an informative keynote presentation by Joe Bartolomeo, Vice President Enterprise Accounts & Software Sales, Rockwell Automation that highlighted the importance of investing in smart manufacturing and production to remain competitive on a global scale. He explained that with a growing consumer market demanding more choice, manufacturers needed to embrace new technologies to address changing requirements. Industrial IoT is estimated to have an economic impact of 4.6 trillion dollars by 2025 as new technologies including analytics, mobility, app platforms and the cloud, help securely connect plant information with enterprise systems.

“In addition to investing in the right technology & systems, businesses also need to invest in people right now to build the workforce of tomorrow. To make the Industry 4.0 enabled Connected Enterprise a reality, we first need to start creating a pipeline of skilled problem solvers, builders, makers, and innovators. It is towards this goal that Rockwell Automation will continue to partner with industry and academic institutions in India and across the region,” emphasised Bartolomeo.

Designed for end users, systems integrators, distributors, partners and machine builders, TechEd 2019 India created opportunities for participants to learn from industry experts and hear how their peers are solving manufacturing and production challenges. The sessions focused on data analytics and on the convergence of IT/OT to achieve smart manufacturing by capturing industrial data. The event also provided attendees with the latest innovations in mobility and virtualization, information management and analytics, as well as safety and security.

Rockwell Automation TechEd is one of the most renowned technology educational events in the manufacturing arena, boasting of industry’s only multi-day format. It focuses on the latest technologies and cutting-edge solutions offered by Rockwell Automation & Its PartnerNetwork™. #RATechEd help customers embark on their journey towards smart manufacturing through digital transformation and achieve enhanced productivity, competitiveness and sustainability.
About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation employs approximately 23,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

~ Business Wire India