Rockwell Automation said that the deal with Cisco aims to enable manufacturers in APAC to optimize operations and enhance productivity
Cisco and Rockwell Automation announced a collaboration focused on boosting digital transformation of the industrial market in the Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China region.
In a release, Rockwell Automation said that through the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two partners aim to provide technologies and services that enable manufacturers to optimize operations, enhance productivity and ensure the security of their industrial networks.
It added that this collaboration will see the two companies coming together to facilitate the implementation of advanced automation solutions, such as connected factories and industrial IoT, while also addressing the challenges and requirements of manufacturing environments.
“As industries across 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 cutting-edge secure connectivity solutions that drive operational efficiency, enhance productivity and unlock new growth opportunities,” Prihadi added.
“At Rockwell Automation we firmly believe in the idea of better together and we are excited to embark on this journey with Cisco to accelerate digital transformation in Asia Pacific,” said Shovan Sengupta, regional vice president of market access at Rockwell Automation. “By combining our strengths and capabilities, we are well-positioned to help industrial enterprises in the region navigate the complexities of digitalization and achieve sustainable growth.”
Cisco and Rockwell Automation said they 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, the partners added.
Last year, Rockwell Automation and Microsoft said they were working to leverage generative artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate industrial automation design and development. The pair said they will combine technologies to accelerate Industry 4.0 with “industry-first” generative AI, and also to “empower” workers. First up, as part of their extended Industry 4.0 relationship, Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service is to be added to Rockwell’s FactoryTalk Design Studio
The addition of Azure OpenAI to the FactoryTalk design software will help engineers to generate code using natural language prompts, they said. This will help them to automate routine tasks and improve design efficiency, they added.
They suggested generative AI in industrial design will help enterprises to solve certain other challenges, including quality management, process improvement, failure analysis, and workforce training via “chat-based collaboration” between workers and Azure chatbots.
