Rockwell Automation hosts its renowned Automation Fair every year, drawing over 10,000 attendees from diverse industries around the world. The event showcases groundbreaking innovations in industrial automation and offers unparalleled learning, inspiration, and networking opportunities.
This year’s fair, held in Anaheim, California, was no exception. If you missed it, don’t worry—Rockwell has made several panel discussions available on its website. But to help you catch up, we at HESCO have distilled the five biggest takeaways from the event so you can stay ahead of the curve.
As a distributor of Rockwell products with over eight decades of industrial automation expertise, you can rely on HESCO to highlight these key trends and the up-and-coming technologies shaping the industry.
Industrial Autonomy is Taking Center Stage
One of the most important points made at Automation Fair is that the industrial future is centered on autonomy, making a significant shift from traditional industrial automation.
Throughout the event, Rockwell experts emphasized moving beyond traditional automation towards a future where production systems are self-organizing, flexible, and powered by AI.
Presentations focused on the idea of creating self-organizing, flexible production systems that respond to dynamic changes in real-time, accounting for variations in material, environment, and human factors.
Cyril Perducat, CTO of Rockwell Automation, described this vision:
“…When you use some of the products that you think are great, why are they great? Because they just work… It’s intuitive. It’s simple. It speaks to you and to your experience. That’s what we want to be able to achieve. And our vision for the future of industrial operation is really using the power of digitalization and intelligence to really create a self-organizing, flexible production system.”
This focus on autonomy isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about rethinking how systems operate to make them smarter, more agile, and more responsive.
Courtesy of Rockwell Automation
AI: Your Workforce’s New Superpower
When you think of AI being implemented into industrial automation systems, do you think of it as a replacement for human workers? Rockwell doesn’t. AI was an important topic of discussion at Automation Fair, but presenters made it clear that AI is being developed not as a replacement for human workers, but as a powerful tool to empower them.
The goal is ultimately to use AI as a way to give workers “superpowers,” taking over repetitive, mundane, or dangerous tasks and allowing human workers to focus on higher-value tasks that require creativity, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.
As Matt Rendall, CEO of Clearpath Robotics, put it:
“When you can augment people, you can not only improve productivity in the operation… you create a safer workplace with higher value and often higher paid jobs for those people, that improves job satisfaction, and also creates a workplace that people are attracted to, which can become a very important competitive advantage in today’s incredibly competitive job market.”
This improvement in safety and flexibility, as well as job satisfaction, can be seen as a result of not just AI implementations, but robotics as well. Discussed along with AI was the increasing role of robots in achieving industrial autonomy. They are becoming more sophisticated and capable of perceiving the environment, making decisions, and acting on them.
Software-Defined Automation (SDA) – It’s All About Flexibility
Throughout the event, Rockwell experts talked about software-defined automation (SDA) and emphasized creating a flexible and scalable architecture that leverages modern IT principles to streamline the development, deployment, and management of industrial automation systems.
Shifting from a hardware-centric design to a software-focused approach allows engineers to develop their control logic and applications without being constrained by the specific hardware eventually used. With this “hardware-agnostic” programming, Rockwell Automation is working towards a system where you can deploy various automation functions (whether it’s robotics, vision, or advanced control) as independent workloads on a shared platform.
Along with increased flexibility and scalability and simplified development and deployment, SDA also offers reduced risk, less downtime, and faster time to market. Systems that implement SDA are more reliable, stable, and can accelerate development and deployment.
SDA isn’t a standalone system but is instead a broader vision that connects many Rockwell Automation technologies. For instance, FactoryTalk Design Studio co-pilot is an AI-powered tool that lets you write PLC code using natural language prompts, making it as easy as typing in what you want your PLC to do instead of programming it from the ground up. It is a perfect example of the broad idea of implementing SDA, building towards a future where you are equipped with a system that’s as flexible and scalable as your cloud infrastructure but for industrial automation.
Courtesy of Rockwell Automation
Data: The Key to Unlocking Hidden Potential
Another key point made at Automation Fair was the critical role of data in driving insights and value across the industrial landscape. While the increasing connectivity of smart machines and data-ready equipment generates vast amounts of data, it’s not enough to just have the data available; it also needs to be leveraged effectively.
“The edge” was discussed multiple times, and is a computing layer that sits between the equipment on the factory floor (called “on-premise” systems) and the cloud. It acts as a bridge, enabling data to flow between these two worlds and bringing the power of computing closer to the action, and is a key component in leveraging data.
Rockwell Automation’s focus is on developing solutions with hybrid cloud architectures, allowing for edge, cloud, or combined deployments based on specific application needs and customer maturity. It was made clear that data is the foundation that SDA, AI, robotics, and variety of other technologies also discussed at the event are built on.
Speakers also emphasized that with methods of data collection, processing, and analysis always evolving, companies need to stay ahead of the curve to stay competitive.
Collaboration is King
While the individual developments in technology were definitely the central focus of Automation Fair, one of the most important takeaways was the continuous reinforcement of the importance of collaboration. Cyril Perducat noted:
“All products are not just a collection of individual functions. They are a whole set of things that work into a system, and this system is not just about workload automation. This system is made up of partners, their products, their technology, this system is made of open standards that we contribute to because we want to live in a world that is open and where our customers choose our technology, not because this is a trap, but because this is the right technology for the application.”
The foundation of the future is built on an ecosystem where partners, technologies, and expertise work together to deliver optimal solutions for their customers. Multiple collaborations were highlighted between Rockwell and companies like NVIDIA, Red Hat, and Microsoft.
Speakers acknowledged the challenges the manufacturing industry is facing in regard to attracting and retaining talent, encouraging collaboration between industry, educational institutions, and government agencies to develop the workforce of the future. By embracing collaboration, companies can navigate the complexities of digital transformation, unlock new levels of innovation, and create a more sustainable and prosperous future for all stakeholders.
What’s Next?
Rockwell’s Automation Fair paints a compelling picture of the future: a seamless collaboration between humans and machines that drives unprecedented efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.
The best part? These innovations aren’t just ideas—they’re here now, ready to transform the industrial landscape.
Stay tuned with HESCO and check out our blog to explore how these advancements and so much more can shape your business and prepare you for the next generation of industrial automation.