Rockwell Aitomation and Microsoft collaborate to improve manufacturers operting systems
Rockwell Automation has announced its collaboration with Microsoft on a series of technology innovations. The industrial automation and digital transformation specialists exhibited the three solutions at Hannover Messe last month.
“Rockwell's partnership with Microsoft is a shared vision of creating and delivering the best solutions to empower the future of industrial operations,” said Nicole Denil, Global Vice President, Market Access, at Rockwell Automation.
“We simplify complexity in how manufacturers design, operate, and maintain their enterprises and empower their people. Visitors to the Rockwell stand in the Microsoft booth at Hannover Messe will see how Rockwell Automation helps empower leading manufacturers globally to reduce waste in their operations and achieve sustainability goals through streamlined industry solutions.”
The duo is combining Rockwell’s FactoryTalk edge and cloud solutions with Microsoft Azure’s adaptive cloud approach. The former is designed to bring AI, IoT, and automation solutions together to allow users to operate between the physical and digital worlds. Together, the technology can bring a variety of solutions across the value chain, with AI-assisted design and connected data to optimise production.
By integrating Rockwell’s Plex manufacturing execution system (MES) with FactoryTalk DataMosaix and Microsoft’s Cloud for Manufacturing, manufacturers can resolve quality control issues and make changes, with the help of AI. Additionally, the solution will also ensure safety and drive productivity.
What was on display at Hannover Messe:
The first exhibit showed how to connect digital and physical assets for autonomous intelligent factories. Using FactoryTalk Design Studio Copilot, attendees could witness how to utilise digital design with differentiated digital twin simulation and AI.
Another display was inspired by Rockwell’s customer Nestlé, which saw a digital twin simulation of a quality inspection process. Attendees could witness a physical installation of product sorting and the autonomous handling of packaging.
Finally, Rockwell Automation’s OTTO 100 autonomous mobile robot (AMR) was able to demonstrate the movement of packaged materials through a factory. This exhibit was able to teach attendees how automation can improve production throughput.
“Manufacturers are always looking for ways to drive modernisation, optimise efficiency, and reduce costs,” said Dominik Wee, Corporate Vice President, Manufacturing and Mobility, at Microsoft. “By combining Microsoft’s AI capabilities and trusted cloud platform with Rockwell’s industrial automation solutions, manufacturers will have the tools they need to speed up these objectives and create smart factories of the future.”