About
Rockwell Automation's most important invention happened in 1968, when a small engineering team — then part of Allen-Bradley — built the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), a rugged computer that could control factory machinery by reprogramming instead of rewiring. The PLC became the foundation of modern manufacturing, and Allen-Bradley (acquired by Rockwell in 1985) became the brand that factory engineers trust more than any other. The company is the world's largest dedicated industrial automation supplier: its ControlLogix and CompactLogix PLCs, its PanelView HMIs, and its PowerFlex drives control production lines in food, beverage, automotive, chemical, and pharmaceutical plants worldwide. Its FactoryTalk software connects machines to data analytics, and its recent push into 'connected enterprise' — linking the factory floor to the cloud — positions Rockwell at the center of Industry 4.0. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Allen-Bradley's home city — with about 29,000 employees and annual revenue near US$9 billion, Rockwell competes with Siemens and ABB in the global automation market. For manufacturers, Rockwell's edge is its installed base: once a plant is built around Allen-Bradley controllers, the engineers who run it rarely want to switch.
Also known as: Rockwell Automation
