Rockwell Automation and Cisco Partner to Advance AI-Powered Manufacturing in India

What happened:

Rockwell Automation in cooperation with Cisco has come together to bring advancements in the field of AI and software-defined manufacturing technologies to the Indian manufacturing space. By partnering with Rockwell in industrial automation technology and Cisco in terms of networking and cybersecurity solutions, they have developed a Software-Defined Manufacturing Demo Pod at Rockwell’s Customer Experience Center in Gurugram, which will help them to test and demonstrate technologies for AI, industrial networking, and real-time data analysis.

Why it matters:

Many manufacturers are implementing AI and automation in their processes but often face difficulties in terms of connecting the plant-floor operations with the company’s business operations. The disconnect causes their visibility and decision making to be impaired and creates difficulty to implement digital initiatives across various plants.

Thus, the Rockwell-Cisco collaboration aims to integrate the company’s IT and OT systems. It is expected that such integration will enable manufacturers to have a solid foundation for implementing their AI applications and other technologies.

Industry context:

In order to increase productivity and remain competitive in the global market, manufacturers in India are turning their focus to smart manufacturing. However, the lack of skilled workforce, cybersecurity issues, and data management problems are limiting the growth of smart manufacturing in the country.

Apart from technology, the partnership will also concentrate on the development of skilled labor. Implementing these skills will be as important as implementing new technology. The manufacturers will become more connected. This development reflects the use of AI in manufacturing. This is because there is more to success than just automating.