Milwaukee-based
Rockwell Automation Inc. and Redmond, Washington-based
Microsoft Corp. will partner to develop integrated, market-ready solutions to help industrial companies improve their digital agility as part of a five-year partnership, the companies announced Tuesday.
The companies described the solutions coming from their work as connecting information between development, operations and maintenance teams in a single data environment, allowing development teams to prototype, configure and collaborate without having to invest in physical equipment.
“Today, one thing we know for sure is that no business is 100% resilient. Those fortified with digital capabilities and assets are more resilient than others, and the cloud is how they will thrive,” said Judson Althoff, executive vice president of worldwide commercial business, Microsoft. “We are pleased to deepen our already strong, decade-long relationship with Rockwell Automation to help businesses simplify industrial transformation, accelerate business outcomes and innovate with agility.”
To date, the companies have co-developed over 20 use cases across food and beverage, household and personal care and life sciences industries as part of their existing partnership.
“This partnership provides Rockwell Automation and Microsoft customers with a holistic, simple solution for IIoT development and operations and removes data silos that hinder industrial digital transformation initiatives,” said Blake Moret, chairman and chief executive officer of Rockwell Automation. “By eliminating a core barrier to automation initiatives, industrial organizations establish a digital thread connecting the entire enterprise, which in turn accelerates innovation, maximizes productivity and optimizes operations.”
