Rockwell Automation has made significant performance gains in recent years. Productivity has grown by more than 4%, lead times for its manufactured goods have been cut in half and on-time deliveries are up to 98%.
For a company 22,500 employees, nearly 400,000 SKUs and 20 global manufacturing plants, gains like this require top-level thinking and co-ordination.
Under the banner of The Connected Enterprise, Rockwell Automation set about bringing together its information technologies (IT) and operational technologies (OT) to create a single globe-spanning system.
As part of this rationalisation process, the company established a five-year plan for the complete restructuring of its facility and supplier networks without compromising the customer experience. In order to allocate resources between plants more effectively, a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system was needed. Working in tandem with the new manufacturing execution system (MES) and enterprise manufacturing systems (EMI), the new integrated system has continually reduced issue resolution times and supported leaner operations.
Rockwell Automation Connected Enterprise
The Connected Enterprise offers competitive advantages that will soon become imperative to manufacturers. Rockwell Automation is still rolling out the system but has delivered tangible benefits for itself and for its customers. With commitment, these benefits will only increase in the years to come.
The Connected Enterprise helps operations managers profitably manage and improve manufacturing and industrial processes. It helps IT executives reduce network complexities and exposure to information security risks. It shares productivity-improving information to workers across the organization in a context that is meaningful for each role.
But what if a manufacturer has to make basic improvements before reaping digitally enabled benefits: predictable processes and equipment, a safer workplace, environmentally sound practices?
Here’s the good news: The effort to stabilize operations also can be the first step toward a Connected Enterprise — and generate immediate return on investment.
The information-enabled Connected Enterprise is a more competitive enterprise. It creates tremendous opportunities for those taking advantage and great risks for those not preparing a strategic response. Explore how Rockwell Automation is evolving its own global operations and helping its customers harness the Industrial Internet of Things by leveraging real-time decision making to drive profitability.
For more information on the Connected Enterprise, visit Rockwell Automation at TM Smart Factory Expo on 2-3 Nov at The NEC, Birmingham. Register now for FREE.
