Industrial Automation Enters a New Phase of Transformation
Industrial manufacturing is moving beyond conventional automation toward more connected, intelligent and resource-efficient production systems. For Rockwell Automation, this shift represents an opportunity to expand its role in China's manufacturing transformation, particularly in industrial artificial intelligence (AI), digital manufacturing and sustainable industrial operations.
At the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, Rockwell Automation outlined its priorities for the Chinese market. According to Ian Shih, president of Rockwell Automation (China) Ltd, the company intends to strengthen cooperation with Chinese manufacturers and technology partners while connecting global industrial resources with local market requirements.
The strategy reflects a broader change in customer expectations. Manufacturers are no longer looking only for equipment that automates individual production tasks. They increasingly need integrated solutions that connect machines, production processes, operational data and business decision-making.
Industrial AI Is Becoming a Practical Manufacturing Tool
Industrial AI is one of Rockwell Automation's major development priorities. The company's approach focuses on combining information technology (IT) with operational technology (OT) to improve how factories collect, process and use production data.
In traditional industrial environments, automation systems often operate across separate control layers. PLCs, DCS platforms, industrial networks, manufacturing execution systems and enterprise applications each serve different functions. Although these systems generate substantial amounts of operational data, the information is not always available in a unified format for production planning and management.
Integrating AI with IT and OT can help address this limitation. By connecting equipment data, production performance and business information, manufacturers can gain better visibility into factory operations, identify process inefficiencies and make more informed operational decisions.
From an engineering perspective, however, successful industrial AI deployment depends on more than introducing algorithms or installing new software. Data quality, communication architecture, equipment compatibility and cybersecurity must also be considered. AI-generated recommendations are only useful when they are based on accurate process information and can be incorporated into established operational workflows.
Industrial IoT Connects Manufacturing Operations Across Borders
Rockwell Automation is also expanding its industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications to support manufacturers operating across multiple locations.
One example highlighted by the company involves a major Chinese new energy producer. Rockwell Automation helped connect production data from domestic and overseas manufacturing facilities through an industrial IoT platform, allowing the company to coordinate production management across different locations.
This application illustrates an important direction for modern manufacturing: the transition from individual factory automation toward coordinated, multi-site industrial operations.
For manufacturers with international production networks, centralized data visibility can support production comparisons, resource allocation and operational management. It can also help standardize manufacturing practices across facilities with different equipment configurations and operating conditions.
Nevertheless, building a connected manufacturing network requires careful consideration of industrial communication protocols, data integration, network security and local regulatory requirements. A platform must accommodate existing automation infrastructure rather than assume that every factory can adopt an identical technical architecture.
Supporting Chinese Manufacturers Expanding Into Global Markets
Beyond opportunities within China, Rockwell Automation is positioning its global service capabilities to support Chinese manufacturers expanding overseas.
The company's support covers multiple stages of international industrial projects, including project planning, facility construction and ongoing operational services. By combining international resources with local technical expertise, Rockwell Automation aims to help manufacturers establish and manage production facilities in different markets.
This is particularly relevant to industries such as new energy, intelligent equipment and advanced manufacturing, where companies increasingly operate production facilities across multiple countries.
From a plant engineering perspective, overseas expansion introduces challenges that extend beyond equipment procurement. Manufacturers must consider differences in electrical standards, industrial communication requirements, equipment sourcing, spare-parts availability and local maintenance capabilities.
A standardized automation architecture can simplify engineering management and maintenance coordination across multiple facilities. However, standardization should not eliminate the flexibility required to accommodate local operating conditions, regulations and production requirements.
For automation suppliers, this creates demand not only for controllers and industrial software but also for lifecycle support, system integration and technical services.
Sustainable Manufacturing Moves Beyond Energy Monitoring
Sustainability is another major component of Rockwell Automation's industrial strategy.
Through its Climate Lighthouse initiative, the company has identified more than 500 industrial sustainability cases over the past three years, including approximately 100 exemplary projects covering different industrial subsectors.
These projects reflect the growing importance of resource-efficient manufacturing and low-carbon production.
In industrial facilities, sustainability improvements can involve reducing energy consumption, optimizing production processes, improving equipment utilization and minimizing material waste. Automation systems can contribute by collecting operational data, monitoring energy performance and identifying inefficient operating conditions.
For example, integrating energy monitoring with production data allows manufacturers to evaluate energy consumption in relation to actual output. This provides a more meaningful basis for identifying improvement opportunities than monitoring electricity consumption alone.
In my view, the next stage of green manufacturing will depend increasingly on the integration of process control, energy management and production analytics. Sustainability targets need to be translated into measurable operational indicators that engineering and maintenance teams can monitor and improve continuously.
China's Industrial Upgrading Creates New Technology Opportunities
Rockwell Automation's strategy also aligns with China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which emphasizes industrial upgrading, green development and the growth of emerging industries.
According to the Ministry of Commerce, foreign direct investment in China's high-tech industries reached 228.53 billion yuan between January and September 2026, representing a year-on-year increase of 33.8 percent. These industries accounted for 41.6 percent of total foreign investment during the period.
Investment from Canada, France, Switzerland and the United States also increased year-on-year, indicating continued international interest in China's high-tech industrial sectors.
For multinational automation suppliers, these developments create opportunities in intelligent equipment, new energy, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and industrial digitalization.
However, market growth will not depend solely on the availability of new technologies. Manufacturers will increasingly evaluate automation investments according to their ability to improve production efficiency, reduce operating costs and support long-term equipment management.
This places greater emphasis on practical engineering results, system integration capabilities and the total cost of ownership of industrial automation solutions.
New Industrial Controllers Reflect the Shift Toward Intelligent Production
At its sixth consecutive participation in the CIIE, Rockwell Automation showcased new industrial automation controllers alongside applications in intelligent production and sustainable manufacturing.
Industrial controllers remain a fundamental part of this transformation. PLCs and other control platforms provide the real-time logic execution, equipment coordination and process monitoring required by automated production systems.
As manufacturing becomes more connected, controllers must also operate within broader digital architectures that include industrial Ethernet, distributed I/O, supervisory systems and higher-level manufacturing applications.
The challenge for automation engineers is to maintain stable and predictable control performance while enabling secure data exchange with digital platforms.
This means that future controller selection will increasingly involve more than checking I/O capacity, processing performance and communication interfaces. Engineers must also evaluate integration requirements, network architecture, cybersecurity and long-term maintenance considerations.
Engineering Perspective: Integration Will Matter More Than Individual Technologies
Rockwell Automation's latest strategy highlights three closely connected industrial trends: AI-enabled operations, globally coordinated manufacturing and sustainable production.
These developments should not be viewed as independent technology projects. Their value comes from how effectively they work together.
Industrial AI requires reliable operational data. Global manufacturing coordination requires standardized yet flexible automation architectures. Sustainable production requires measurable information about energy consumption, equipment performance and manufacturing output.
For existing industrial facilities, this transition will often be gradual. Replacing an entire control system may not be economically or technically practical. Integrating new communication interfaces, upgrading data collection capabilities and connecting legacy PLC and DCS platforms to higher-level applications can provide a more manageable path toward digital transformation.
For maintenance and procurement teams, this also reinforces the importance of equipment lifecycle management. Controller availability, spare-parts planning, firmware compatibility and long-term technical support remain important considerations when expanding or upgrading industrial automation infrastructure.
Ultimately, the next industrial wave will not be defined by AI alone. It will be shaped by the ability to combine control technology, industrial connectivity, operational intelligence and resource efficiency into systems that deliver measurable improvements on the factory floor.
