Rockwell Automation, Cisco announce collaboration

Companies plan to focus on process automation

By Plant Engineering Staff April 20, 2007

Rockwell Automation and Cisco will work together to build reference architectures using standard networking technologies such as EtherNet/IP and providing market education to enable people and process optimization.

“Customers are telling us they want linked reference architectures supporting both the office network environment and the factory floor,” said Paul McNab, vice-president of Enterprise Marketing for Cisco . “Both plant and IT managers need secure, real-time visibility between the production floor and enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management and supply chain management systems. This network architecture will allow manufacturers to achieve real-time visibility with a secure control network using Ethernet.”

“Rockwell Automation and Cisco have come together to determine how enterprise-wide Ethernet network topologies can help manufacturers meet current market challenges, as well as anticipate and be ready for demands of the future,” said Steve Eisenbrown, senior vice-president of Architecture and Software, Rockwell Automation .