October 2020

n NEWS October 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com 14 ROCKWELL AUTOMATION ANDMICROSOFT have announced a five-year expansion of their existing partnership, aimed at giving manufacturers the agility, intelligence, and scale to deliver digital transformation initiatives from the cloud to the edge. The two companies plan to deliver edge-to- cloud systems that will link information between the development, operations and maintenance teams in industrial organisations, helping to improve their“digital agility”. They say that by combining their expertise in the industrial and IT markets, they will enable these teams to digitally prototype, configure and collaborate, without needing to invest in costly physical equipment. This will cut costs and boost productivity. The unified data environment will also enable OT (operational technology) and IT teams to share data models, not only across their organisations, but also with outside partners. “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,”says Rockwell’s chairman and CEO, Blake Moret.“By eliminating a core barrier to automation initiatives, industrial organisations establish a digital thread connecting the entire enterprise which, in turn, accelerates innovation, maximises productivity and optimises operations.” Rockwell and Microsoft have already co- developed more than 20 use cases in sectors including food and beverage, household and personal care, and life sciences. The expanded partnership will augment and enhance these offerings. “No business is 100% resilient,”says Judson Althoff, executive vice-president of Microsoft’s global commercial business.“Those fortified with digital capabilities and assets are more resilient than others, and the cloud is how they will thrive. 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.” One customer that has seen a preview of what Rockwell and Microsoft are planning to offer is New Zealand’s largest company, the Fonterra Co-operative Group, which is responsible for 30% of the world’s dairy exports. Tristan Hunter, general manager of automation and operational technology at the company, says he is“excited”about the collaboration.“Moving data from our on- premise assets securely with context and providing new workflows for us to analyse and drive better outcomes is important to maintaining Fonterra’s high standards across our many plants globally.” Organisations can already access Rockwell systems via Microsoft’s Azure Marketplace. The next phase of cooperative developments will be unveiled at Rockwell’s Automation Fair At Home event in November. Rockwell and Microsoft expand partnership to boost ‘digital agility’ The Swedish communications specialist HMS Industrial Networks has taken a 70% stake in the Dutch firm Procentec, which specialises in diagnostics and monitoring of industrial networks. Headquartered in Rotterdam, Procentec employs around 70 people and has subsidiaries in Germany, Italy and the UK. In 2019, the Procentec Group generated sales worth €11.7m. Its products ensures reliable infrastructures for industrial networks such as Profibus, Profinet and EtherNet/IP. “Procentec fills a gap in HMS’offering within communication infrastructure,” explains HMS’CEO, Staffan Dahlström. “Industrial networks are vital in industrial processes, and Procentec’s products and services improve uptime and data availability significantly in these critical networks. “With Procentec, HMS gets access to an aftermarket business related to the huge installed base of industrial networks globally, positioning HMS much closer to the end-users of industrial networks,”he adds.“This is a very interesting new dimension for HMS given the fact that we today mainly supply products to device manufacturers and machine-builders”. HMS has acquired the stake in Procentec from its founders, who are no longer active in the company. The remaining 30% is owned by the existing management team, who will continue to run the business. Procentec’s portfolio includes products that help field technicians to perform network monitoring, analysis and troubleshooting operations, either on site or remotely. HMS takes a 70% stake in the Dutch networking reliability firm Procentec The new relationship between Rockwell and Microsoft will expand an existing partnership that includes Microsoft offering Rockwell software via its Azure Marketplace HMS CEO Staffan Dahlström (right) and Procentec CEO Pieter Barendrecht (on screen) meet remotely due to Coronavirus restrictions