Rockwell Automation is a $6,8 billion US-owned business with some 25 000 employees and 64 manufacturing facilities situated throughout the world. Other valuable facts are that the company has more than half a million different products in its inventory and does business in more than eighty countries.
An illustrious background
Rockwell Automation traces its origins back almost a century to 1903, when Lynde Bradley and Dr Stanton Allen formed what was to later become Allen-Bradley, a name which was to become virtually synonymous with industrial automation controllers. The forerunner of Reliance Electric traces its roots back to 1904, while Willard Rockwell himself bought his first business in 1919. Over the next few decades Rockwell grew into a huge conglomerate, being involved in such diverse fields as aerospace, defence, communications and automotive. At the same time Allen-Bradley evolved to become the leader in industrial automation equipment in North America, while Reliance Electric was at the forefront in motor and control-based solutions.
In 1985 Rockwell made a strategic decision to enter the automation business and acquired Allen-Bradley for $1,6 billion, followed by selective divestment of some of its other business interests. In 1993, now totally committed to the automation business, Rockwell Automation (as it was now called) acquired the global operations of Swiss-based Sprecher+Schuh, this being followed in 1995 by the acquisition of Reliance Electric. While the Reliance range of electric motors and power transmission solutions was entirely complementary to the Allen-Bradley controllers, Sprecher+Schuh could have been viewed as more akin to acquiring the competition, particularly in baseline products.
The value of the purchase was however multifaceted, as not only was Rockwell now able to offer essentially a total automation solution package, but more important was the combination of the customer bases, that of Rockwell being largely in North America, while Sprecher+Schuh serviced Europe and the rest of the industrialised world. Yet another important aspect was the merging of the European (Swiss) and American cultures, a not insignificant shock for both companies, but crucial to the company's success in today's shrinking global marketplace. While the North American focus of Allen-Bradley was meeting the relevant US standards, Sprecher+Schuh brought extensive knowledge of European requirements into the company, leading to internationalisation of the product line.
The company's presence here can be traced back to the days when the Roodeport-based company Arthur Trevor Williams (ATW) acted as a local representative for Sprecher+Schuh. While ATW also manufactured a range of products of its own, the Swiss brand name gradually took precedence over time, particularly following the acquisition of ATW by Sprecher+Schuh in 1985. Following the incorporation of the Swiss entity into Allen-Bradley during 1993, Rockwell Automation entered South Africa under its own name. At the same time an agreement was reached with the then local agent for Allen-Bradley, and stock, support and customer base was transferred in entirety to the new SA registered company, Rockwell Automation. Since then the local company has seen solid year on year growth, to a present staff complement of 108. To become more accessible to its customer base the company moved from Roodeport to new premises in Midrand in 1996, with South African branch offices being established in Phalaborwa, Durban and Cape Town. As the local company now has responsibility for sub-Saharan Africa, it operates satellite branches out of Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Ghana, and these also service other neighbouring countries.
Products offered
While solutions and systems are what Rockwell Automation will provide, these must be based on the integration of a large number of products and devices from sensors to controllers and from switches to display panels. Only an expert engineer could guide you through the Rockwell range of more than 500 000 individual products, but it is useful to mention that these encompass controllers, I/O systems, terminal blocks, software, sensors (proximity, photoelectric etc), encoders, switches, push buttons, signalling products, display screens, power and actuation devices, electric motors, drives and a host of other ancillary equipment. When necessary Rockwell will also assist the customer to identify third-party manufactured products which complement their own range and which meet the same specifications in regard to quality and reliability.
Industries served
Rockwell Automation believes in an industry-focussed approach and in addition to the more usual Product Managers, the South African operation has five Industry Managers, who address the specific needs of five key generic areas, namely metals, mining, oil and gas, automotive/infrastructure and consumer products (the latter including food, beverage and pharmaceutical). While these are designated as key areas, high level expertise also exists locally in water and waste water processing and the paper and pulp industry, where Sappi and Mondi, both Rockwell Automation customers, are world leaders. While Product Managers are experts technically on their device range (eg sensing products, drives, controllers etc), the Industry Managers link up with Rockwell Automation's international Industry Solution Centres and are thus able to apply application specific expertise built up over decades worldwide. While these industry experts are located in different parts of the world, the benefit of modern communication allows tackling of complex problems within hours.
While South Africa is often viewed as being a region to dump discontinued or obsolescent product lines, the customers of Rockwell Automation can be assured of having world-class state-of-the-art solutions to their automation problem. Just some of the better-known international corporate clients of Rockwell are Lipton, Nestlé, BMW, Compaq, IMAX cinemas and Martell (of cognac fame). Even FedEx makes use of Rockwell Automation systems to help sort out their millions of packages for delivery. Major local customers include Alusaf, Coca-Cola, GM Delta, Adcock Ingram, South African Breweries, Richards Bay Minerals, the Airports Company, Iscor and Mossgas.
Sales and marketing policy
In the main Rockwell Automation make sales to regional distributors (particularly in the rest of Africa) and to systems integrators. The systems integrators, who are most often experts in specific applications and/or industries are a major target market. There are now more than 50 authorised systems integrators in South Africa and all of these have received their training and certification through the modern training centre in Midrand. Distributors, whose prime task is selling of equipment, are also thoroughly trained before being appointed. While the actual sale may go through a distributor or systems integrator, Rockwell Automation takes full responsibility for ensuring that customer expectations are met, a sure indication of their confidence in the competence of their authorised representatives.
Rockwell Automation is not short of new ideas when it comes to marketing its products to prospective customers, and one of its latest innovations is its 'Complete automation hands-on workshop'. Instead of participating in the smaller trade shows the company has invested in a working automation model, which includes all components including PLCs, displays, actuators and other controls, and which can be assembled on site. The complete system is transported around the country in a truck and trailer and can be set up close to regional-specific industries (eg the automotive industry in the PE area, mining in the Northern Province or pharmaceuticals in Gauteng). The working model can be adapted to the needs of these industries and provides real hands-on experience of the workings of a Rockwell automation solution to a wider audience than could be expected at shows.
Total product support
A unique feature of the support offered by Rockwell Automation is the company's Global Technical Services (GTS) group. No matter how well automation products are made they will have a finite life before the need for replacement or overhaul. GTS staff can go into a plant and using in-house developed software, they can determine the MTBF (mean-time-between-failure) of all the installed equipment, and from there calculate the level of spares required to ensure maximum plant availability. This spares requirement is defined at two levels, on the cus-tomer's premises, and at the Rockwell warehouse in Midrand. If a failure occurs the customer can replace the defective component out of his stock and this will on notification be replaced by Rockwell Automation from its customer-specific stockholding. At the same time the defective part will be returned to the service hub in the UK for refurbishment or repair, before being delivered back to the customer with a full warranty. Another major benefit for the customer is that Rockwell itself will periodically audit the stock held by the customer and replace obsolete or superseded equipment at no extra cost (the service requires a separate contract, the cost of which is specified up-front and which will last for three to five years according to the needs of the customer).
Partnerships ensure customer satisfaction
Despite the company's size and breadth of expertise, it is noteworthy that the Rockwell Automation philosophy is that 'no single company can be all things to all people.' Partnerships are thus regularly established with other 'expert' suppliers to ensure that the expectations of the customer are fulfilled. Supplier partners in recent years have included Microsoft, Digital Equipment, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Foxboro and Honeywell. The other side of the coin is partnerships with the customers themselves and it is often input from them that results in the development of new products. In addition Rockwell Automation offer a unique form of partnership through their 'embedded engineer' scheme. In this case the customer hands over responsibility for the operating system to a Rockwell engineer, who effectively resides in the plant and looks after all problems on an ongoing basis. As with the GTS system a major advantage is that the plant now has an automation engineer who is totally familiar with the latest in the technology for the particular processes at that facility.
Using local expertise optimally
While Rockwell Automation is a South African company and employs local personnel, a subtle difference is that the parent company runs an exchange program, so that there are always a few specialists from overseas in the country, while local engineers are getting similar invaluable experience in some of the other facilities throughout the world. All local recruits receive their specialist product training at one of the overseas facilities, which could be the Allen-Bradley centre in Milwaukee, Reliance Electric in Cleveland, or even the Centre of Excellence in Aarau, Switzerland (which specialises in IEC low voltage control devices).
Rockwell Automation is thriving in South Africa and while it does not yet claim to be the market leader, its 'total offering' and its range of reputable clients, many of whom are international corporates, shows that it is well on the way there. Its goal is the same as the parent company and that is quite simply 'to be the world leader in industrial automation'. Having already achieved its objective in North America, without any doubt the most heavily industrialised region in the world, Rockwell Automation hopes that the African continent will not be far behind. As Don Davis, the Chairman and CEO of Rockwell has stated, "You succeed. We succeed". Industry in Africa must succeed!
Rockwell Automation
(011) 654 9700
| Tel: | +27 11 654 9700 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.rockwellautomation.co.za |
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