Discovering the latest in industrial automation – in person, online and on demand
19 October 2021
Rockwell Automation’s 2021 Automation Fair will see exhibitors demonstrate powerful IT/OT technologies and offer multiple virtual learning and networking opportunities.
Given the fundamental changes to the world’s economy since the pandemic outbreak, digitalisation has become a strategic imperative across sectors as business leaders seek more robust and connected ways of operating.
Few sectors are experiencing this transformation as strongly as manufacturing. Characteristically manually intensive and slow to adapt to the converging worlds of physical and digital, manufacturing has played a central role in serving demands for products and materials throughout lockdown periods and will be pivotal to global economic recovery in the months and years ahead.
To scale in line with growing demand, while continuing to meet expectations around quality, accuracy and safety, manufacturing businesses are taking steps to keep on top of the latest innovations in industrial automation. As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, users and decision-makers are eager to again get hands-on experience with products and solutions that can help transform their operations.
It’s for this purpose that Rockwell Automation is holding its annual Automation Fair event in Houston, Texas, to cater for both in-person and online guests.
A hybrid approach
Rockwell and member companies in its PartnerNetwork programme will offer an extensive and fully featured visitor and virtual experience. Taking place on November 10th and 11th, the annual event, which is free to attend, will feature engaging keynote presentations, interactive hands-on labs and technical discussions, industry-centric panel discussions, multiple networking opportunities and an exciting show floor, presenting the latest innovations and solutions from the company and its partners. And most of these are available online and, later, on demand.
Johannes zu Eltz, Vice President of Global Market Access at Rockwell Automation, explains: “The show floor will feature a new immersive and curated experience of a complete manufacturing line, interactive demos and activities, and more than 100 exhibits from Rockwell Automation and members of the PartnerNetwork programme.”
The event will showcase innovation in industrial automation, IT/OT technologies and best practices, as well as offering real-life examples and in-depth guidance that will help visitors enhance and improve their company’s manufacturing operations through numerous information-packed sessions and exhibits.
Specialists from Rockwell and members of its PartnerNetwork programme will share how users can implement digital technologies to get products and services to market faster, reduce costs, use power and plant-floor assets more efficiently, and minimise risks across their manufacturing environment.
Combining the magic of in-person with digital
The lockdown period has had a massive impact on the events and conferencing space. While the conventional event format offers significant networking opportunities and social experiences, attendees at such events have often had to be selective in how they engage with content, such as presentations and exhibits.
The shift to digital-only events through much of 2020 and 2021 highlighted the benefits of having control over access to content and being able to stagger or repeat viewing to gain the full value of the sessions.
Learning from this experience, the Automation Fair event offers an in-person and hybrid experience that will allow for more industry professionals to attend. It will also extend the event experience for six months, as select sessions will be available online until May 2022. The hybrid experience will include livestreams from the in-person event, on-demand sessions, and a virtual show-floor experience.
“More than 90 Products & Technology sessions will cover the latest products, technologies, solutions and services, and how they can help operations meet the manufacturing environment of today, tomorrow and the future,” expands Jan Van Den Bossche, EMEA Senior Director of Technology & Domain Expertise at Rockwell Automation. “What is more, sessions and labs presented by Rockwell Automaton are eligible for professional development hours.”
Malte Dieckelmann, EMEA Regional Vice President of Software Sales at Rockwell Automation, adds: “In addition to these sessions, attendees can get hands-on experience with the latest technology and product enhancements. These hands-on, interactive training labs cover the portfolio of products from Allen-Bradley and FactoryTalk.”
The event will also feature industry forums, including more focused content for sectors including Automotive and Tire, Chemical, Decarbonisation and Emerging Energies, Food and Beverage, Life Sciences, Metals, Mining and Cement, Oil and Gas, and Power and Energy.
Getting interactive online
Rockwell Automation will also host the Process Solutions User Group (PSUG) on November 9th – another interactive online event that will deliver greater insight into the latest process automation technologies, highlighting innovative approaches and successes achieved through Rockwell Automation solutions.
Alongside forums, technical and customer sessions, hands-on labs and keynote presentations, the event also will showcase the latest release of the PlantPAx distributed control system (DCS), batch and supporting process solutions.
For more information and to register to attend virtually, visit www.automationfair.com.
Contact Details and Archive...