Dive Brief:
- Rockwell Automation said it plans to build a factory equipped with advanced automation, robotics and digital systems in Wisconsin as part of a larger $2 billion bid to strengthen its U.S. operations.
- The facility has the potential to be Rockwell’s largest manufacturing campus with more than 1 million square feet of production and warehouse space. A company spokesperson declined to say what exactly would be manufactured there.
- Construction and site planning are underway with local and state officials. The Milwaukee-based company said the factory will be near its headquarters. Job creation and cost details were not disclosed in the company’s news release.
Dive Insight:
The project is part of Rockwell’s previously announced plans last quarter to invest in its production plants, digital infrastructure and workforce in an effort to boost its margins over the next five years.
“These initiatives are now underway and will unlock future growth and margin expansion with the U.S. as the primary beneficiary,” CEO Blake Moret said in an earnings call Nov. 6. The total investment will be roughly 80% capital expenditure and 20% operating expenditure, he said at Rockwell’s investor day on Wednesday.
The new factory would add to Rockwell’s manufacturing footprint that spans 10 facilities worldwide, according to the company’s latest annual report. These operations are primarily located in the U.S., Mexico, Poland, India, Canada and Singapore.
The greenfield location will be equipped with Rockwell’s latest technology, allowing the company to showcase its products to customers on-site, SVP and CFO Christian Rothe said at Rockwell’s investor day. It also will be designed and programmed in Nvidia’s Omniverse to ensure the plant has the highest quality and efficiency “before we ever actually put a shovel in the ground,” Rothe said.
Rockwell, founded in 1903 as the Compression Rheostat Co., has marketed itself as the world’s largest company focused on industrial automation and digital transformation.
Its products, which span from digital twin software and security technology to sensors, drives and other components, are used across industries such as automotive, semiconductor, chemicals, food and energy, according to the company’s annual report. Rockwell also recently expanded production of its autonomous mobile robots to its headquarters.
The Milwaukee Business Journal reported that Rockwell may be circling a 100-acre site in New Berlin, Wisconsin, for its new factory.
A Rockwell spokesperson said in an email that “additional details will be shared as the project advances.”
