Allen Bradley brand under Rockwell Automation: driving industrial digital transformation with innovative technology

On July 2, 2025, Milwaukee, USA - As a leading brand in the global industrial automation field, Allen Bradley (AB), a subsidiary of Rockwell Automation, will continue to deepen its technological innovation and market layout in 2025. Through a series of hardware upgrades, software integration, and industry solutions, it will further consolidate its core position in the fields of intelligent manufacturing and industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

1、 Hardware innovation: compactness, intelligence, and energy efficiency improvement

PowerFlex 525 frequency converter: modular design reshapes equipment integration

Rockwell Automation has launched a new generation compact Allen Bradley PowerFlex 525 AC frequency converter, designed to simplify equipment design and optimize operation. This product supports a wide voltage input range of 100-600 volts, with a power range covering 0.4 to 22 kilowatts. It integrates EtherNet/IP communication, Safe Torque Off (STO) function, and USB programming interface. Its modular architecture allows users to flexibly configure digital/analog I/O modules, adapting to diverse scenarios such as conveyor belts, fans, pumps, etc.

Application case: A food and beverage company reduced production line debugging time by 40% by deploying PowerFlex 525, while utilizing its energy-saving mode to achieve a 15% reduction in annual power consumption.

Bulletin 700-EF IEC Relays: Energy Efficiency Revolution and Simplified Selection

The newly released Allen Bradley Bulletin 700-EF series IEC industrial relays reduce surge apparent power (VA) by 68% and seal power consumption by over 75% through optimized coil design. Its wide control voltage range of 24V to 500V covers mainstream industrial standards worldwide, and the coil terminals support seamless switching between the line side and the load side, which can be configured without disassembly.

Technical highlights: This product meets the IP20 protection level, with an extended working temperature range of -10 ℃ to 60 ℃. It has passed Class I Div 2 hazardous area certification and is suitable for harsh environments such as petrochemicals and water treatment.

2、 Software ecology: acceleration of edge computing and OT/IT integration

Edge Connector Series Expansion: PLC Data Direct to Cloud

Softing Industries and Rockwell Automation deepen their cooperation and launch the edgeConnector Allen Bradley PLC software module. This product is based on Docker containerization technology and supports real-time transmission of ControlLogix and CompactLogix controller data to local or cloud platforms through OPC UA or MQTT protocols. Users can configure remotely through the built-in web interface or REST API.

Industry impact: A certain automotive parts manufacturer utilized this solution to achieve centralized monitoring of PLC data in 12 factories worldwide, reducing equipment failure response time to within 15 minutes and lowering maintenance costs by 25%.

Rockii Platform 2.0: Digital Twins Empower Intelligent Operations and Maintenance

Rockwell Automation upgrades its Rockii intelligent operation and maintenance platform in China, integrating digital twins, AI predictive maintenance, and energy management functions. Taking Nanchang Mining Machine as an example, the platform has improved the accuracy of crusher fault prediction to 92% and reduced annual unplanned downtime by 180 hours through the Equipment Health Index (EHI) algorithm.

3、 Industry solution: Full scene coverage from energy to automobiles

Energy industry: ControlLogix controller refactoring monitoring system

In the Michigan Consumer Energy Company project, Allen Bradley ControlLogix controllers combined with XM series I/O modules replaced traditional DCS systems, integrating 24 RTD temperature monitoring, 92 4-20mA signals, and 8-channel vibration analysis. Through the RSView client/server architecture, operators can obtain real-time footage of power plant operations, with a sequence of events (SOE) accuracy of up to 100 microseconds.

Benefit analysis: After the project renovation, the inventory cost of spare parts decreased by 40%, and the equipment start stop efficiency increased by 30%.

Automotive manufacturing: ControlLogix PLC drives flexible production

In response to the needs of automotive welding workshops, the AB ControlLogix 5550 series controller combines 1756 series I/O modules and EtherNet/IP communication to achieve millisecond level response control of robot arms. After being applied by a certain new energy vehicle company, the production line changeover time was shortened to 15 minutes, and the welding accuracy reached ± 0.01mm.

Technical details: By configuring ladder logic with RSLogix 5000 software, the system can automatically process multi-source data such as photoelectric sensors and temperature sensors, with a fault alarm response time of less than 0.5 seconds.

4、 Market layout and ecological cooperation

Analog output module market: AB continues to lead in market share

According to market research institutions' predictions, the global market size of analog output modules will reach 2.251 billion US dollars by 2025, with Allen Bradley holding a 22% market share with its 1756 series multi-channel modules, demonstrating significant advantages in the automotive and oil and gas industries.

Western Pipeline Project: Implementation of Spare Parts Framework Agreement

Rockwell Automation has won the bid for the procurement framework of control system spare parts for Western Pipeline Company in 2025-2026, covering ControlLogix processors, I/O modules, and power components. The project requires suppliers to provide explosion-proof CCC certified products and promise to complete storage services within a delivery period of 120 days.

5、 Future prospects: AI and carbon neutral dual wheel drive

Facing the trends of Industry 4.0 and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance), Allen Bradley is accelerating the layout of AI driven autonomous operating systems and low-carbon technologies. The new generation PowerFlex 755T frequency converter has achieved the function of feeding back renewable energy to the grid, and the annual energy savings of a single device can reach 50000 kWh. The CEO of Rockwell Automation stated, 'Our goal is to help customers reduce industrial carbon emissions by 30% by 2030, while increasing AI predictive maintenance coverage to 80%.'. ”

As the global manufacturing industry transitions towards intelligence and greenness, Allen Bradley is continuously reshaping the future of industrial automation with its hardware innovation, software integration, and industry deepening capabilities.