Rockwell Automation eyes digital, green chances

US-based industrial automation company Rockwell Automation is banking on opportunities from China's digital and green transition, as the future growth drivers of China's economy will increasingly come from emerging industries such as green technology, smart manufacturing and the digital economy, a senior executive said.

The keywords of "innovation, green and digital" will remain as the company's focus, aligning with China's strategic priorities for sustainable and high-quality development, Ian Shih, president of Rockwell Automation (China) Ltd, said in a recent exclusive interview with China Daily.

According to Shih, the core goal of new quality productive forces is to drive innovations and create value continuously. "Rockwell focuses on building differentiated solutions that address fundamental industrial and societal challenges such as energy transition, food security, water management and environmental protection," he noted, while highlighting that digitalization and green transformation are central to this effort.

By enabling manufacturers to upgrade their intelligent operations and by developing replicable business models in emerging industries like new energy, next-generation information technology and high-end equipment, which are recognized as the key drivers of new quality productive forces, Rockwell helps cultivate scalable innovations that drive both industrial and social progress, he said.

The company has built collaborative platforms in Shanghai, which integrates technologies, patents and industrial use cases in areas like energy transition and smart operations.

"Rockwell not only helps establish differentiated solutions for the China market, but also brings these local innovations to our global network, creating value through growth and sustainability," Shih said.

According to Rockwell's 10th annual state of smart manufacturing report released earlier this year, 95 percent of manufacturers have invested in, or plan to invest in, artificial intelligence and machine learning over the next five years, underlining that AI has become a central driver of global industrial transformation.

He said against this backdrop, China shows even greater potential as it provides rich application scenarios, and boasts all the industrial categories listed in the UN industrial classification, providing fertile ground for scaling AI applications.

"By leveraging digitalization and intelligent manufacturing technologies, Rockwell focuses on China's strategic industries while simultaneously shaping solutions that resonate across international markets. This dual role — serving China and inspiring the world — defines our outlook for new growth drivers," said Shih.

China has ranked as the world's largest manufacturer for 15 consecutive years and its manufacturing output accounted for about 30 percent of the global total, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Shih applauded China's continuous efforts to expand high-standard opening-up and stabilize foreign trade and investment, adding that with its global R&D footprint and supply chain resources, the company not only supports China's industrial upgrade, but also helps Chinese companies integrate into the global innovation and industrial ecosystem.

When asked about China's progress in intellectual property rights protection, Shih said, "China is no longer just a basic producing factory for the world. It is becoming a global innovation hub, with Chinese IPs and standards increasingly going global."

"China is also leading the world in emerging industries, aligning with Rockwell's focus areas such as energy, green manufacturing, clean technologies and climate-related challenges, where IP-backed innovative solutions can create impact," he said.

China will hold greater appeal for foreign companies, especially those in the manufacturing sector, given the nation's unwavering efforts to expand high-standard opening-up by removing all restrictions on foreign investment access in manufacturing and continuously optimizing its business environment, said Zhang Jianping, deputy director of the academic committee at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.