Industry Leaders Share Insights on Digitalization, Circular Manufacturing, and the Future of Smart Automation
BRUSSELS, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced the latest season of its award-winning ROKStudios video series, featuring exclusive interviews with customers, partners and other thought leaders on digitalization, sustainability and the evolving role of automation in shaping the future of industrial operations.
"We believe that true industry leadership is defined by our ability to drive both innovation and sustainability," said Gustavo Zecharies, EMEA president, Rockwell Automation. "The new season of ROKStudios brings together bright minds and bold ideas from our region and around the globe, showcasing how digital transformation and collaborative partnerships are shaping a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable future for manufacturing. We are proud to support our customers and partners as they navigate the complexities of change and unlock new opportunities for growth."
The series brings together senior executives, technology innovators and industry partners to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing manufacturers today. From accelerating digital transformation to advancing circular manufacturing and enabling transparent supply chains, the discussions deliver actionable insights for business leaders, engineers and decision-makers across sectors.
ROKStudios continues its tradition of showcasing thought leaders who are defining the future of industrial leadership. Highlights include:
- Digital Excellence in Life Sciences Manufacturing: The Role of Execution Systems in a New Era: Paul Murray, managing director for manufacturing supply chain systems at Industry X, Accenture, one of Rockwell's largest ecosystem partners, explores how life sciences manufacturing is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the need for agility, compliance and innovation. As therapies become more personalized and regulatory expectations intensify, manufacturers are turning to advanced Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to bridge the gap between operational efficiency and quality assurance.
- West-Bake Leverages Digital Technologies for Sustainable Growth: Managing director Peadar Shanks and IT manager P.J. Shanks explain how West-Bake's implementation of the Plex Smart Manufacturing System is enabling a digital transformation across its operations, removing data silos, digitalizing manual processes and delivering real-time insights. Through this new approach, the Ireland-based bakery has improved efficiency, quality and traceability.
- Industrial Data Centers: Powering Smart Manufacturing & Real-Time Insights: Industrial data centers are rapidly becoming the backbone of modern manufacturing operations. Brian Glancy, commercial, innovation & AI manager for ControlSoft Automation Systems, a platinum-level system integrator in Rockwell's PartnerNetwork ecosystem, explains how manufacturers are preparing for the next wave of transformation with the ability to harness real-time data for predictive analytics, operational excellence and sustainability.
Emphasizing the growing importance of business opportunities driven by sustainable initiatives, several episodes focus on sustainable innovation:
- Scaling Circular Manufacturing: Vision, Strategy and Collaboration: Tony Wibbeler, founder & CEO of Bolder Industries, shares how the company is transforming end-of-life tires into high-value materials, reducing landfill waste and supporting the circular economy. The episode details Bolder Industries' strategic growth across the US and Europe, and how its partnership with Rockwell Automation enables scalable, efficient, and resilient operations. Viewers gain insight into the technical challenges of deploying advanced control systems and the measurable outcomes for both industry and society.
- Sustainability in Process Industries: Trends, Technologies, and Collaborative Strategies: Thiagu Bhojan, director of Multivista Oman, a Rockwell speciality distributor, discusses the evolving sustainability landscape in oil and gas and water/wastewater sectors. The episode highlights key trends, such as circular water management, energy efficiency and waste reduction, and examines how digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics are reshaping industrial operations.
- Empowering the Green Transition: Andy Morgan, director at Firstco, a gold-level system integrator partner in the United Kingdom, explains how advanced control and real-time visualization technologies are enabling scalable carbon-offset projects and new models for urban sustainability. The episode explores how organizations are transforming waste energy into valuable resources, optimizing efficiency and inspiring new models for community well-being and climate resilience.
- Sustainability Shaping Industrial Automation: Mogens Brusgaard, CEO of Wexøe, a Danish value-added distributor, explores how sustainability-driven transformation is reshaping business models and creating new opportunities for innovation in industrial automation. The episode discusses the impact of Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) commitments by large corporations, the growing importance of transparency - such as disclosing product carbon footprints - and the influence of emerging regulations like the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and Digital Product Passports.
- The Future of Sustainable Innovation: GEA's Digital Transformation: Patrick Eickhoff, director of software and digitalization, GEA Group, a gold OEM partner, discusses how GEA is advancing automation through its the use of the FactoryTalk Optix visualization platform and open standards to make systems more flexible and connected, helping reduce energy use, improve efficiency and support customers in meeting climate goals. Eickhoff shares how digitalization is driving a more sustainable, data-driven future for process industries and enabling GEA's customers to achieve their own sustainability objectives.
Recorded at Rockwell's recent Automation Fair event in Chicago, USA, the new videos - alongside others featuring executives and domain specialists from Rockwell Automation - join more than 100 previous recordings at the ROKStudios portal.
About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 26,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2025. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2849667/image.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1981317/Rockwell_Automation_Logo.jpg
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/rockwell-automation-announces-latest-season-of-rokstudios-video-series-showcasing-the-future-of-industrial-operations-and-sustainable-transformation-302647014.html
