DÜSSELDORF, Germany, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, will demonstrate a new approach to industrial automation engineering at Hannover Messe 2026, showcasing how AI-orchestrated system design can transform the way factories are conceived, engineered, and deployed. The virtual demonstration will be presented at the Rockwell Automation booth in the "AI in Manufacturing" area, Hall 27, Booth A22.
"Industrial automation has reached a point where incremental efficiency gains are no longer enough," said Jordan Reynolds, vice president of artificial intelligence & autonomy, Rockwell Automation. "By orchestrating AI across digital twins, controller engineering and validation, we're showing how manufacturers can move beyond fragmented workflows to a more autonomous, outcome-driven engineering model that delivers value much earlier in the lifecycle."
Industrial automation engineering has traditionally relied on fragmented workflows, with separate tools for simulation, controller development, manual PLC configuration, and testing. Even advanced digital twin platforms typically stop at simulation, leaving the translation from model to executable controller code manual time-consuming and highly dependent on individual expertise.
At Hannover Messe, Rockwell Automation will show how this gap can be addressed through the integration of Emulate3D digital twin and emulation software, copilot in visual studio code as an AI-assisted engineering interface and FactoryTalk Design Studio, a cloud-based controller engineering platform.
Central to the demonstration is an AI-native engineering workflow, in which AI acts as an active collaborator rather than a passive support tool. Engineers can build, refine and validate factory models through natural language interaction, accelerating design iterations while reducing complexity.
"What we're showing is a fundamental shift in how automation projects are executed," Reynolds said. "By combining autonomous AI agents with closed-loop digital twin validation, engineers can move from a validated model to a fully tested controller project before any hardware is deployed. This dramatically shortens engineering and commissioning cycles, reduces risk and helps manufacturers improve productivity, sustainability and workforce safety at the same time."
Attendees interested in seeing live AI-orchestrated engineering workflows as well as joint technologies with Rockwell's extensive PartnerNetwork ecosystem, can get a free ticket to the Hannover Messe, here.
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 Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com
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