Melbourne, July 27, 2022 — Rockwell Automation Inc, (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, and the University of Melbourne are collaborating to help companies in the manufacturing and resources industries use digital innovation to reach their decarbonisation goals.
The organisations today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on research activities, jointly develop training and work together to help solve real-world challenges presented by industry.
Rockwell Automation will contribute engineering resources and product training to the project. The University of Melbourne will bring its academic and research expertise and world class innovation infrastructure.
Anthony Wong, regional director, South Pacific, Rockwell Automation, said the MoU marks an important new phase that will benefit industry.
“Decarbonisation is now front of mind for Australian industrial companies,” Mr Wong said. “They know they must act to remain attractive to consumers and meet compliance targets, but they often don’t know how to start or where to focus their energies for the greatest returns,”
Wong continued, “Rockwell Automation and the University of Melbourne are coming together to share our expertise and explore practical solutions to this challenge.”
University of Melbourne will provide research expertise, academic and physical resources, and use the collaboration to give its students real-world training, preparing them to tackle tomorrow’s engineering challenges – including using digital innovation – to accelerate decarbonisation and become future leaders in their field.
Faculty of engineering and information technology dean, University of Melbourne Professor Mark Cassidy, said the MOU would allow the two organisations to collectively deliver outcomes that could not be achieved independently.
“Our engineering and information technology talent and resources, and Rockwell’s capital and expertise are perfectly placed to achieve the digital transformation of Australian industrial manufacturing that is needed. We see this collaboration as a key opportunity to demonstrate the University’s research capabilities, while providing opportunities to enrich our students’ learning experience through industry-led challenges and access to state-of-the-art technology,” Professor Cassidy said.
Industry Gets Behind Concept
The collaboration will officially commence at an MoU signing event at Melbourne Connect on Wednesday July 27. Following the signing, guests from the manufacturing, resources, food and beverage and agricultural processing industries will hear from a panel of experts discussing the role of industry / university collaboration in solving digital innovation challenges. Speaking ahead of the event, the panellists expressed their support for the concept saying:
“Bega Cheese have seen the advantages of partnering with the University of Melbourne. The value of bringing together a leading, global technology provider in Rockwell Automation, with the University and industry will be of great benefit to all parties.”
- Anthony Bourke, General Manager, Operations, Bega Foods
“Developing strong tripartite relationships between industry, solution providers and universities, is fundamentally important to accelerating development and solving important strategic problems in vital industries.”
- Michelle Ash, Technology Executive, Oz Minerals
“Learnings from the pandemic are still emerging, but I hope we are appreciating the value of a competitive and sustainable local manufacturing industry. Striving for cost competitiveness and improved sustainability should not be seen as opposing business goals. We can achieve both – reducing waste lowers costs and improves sustainability, and likewise, integrated digital solutions can enhance market responsiveness and encourage circularity.”
- Associate Professor Jo Staines, Enterprise Fellow, University of Melbourne.
Key Facts:
Rockwell Automation and the University of Melbourne sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on research and joint training initiatives.
MoU to focus on solving real-world challenges such as decarbonisation.
MoU signing to take place Wednesday July 27th at the University of Melbourne, where a decarbonisation discussion will take place with guest pannelists from Rockwell, the university, and industry.
About us:
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 25,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries.
