Rockwell Automation to demonstrate AI‑orchestrated factory system design at Hannover Messe

(See Rockwell Automation at Machine Building North, 13 May 2026, on stand 75)

"Industrial automation has reached a point where incremental efficiency gains are no longer enough," said Jordan Reynolds, vice president of artificial intelligence and 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, outcomedriven 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 timeconsuming 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 AIassisted engineering interface and FactoryTalk Design Studio, a cloudbased controller engineering platform.

Central to the demonstration is an AInative 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 closedloop 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."