Rockwell Automation Highlights Increased Importance of Integrated Information Solutions at the SEMICON West and Intersolar North America Shows in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO.— Attendees at this year’s SEMICON West and Intersolar North American trade shows, held together July 15 to 17, 2008, will learn how the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture, a highly flexible, versatile control and information environment, can help semiconductor and solar manufacturers reduce costs, accelerate time to market, and improve productivity.

“Manufacturers who bridge the gap between the automation and information layers of their business can increase collaboration, flexibility and visibility between the plant floor and business-level systems in the enterprise,” said Bob Honor, vice president of Information Solutions, Rockwell Automation. “Our Integrated Architecture system comprises two complementary parts – the Logix Control Platform and FactoryTalk information solutions – to help increase and improve overall business performance.”

The Rockwell Automation booth will highlight the company’s Integrated Architecture system solutions for the semiconductor and solar industries, including:

* FactoryTalk Information Solutions. The FactoryTalk Integrated Production and Performance Suite delivers business benefits across six production disciplines common to most manufacturing operations. Included in the FactoryTalk suite is the FactoryTalk ProductionCentre software, which now includes expanded application development capabilities to help users more rapidly and cost-efficiently build, deploy and scale manufacturing production applications across multiple sites.

FactoryTalk ProductionCentre software offers comprehensive production management functionality and advanced decision support tools. This combination helps manufacturers track and control production, reduce cycle times and excess inventory, analyze root cause and failures, and manage factory or field repair orders.

FactoryTalk applications are designed for tight integration with the Rockwell Automation Logix Control Platform, as well as extensive connectivity to third-party and legacy systems.

* Holistic Approach to Safety. Progressive manufacturers are focusing on safety automation solutions to help keep their people safer, their machines working and their bottom lines robust. This focus is credited to the best practice of deploying a “holistic approach to safety,” which emphasizes global standards, innovative technologies, trained personnel and ongoing risk assessment, all working together.

“By integrating safety functions into their overall automation strategy platform, manufacturers can create a safer working environment for employees, reduce the risks of an incident that could result in a negative environmental impact, and improve manufacturing processes that optimize productivity and key performance indicators, such as overall equipment effectiveness, which ultimately leads to increased profits,” said Craig Resnick, research director, ARC Advisory Group. “When manufacturers adopt this holistic approach to safety, they are leveraging state-of-the-art technology to help protect their people, as well as improving their company’s global competitive positioning.”

A fundamental shift in two essential and related areas has helped make this new functional approach to safety possible. The first is major developments in safeguarding and control technologies – most notably the advent of new microprocessor-based technologies in lieu of electromechanical or hard-wired control. The second is the evolution of global safety standards to allow these new electronic technologies to be incorporated into industrial safety systems. For more information, read “A Holistic Approach to Safety Automation: How technology, global standards and open systems help increase productivity and overall equipment effectiveness” at www.rockwellautomation.com/go/prhswp.

* Compact Machine Solutions. The Logix Control Engine is built on a scalable, single control infrastructure integrated across all automation applications for design programming and code reuse, allowing quicker response to market changes and real-time access to plant and production data information for better business performance.

Using the Allen-Bradley CompactLogix programmable automation controller (PAC), OEMs and manufacturers are able to fully integrate machine speed, torque and position control with a single programming environment for system development.

The Rockwell Software RSLogix 5000 programming software makes it easier to program and optimize drives, as all codes are embedded in the CompactLogix PAC. Coupled with the View visualization platform, Allen‑Bradley PowerFlex AC drives, Allen-Bradley Kinetix servo drives and motors, Allen-Bradley POINT I/O modules and EtherNet/IP network connectivity, CompactLogix PACs help reduce engineering time and shorten development cycles.

* Engineered Solutions Business. The Rockwell Automation Engineered Solutions Business powers the global semiconductor industry. The approach of the business to semiconductor power distribution is to “Engineer Locally, Manufacture Globally,” with strong customer-focused engineering capabilities and global manufacturing experience in low-cost regions.

Bob Honor, vice president of Information Solutions, Rockwell Automation, will present “Integrated Solutions for Solar Manufacturing” for the semiconductor session during the Intersolar Conference, July 15 at 11:20 a.m., Conference Room A, Level 5, Intercontinental Hotel, San Francisco.