Talking About Software

Kevin Roach leads Rockwell Software, probably the biggest software organization you’ve never heard of. He talks to CE Asia.

CEA: So what is Rockwell Software all about?

Roach: Rockwell Software is an organization and a brand within Rockwell Automation currently employing around 1000 people. Our goal is to deliver a very rich suite of applications that solve of the most of the manufacturing information issues. That suite, “FactoryTalk”, comprises a number of modules that fall into six production disciplines: Design & Configuration; Production Management; Data Management; Quality & Compliance; Asset Management; and Performance & Visibility.

CEA: How has FactoryTalk evolved over the last few years?

Roach: What we have been doing – very methodically – has been to abstract common elements of what were once separate software applications and create a services-oriented architecture (SOA), called the FactoryTalk Services Platform, on top of which we deliver the modules, such as FactoryTalk Metrics, FactoryTalk View, FactoryTalk AssetCentre, etc. We continue to add more and more modules and to tightly integrate them.

Customers want to spend less time integrating products themselves, and what FactoryTalk enables them to do is progressively add modules to meet their application needs and in this way, the data model, the security model, etc, can be leveraged across all the products.

CEA: Does FactoryTalk work only with Rockwell controllers ?

Roach: No, in fact, FactoryTalk is a software layer that is able to sit on top of very disparate systems. We recognize that our customers have different assets, including those of our competitors, and we need to embrace these assets and extend the value of them. And the way that we do that is by having extensive third-party connectivity and legacy support.

CEA: Rockwell has made a number of software acquisitions in recent years. How do these relate to the FactoryTalk strategy?

Roach: Yes, there was Datasweep for MES in 2005; GEPA for change management/version control in 2006; and in 2007, advanced process control specialists Pavilion Technologies.

Our general approach with software acquisitions is to add capabilities and integrate into our FactoryTalk suite. For example, GEPA’s VersionWorks and Rockwell’s RSMACC have been merged into a single product called FactoryTalk AssetCentre, and our MES product, FactoryTalk ProductionCentre, leverages the technology acquired from Datasweep.

But it’s not simply a rebranding exercise; products must meet a minimum set of integration criteria – use the data model, the security, adopt the service platform – before they can become part of the suite.

CEA: Would you agree that Rockwell’s software offerings are not so well known as, say, the controllers, the drives, the safety systems, etc?

Roach: It may be a surprise to most people to learn that, by revenue, Rockwell Software is one of the world’s top 100 software companies. It’s a hidden gem within the Rockwell Automation organization!

But personally, yes, I am not satisfied with the prominence of the FactoryTalk brand, and there is a lot more we can do from a marketing perspective to boost the recognition factor.

In fact, we recently hired Geoffrey Moore, a strategy consultant and author of “Crossing the Chasm”, to study the software group. He made a number of interesting recommendations, which we are currently implementing. One of those recommendations: do more marketing – you have such a strong software portfolio but you’re not telling anyone!

CEA: And going forward, what can we expect to see from Rockwell Software?

Roach: We will continue to expand the depth and breadth of the offering by constantly pulsing to understand customer workflows to see how we should expand the suite, integrate it more closely, and make it easier to use. And we are investing significantly relative to our competition to make this happen.

Kevin Roach, President, Rockwell Software

FactoryTalk software applications