Ambitious for Asia

Having just been appointed President, Asia Pacific region, Keiran Coulton, in Chicago for Automation Fair, spoke with CE Asia on his plans and aspirations for Rockwell in the region.

CEA: What were you doing before taking over the helm in Asia in October?

Coulton: I have actually been with Rockwell Automation for the last 21 years, holding a variety of different positions. I ran sales for the UK business, for the Middle East business, and eight years ago, went over to the US to head up the Global Accounts program where I was heavily involved in the push to move Rockwell from a product to a solutions based company, i.e. focused application solutions and real domain expertise versus products and features.

CEA: Any initial impressions Rockwell Automation of Asia?

Coulton: It’s obviously a very dynamic area economically, and Rockwell has a great organization and infrastructure platform from which I intend to turn up the commercial heat and make the most of the opportunities out there.

Although I was based in the US for my last post, it was a very international role. I traveled frequently to Asia and am especially familiar with the many global players setting up plants in the region.

CEA: Where are the opportunities for Rockwell in Asia?

Coulton: Manufacturing companies are investing in the region not only to establish a lower cost export base but also to serve the market as demand for autos, consumer packaged goods, etc, rises with higher living standards. And you can see that the next generation of global companies is emerging from Asia – the world’s largest steelmaker is now Indian, for example.

A specific goal of mine is to establish Rockwell as the choice supplier for the emerging OEM business, especially in China, Taiwan, Korea, and India. Global OEM suppliers are setting up plants in the region and, eventually, those OEMs will serve the rest of the world from Asia.

Life sciences is our fastest growing sector in Asia; Rockwell is one of the few companies that has a very tightly packaged offering for that industry and the adoption of our products has been dramatic. Automotive has also been very good for us, and there are of course major opportunities related to the increasing infrastructure needs – power, railways, airports, etc – in the real emerging markets of Asia.

CEA: Are you planning any changes to the Rockwell Asia Pacific organization?

Coulton: It’s always something you look at, but there is unlikely to be any radical change. One area to look at, perhaps, is how to achieve faster execution. And there is always going to be the challenge of getting enough talented people on board to run the business as it expands quickly.

But what I do want to ensure is that people have a “solutions” as opposed to a “product” mindset. Because there isn’t necessarily the same level of knowledge base within companies that there used to be, and customers want to be led to places that give them competitive advantage.

I am also a great believer in Rockwell having an ecosystem of third parties to help us get to the market. Product availability, solution availability, service availability – how to achieve all these through partners. It really is all about us and our friends versus our competitors, and so there will be a lot of focus in the area of building an effective ecosystem presence.

CEA: Any thoughts on coping with all the different cultures you’re likely to encounter across the region?

Coulton: I lived in Hong Kong for some time when I was younger, and as I mentioned, have also had experience in the Middle East. I am also the type of person who will listen first before speaking. The challenge today is how to be an effective global leader, but it’s certainly an exciting one.

CEA: What are the factors that will bring success to Rockwell in Asia Pacific under your leadership?

Coulton: A clear, differentiated message to customers will enable us to hit our growth targets. And that message is all about global consistency – providing tremendous support no matter where in the world you’re located, and a focus on value – taking the time to get to know the customer so that you are really able to understand and solve his business problem

There are few times in your career when you get the chance to change the course of a company, and Rockwell cannot be called truly global unless it is successful in Asia. And so I am passionately excited about this opportunity to build on what Scott Summerville, my predecessor, achieved in the region, by driving growth in the Rockwell Automation business through value-based solutions to the customer base.

Keiran Coulton, President, Asia Pacific.