Rockwell Automation and Cisco have announced a strategic collaboration aimed at shaping the future of manufacturing in India by bringing together IT and industrial automation. The partnership is designed to support India’s push toward advanced, resilient, and globally competitive manufacturing.
At the center of this effort is the launch of a Full-Stack Software-Defined Manufacturing reference design, along with a Software-Defined Manufacturing Demo Pod at Rockwell Automation’s Gurugram facility.
Built in collaboration with Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration program, these initiatives are intended to give manufacturers a practical way to explore new digital models for production. The two companies have also introduced a joint digital skills initiative to help close the manufacturing digital skills gap through Cisco Networking Academy and Rockwell’s Learning+ program.
Together, these efforts show a shared focus on helping India move from traditional automation toward AI-enabled autonomous operations. The goal is not just to modernize factories, but to build stronger foundations for secure, observable, and more resilient industrial systems.
The reference design brings together Cisco’s software-defined networking and Rockwell Automation’s software-defined automation to help manufacturers improve visibility, strengthen data flow between IT and OT, and support faster, more informed decision-making. By doing so, it aims to improve efficiency while also maintaining compliance and protecting critical operations.
The Demo Pod in Gurugram will act as a hands-on innovation space where customers, partners, and ecosystem players can test and co-create solutions for India’s manufacturing needs. It is meant to help organizations move beyond pilots and toward scalable deployment across plants and production lines.
Equally important is the focus on skills. Through a social impact initiative, Rockwell Automation and Cisco are working to equip India’s manufacturing workforce with digital, networking, and cybersecurity capabilities needed for software-defined industrial environments.
As India strengthens its role as a global manufacturing hub, this collaboration offers a strong example of how technology, training, and ecosystem partnerships can come together to support long-term industrial growth.
Leadership Comments
“India’s manufacturing sector is at a defining moment,” said Dilip Sawhney managing director, Rockwell Automation India. “By bringing together industrial automation expertise and modern digital infrastructure, we are helping manufacturers build operations that are more resilient, intelligent, and ready for the future.”
“Cisco is proud to work alongside Rockwell Automation to support India’s manufacturing transformation,” said Kartika Prihadi, Vice President, Partner and Routes to Market Sales, Cisco APJC. “By unifying secure networking, automation, and AI-ready infrastructure, we are helping manufacturers move from automation to autonomy, unlocking new levels of efficiency, innovation, and trust.”
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