Rockwell Automation, Inc and Cisco announced a strategic collaboration to help reimagine the future of manufacturing in India, bringing together IT and industrial automation to support the country’s ambitions for advanced, resilient and globally competitive manufacturing.

At the heart of this partnership is the launch of a Full-Stack Software-Defined Manufacturing reference design, along with the availability of a Software-Defined Manufacturing Demo Pod at Rockwell Automation’s Gurugram facility, developed in collaboration with Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration program. The companies also announced a joint digital skills initiative for the manufacturing industry, aimed at closing the manufacturing digital skills gap through Cisco Networking Academy and Rockwell’s Learning+ programme.

Together, these initiatives reflect a shared commitment by Rockwell Automation and Cisco to support India’s national manufacturing vision by enabling industries to move from traditional automation towards AI-enabled autonomous operations.

The Full-Stack Software-Defined Manufacturing reference design helps overcome industry barriers by integrating Cisco’s software-defined networking with Rockwell Automation’s software-defined automation, delivering secure, observable and resilient operations.

By enabling secure data flow across IT and OT, manufacturers gain real-time visibility and actionable insights to improve efficiency, reduce risk and support AI-enabled decision-making, while maintaining compliance and protecting critical operations.

“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.”

The Software-Defined Manufacturing Demo Pod in Gurugram will serve as a collaborative innovation environment where customers, partners and ecosystem players can experience, validate and co-create solutions tailored to India’s manufacturing needs. It provides a practical foundation for organisations to move from pilot projects to scalable deployment across plants and production lines.

A key aspect of this collaboration is skills development. Through a social impact initiative, Rockwell Automation and Cisco Networking Academy are committed to equipping India’s manufacturing workforce with essential digital, networking and cybersecurity skills for modern, software-defined industrial environments. This initiative supports India’s goals for workforce readiness and inclusive growth as manufacturing becomes more digital.

“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.”

As India continues to strengthen its position as a global manufacturing hub, the Rockwell Automation and Cisco collaboration provides a blueprint for how technology, skills and ecosystem partnerships can come together to support sustainable growth and operational excellence.