Kevin Roach, CEO of Harpak-ULMA, announced strong market momentum supporting its collaboration with Rockwell Automation to deliver a packaging platform for digital transformation across food, medical, and industrial markets. Roach was one of a select group of presenters at Rockwell Automation’s Annual Investor Conference chosen to highlight the burgeoning potential that digital transformation represents to manufacturing. He highlighted Harpak-ULMA’s rapid progress for re-platforming its packaging solutions to Rockwell Automation’s Allen Bradley Integrated Architecture controls and FactoryTalk InnovationSuite. Mr. Roach noted that, “customer feedback on our digital transformation vision is clear and compelling. We’re executing a multi-year, multi-tier plan designed to enable increased packaging agility and performance; and to reset expectations as to what is possible when it comes to solving some of the most difficult and costly challenges faced by modern producers.” Harpak-ULMA’s vision incorporates faster, easier integration of Operational Technology and Information Technology (OT/IT) systems, tight integration with FactoryTalk InnovationSuite Vuforia Augmented Reality (AR) Platform, expanded IoT connectivity, and the use of machine learning plus predictive analytics to reshape maintenance business models and customer cost structures. Read more about Harpak-ULMA’s smart, connected packaging strategy at http://bit.ly/Harpak-ULMASC.

OT/IT integration is key to accelerating innovation and achieving productivity gains at digital transformation scale. Utilizing Rockwell Automation’s controls and information platforms offers Harpak-ULMA’s customers one of the industry’s most advanced OT/IT integration capabilities, including asset and system auto-discovery, data model sharing and re-use, integrated analytics, and AR empowerment. A smart, connected packaging platform provides customers a competitive edge by helping them more rapidly adapt to market changes at less cost, improve OEE/MTBF/MTTR, productivity and safety metrics, overcome the challenges of an aging and evolving workforce, and better control maintenance expenses with competitive parts sourcing.

Sujeet Chand, Rockwell Automation’s CTO noted, “Harpak-ULMA has enjoyed considerable fanfare for a forward-looking strategy of blending digital technologies that drive best-in-class performance with an aggressive total cost of ownership value proposition. We are very pleased by the market traction that this vision has engendered as evidenced by the customer adoption and producer acknowledgment that innovative technologies such as Industrial IoT and augmented reality are key to increased competitive advantage.”