Every year, Rockwell’s Automation Fair gives us a chance to step back, take stock of where the industry is heading, and reconnect with the ideas shaping the next wave of manufacturing. This year in Chicago, the message was unmistakable:
We are moving from Automation to Autonomy
And it’s not just marketing language. It’s a shift that touches everything — from how systems are designed and how operators engage with them, to how integrators like Live Automation deliver value.
Simplifying the Complex in a Tough Manufacturing Landscape
Rockwell’s CEO, Blake Moret, set the tone early:
Simplify the complex. Build systems that are agile, resilient, and sustainable.
For those of us deep in factory floors, legacy retrofits, robotics, SCADA, and custom machinery, this challenge is both familiar and energizing. Manufacturers aren’t asking for bigger systems — they’re asking for clearer ones. The competitive advantage now comes from solutions that cut through the noise, surface the right data, and empower people to act decisively.
Today’s operations demand partners who can help interpret the signal between the noise — and deliver solutions that make real-world impact where uptime, safety, and throughput matter most.
Thinking Differently: Adaptation as a Core Capability
Across the sessions and conversations, the industry-wide mindset was obvious:
Think differently. Adapt. Learn. Adjust.
Automation is no longer about static control logic and incremental gains. It’s about building platforms that evolve — systems that can bend with demand, workforce constraints, supply chain shocks, and the push for sustainable operations.
This shift mirrors what we see every day with our customers. The clients who get ahead are the ones embracing flexibility, rethinking traditional workflows, and investing in autonomy-ready infrastructure that grows with them.
Lucid’s Vision and the Ondex Connection
One of the standout messages came from Lucid, whose mission is to create the future of industrial operations. Their perspective echoed what we see on the ground: true performance gains happen when people and technology move fluidly together.
What made their presence even more meaningful is that Lucid is a customer of NeoMatrix, one of our ONDEX Automation partners. It was a great reminder that the ONDEX ecosystem is already aligned with the industry’s top innovators — and positioned to support where this movement toward autonomy is heading.
At its core, autonomy isn’t about replacing people. It’s about elevating them. It’s about systems that reduce friction, surface insights at the right moment, and allowing skilled teams to focus where it counts.
Maximizing Potential — Not Just Throughput
If there was a single idea that captured the spirit of the week, it was this:
We’re entering an era where the most competitive operations will be the ones that maximize the potential of both people and technology.
This is precisely the space where Live Automation thrives.
In every controls upgrade, SCADA project, robot integration, or custom machine we design and build, the mission stays consistent:
- Make complex operations simple
- Unlock better decision-making
- Increase resilience
- Elevate the workforce
- Deliver long-term competitive advantage
And many times, as our customers know, the solution may surprise you.
Looking Ahead
Walking the show floor, the momentum was unmistakable. Autonomy isn’t a future idea — it’s already shaping investment decisions, workforce strategies, and the technology ecosystem around us.
For Live Automation and the ONDEX platform, that creates enormous opportunity. Opportunity to rethink how factories operate. Opportunity to leverage our collective expertise across partners like NeoMatrix and our other alliances. Opportunity to keep pushing the industry forward with solutions built for speed, clarity, and repeatability.
The future of industrial operations isn’t just emerging — it’s accelerating. And we’re proud to help build it.