Rockwell Automation

Oil and gas producers are under enormous pressure to deliver more uptime, output and efficiency with fewer resources and tighter environmental regulations. Even as commodity prices fluctuate and capital budgets tighten, operators face intensifying demands to reduce emissions, modernize equipment and improve safety across remote and harsh environments. In this landscape, oil and gas producers are reevaluating longstanding assumptions about where efficiency gains truly come from.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. modernizes end-of-line operations at Ken’s Foods, improving performance, reducing complexity and supporting continued growth. Legacy equipment, limited visibility and conveyor layouts that restrict material flow create inefficiencies across packaging and palletizing. Traditional cabinet-based automation architecture also slows maintenance, requiring technicians to access remote panels to troubleshoot.

Cybersecurity for OEMs has usually been someone else’s responsibility. The end users’ IT team handled the networks while the OT organization managed security on their plant floors. And the machines were engineered for uptime, precision and safety. Thanks to the evolving threat landscape, that era is over. Regulations like the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and NIS2 are now placing direct obligations on equipment manufacturers. In parallel, the New Machinery Regulation is reinforcing requirements around safety, including the need to address cybersecurity risks that could impact the safe operation of machines. For many OEMs, it’s uncharted territory.

Modernization isn’t a quick fix in an emergency scenario or a reaction to broken technology. It’s a proactive growth strategy. Making the transition to connected, smart technologies is the number one way that food and beverage organizations plan to drive positive business outcomes over the next five years. The vast majority (95%) of these organizations are actively evaluating, piloting, or using smart manufacturing technology in some capacity.