Rockwell Automation and Cisco have announced a strategic partnership aimed at reshaping the future of manufacturing in India, bringing together industrial automation and IT infrastructure to accelerate the country’s push toward advanced, resilient, and globally competitive production systems.
At the centre of the collaboration is a Full-Stack Software-Defined Manufacturing reference design, alongside a Software-Defined Manufacturing Demo Pod at Rockwell Automation’s Gurugram facility.
The initiative has been developed with support from Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration program. The two companies also unveiled a joint digital skills initiative designed to address the manufacturing sector’s growing talent gap through Cisco Networking Academy and Rockwell’s Learning+ program.
Together, these efforts signal a shared push to move Indian manufacturing from traditional automation toward AI-enabled, autonomous operations.
The reference design integrates Cisco’s software-defined networking with Rockwell Automation’s software-defined automation to create secure, observable, and resilient industrial environments.
By enabling secure data flow between IT and OT systems, 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 Gurugram Demo Pod will function as a live innovation environment where customers, partners, and ecosystem players can test and co-develop solutions tailored to India’s manufacturing needs. It is designed to help organizations move from pilot projects to large-scale deployment across factories and production lines.
Workforce development is a central pillar of the partnership. Through a social impact initiative, Rockwell Automation and Cisco Networking Academy aim to equip India’s manufacturing workforce with digital, networking, and cybersecurity skills needed for software-defined industrial environments, supporting broader goals of workforce readiness and inclusive growth.
“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 strengthens its position as a global manufacturing hub, the partnership positions Rockwell Automation and Cisco as key enablers of a shift toward smarter, more connected, and more autonomous industrial operations.
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