Rockwell's 'Essential Components' Program Speeds Design Cycle

Anaheim, CA — Rockwell Automation product managers say they arecommitted to developing products that help engineers climb the learning curvefaster. And they're putting their money where their mouth is.

Companies that are designingrelatively simple, stand-alone machines in high volumes (hundreds per year) arebenefiting from a Rockwell initiative called "Essential Components," which isdesigned to help engineers quickly come up to speed and implement controlfunctions in their machine designs.

Rockwell representativeswere on hand to discuss the program at the Essential Components Booth (#335)here at the Automation Fair.

"Rockwell makes a broad setof components and, frankly, we were looking for a way to make the collectionmore valuable to our customers," says David Johnson, vice president and generalmanager of Rockwell Automation Asia Pacific Business Center. "So we researchedit and learned that there is value in bundled components from a single supplierwhen the supply chain is more important than leading edge technology."

He explained that with morecomplex machines, the emphasis is on performance and integration. With simplermachines that are sold in high volume, designers are not looking for the latesttechnology: They value proven, extremely reliable products that are easy tobuy, install and commission.

Tohelp facilitate that value proposition, Rockwell Automation last year created theEssential Components Program. Akin to a development kit for electroniccomponents, a key feature of the program is the comprehensive set ofinformation (available on a DVD or online) that gives engineers a jump start ontheir designs with a quick-start guide, pre-written blocks of code for the PLCand HMI programs, preconfigured drive parameter files, panel layout and wiringdiagrams, CAD files and even a BOM for the project.

A cornerstone of theEssential Components Program is the MicroLogix1400 controller, which combines control functions, EtherNet/IP and abuilt-in LCD — the three core components of a simple machine. Johnson says thedevice provides a reliable, integrated solution for customers. "They reallyneed to eliminate the risk, and that goes down for them when we've done theintegration," he points out.

Rockwell has shipped thousandsof units of the MicroLogix 1400 since it was introduced a year ago. And thoughJohnson says that they do not track conversions, it's likely the EssentialComponents Program has helped to spur interest and sales.

Some 35,000 users haverequested the "Connected Components Building Block DVD" since Rockwell beganoffering it in May 2008, exceeding even their own expectations, which weren'texactly low.

"I think that there is a bitof ‘This is great, I don't have to talk to lots of people at this point in thedesign process,'" says Johnson. "But engineers also are simply looking for waysto get up to speed more quickly on their own. And, frankly, it benefits us toobecause our customers are more informed when they pick up the phone to talk toan app engineer."

Rockwell's ConnectedComponents Building Block DVDis available free for anyone who wants it. Though you will need to register,you'll also get periodic updates. Or, you can access the materialshere on Rockwell's website.

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