Early years Rockwell Automation began in 1903 as the Compression Rheostat Launch Company. It was founded by Dr. Stanton Allen and
Lynde Bradley with an initial investment of $1000. In 1904, 19-year-old
Harry Bradley joined his brother in the business, and the company's first patented product, a carbon disc compression-type motor controller for industrial cranes, was demonstrated at the
St. Louis World's Fair the same year. In 1909, the company was renamed the Allen-Bradley Company. For all intents and purposes, Allen-Bradley took over Rockwell's industrial automation division. The 1990s featured continued technology development, including the company's launch of its software business. Rockwell International developed PowerFlex, a manufacturing software and technology in the 1990s. Rockwell International also acquired a power systems business, composed of Reliance Electric and Dodge. These two brands, combined with control systems brands Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Software, were marketed as Rockwell Automation.
21st century In 2001, Rockwell International split into two companies. The industrial automation division became Rockwell Automation, while the
avionics division became
Rockwell Collins. The split was structured so that Rockwell Automation was the legal successor of Rockwell International, while Rockwell Collins was the spin-off. Rockwell Automation retains Rockwell International's stock price history and continues to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ROK". In 2007, Reliance Electric Drives and
Dodge Bearings were spun off from the company. In February 2019, Rockwell Automation and
Schlumberger entered a joint venture to create Sensia, the oil and gas industry's first fully integrated automation solutions provider. Rockwell was later announced as a founding member of the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance to help advance readiness and awareness in manufacturing. Another partnership was formed in November 2019 with
Accenture's
Industry X to help deliver greater industrial supply chain optimization. Simulation software provider
Ansys and Rockwell Automation also allied to help customers design simulation-based digital twins of products, processes, and manufacturing. In May 2023,
The Wall Street Journal reported that Rockwell Automation was under a U.S. federal investigation regarding potential access to its software by the
Chinese government through company employees in
Dalian. == Business operations ==