n NEWS November/December 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com 6 ROCKWELL AUTOMATION has launched an industrial cybersecurity suite designed to protect critical operations and build secure environments for manufacturers and critical infrastructure. SecureOT aims to help organisations to secure their OT infrastructures – many of which were never designed with cybersecurity in mind – with technologies and expertise built for the realities of modern industrial operations. SecureOT brings together a purpose-built platform and managed security services into a unified offering that delivers end-to-end protection for complex, ageing and regulated industrial systems. It helps organisations to mitigate risk, maintain uptime and run safer operations. “Cyberthreats to industrial operations are evolving faster than ever, and legacy defences simply can’t keep up,”says Matthew Fordenwalt, Rockwell’s senior vice-president for Lifecycle Services. “SecureOT is more than a brand – it’s a strategic shift in how industrial organisations approach cybersecurity. We’re combining deep industrial expertise with OT-specific technology and services that help customers stay ahead of threats and keep operations running safely.” The new platform has been designed for the challenges of OT environments, providing protection across all levels of cybersecurity maturity. It delivers real-time asset visibility, risk prioritisation and vulnerability management across systems from a variety of vendors. It also offers strategic advice, assessments and support to help organisations to strengthen their security. Its managed security services provide 24/7 monitoring and incident response from a dedicated OT Security Operations Center and Network Operations Center. “Industrial organisations need cybersecurity strategies built for the realities of OT,” says Hollie Hennessy, OT/IoT cybersecurity lead analyst at the technology adviser, Omdia. “Rockwell Automation’s SecureOT addresses that need with a layered approach that integrates asset visibility, vulnerability management and managed detection services in one framework. It’s a significant step forward for industrial cybersecurity maturity.” Early adopters of SecureOT are reporting positive results: n An oil and gas producer achieved full OT asset visibility and remediated critical risks across remote operations in six months. n A beverage manufacturer migrated its ageing industrial network and computing base to a managed infrastructure spanning more than 150 sites globally. n A power utility gained secure, real-time visibility into its remote substations, cutting costs through agentless monitoring. Rockwell hails cybersecurity suite as ‘a strategic shift’ p Following the sale of its robotics division to SoftBank, ABB is moving its Machine Automation division – which was formerly part of its Robotics & Discrete Automation business and includes B&R Industrial Automation – into its Process Automation business. ABB has also announced that Florian Schneeberger, who has been Machine Automation CTO since 2022, has been appointed president of the division, succeeding Joerg Theis, who is leaving the company. He is also CEO of B&R. p Rubix, Europe’s largest supplier of industrial MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) products and services, has completed its acquisition of the industrial distributor Eriks UK & Ireland, announced in March this year, saying that the combination would create a €850m business. The acquisition brings together two industrial distributors offering a broad range of products and services, and extends Rubix into flow technologies – such as hoses, valves, sealing and gaskets, and associated services. p The asset management business TPG is acquiring PTC’s Kepware industrial connectivity and ThingWorx IoT businesses. The sale will allow PTC to focus on its intelligent product lifecycle activities. TPQ says it will provide the businesses with the capital and expertise to accelerate their growth. p The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) has renamed the Engineering Industries Association as Engineering Supply Chain UK (ESCUK). It says the new name better reflects the current needs of the market as well as what members of the trade association do. The Engineering Industries Association (EIA) was founded in 1945 to set up a resilient UK supply chain after the Second World War. In a separate development, MTA has appointed Stewart Lane, Renishaw’s head of EMEA business development, as its new president. p The Lincolnshire-based automation and electrical engineering specialist Control Freaks has opened new headquarters at Holbeach Technology Park. The move is a major investment, providing a manufacturing facility six times larger than its previous site, and creating space for new technical development and engineering roles. Control Freaks, founded in 2006 by MD Clint Johnson, designs, builds and integrates control systems that combine PLC, Scada, motion control and robotics technologies. p The compressed air distributor Anglian Compressors & Equipment has become part of the Atlas Copco Group, after being acquired by Atlas Copco UK Holdings for an undisclosed sum. Peterborough-based Anglian was founded in 1977 and has 28 employees. It is now part of Atlas Copco’s service division. NEWS BRIEFS Rockwell Automation has appointed Phil Hadfield (top left) as its UK managing director, as well as regional sales director for the UK and Ireland. Rockwell has also named Mark Bottomley (below left) as its regional vice-president (market access) for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). He will be responsible for strategic leadership in the region. A priority will be to evolve the company’s distributor strategy, fostering a collaborative partner community. Olsen Actuators & Drives has appointed Jenny Jones as its new managing director. She has more than two decades of experience in the aerospace industry, most recently as quality director at Héroux-Devtek. Olsen has also appointed Henry Hackford as business development director. He also has extensive experience in the aerospace sector, having worked for Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Cessna. London-based Energy Drive, which specialises in zero-capex energy efficiency for large motors, has appointed Dr Nick Moelders as its chief operating officer. Based in the US, he will be responsible for global operations and serve as executive lead in North America. He brings more than 30 years’experience of the energy sector, and was previously COO and board member at the UK drivetrain developer, Equipmake. He worked previously at Sensata Technologies, Inventus Power, Halliburton, Cummin and Honeywell. Rockwell’s SecureOT platform is intended to deliver vendor-neutral asset inventory, risk prioritisation and vulnerability management
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