Italian centre will help OEMs and end-users to tackle challenges
24 February 2026 
Rockwell Automation has opened a customer experience centre in Bologna, Italy, to help machine-builders and end-users from across the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region to address the challenges facing them. The centre, the third of its type in the world (the others are in Milwaukee and Singapore), will support customers in sectors such as packaging, material handling, process converting and heavy industries.
The centre will offer hands-on experience of control, motion and mechatronics products, as well as advanced technologies such as AI, independent cart systems and dynamic digital twins. It will also provide digital strategy planning and training services, as well as collaborative innovation support, helping users to accelerate their digital transformation.
“Manufacturers across EMEA are facing a perfect storm of technology, workforce and supply chain challenges,” says Paolo Butti, Rockwell’s regional president for global industry accounts. “The Bologna customer experience centre is our answer to these challenges – a place where OEMs can access the latest innovations, validate solutions in real-world scenarios, and empower their teams for the future. This centre will help our customers turn disruption into competitive advantages.”
The opening of the Bologna centre comes at a critical time for machine-builders. According to a new Rockwell survey of 500 OEMs in 17 countries, manufacturers are facing unprecedented challenges:
- Technology adoption gaps 29% of OEMs cite a lack of appropriate technology as being a barrier to achieving their strategic goals.
- Workforce instability High employee turnover and skills shortages rank among the top five challenges for OEMs, with significant numbers in the EMEA region reporting workforce issues.
- Downtime costs Globally, unplanned downtime costs an average of $92,000 per hour, with top-performing OEMs recovering 40% faster from incidents by using advanced automation and digital technologies.
Rockwell has published the results of the survey in its OEM Advantage Playbook. The new centre will help to address these issues, and includes three areas for customer engagement:
- A leadership area This highlights remote access capabilities and live connections to manufacturing plants, supporting executive-level collaboration and strategic planning.
- A technology and proof-of-concept area This provides hands-on demos and machine testing, allowing OEMs and end-users to validate solutions before full-scale deployment. They can explore digital twins, virtual AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) and advanced mechatronics, accelerating innovation and reducing risk.
- A competency area This will deliver technical training, product updates and workforce development programmes, helping customers to upskill their teams and to close the talent gap.
Rockwell says that the centre offers an immersive, collaborative environment where manufacturers can overcome technology challenges and build workforce resilience.
