New research shows top OEMs cut downtime recovery by 40%, strengthening profitability through resilience-first strategies

Rhea-AI Summary

Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) published the OEM Advantage Playbook, a global study of 500 OEM leaders across 17 countries showing how resilience-first strategies cut downtime and support profitability.

Key findings: average outages last 40 hours and cost $3.6 million; leading OEMs enable 24-hour recovery, embed expertise into machines, apply digital twins and integrate cybersecurity into product design.

Positive

• Recovery in 24 hours for leading OEM customers
• Embedded expertise reduces reliance on individual workers
• Strategic adoption of digital twins, AMRs and cobots

Negative

• Average outages last 40 hours, costing $3.6M
• Workforce turnover reaches 47% in some regions
• Ongoing supply chain volatility and cost pressure

Key Figures

Downtime recovery improvement: 40% reduction OEM leaders surveyed: 500 OEM leaders Countries covered: 17 countries +4 more

7 metrics

Downtime recovery improvement 40% reduction Top OEMs cut downtime recovery by 40%

OEM leaders surveyed 500 OEM leaders Respondents in OEM Advantage Playbook research

Countries covered 17 countries Geographic scope of OEM research

Average outage duration 40 hours Average customer outage time cited in research

Average outage cost $3.6 million Average financial impact per outage in research

Target recovery time 24 hours or less Recovery time leading OEMs enable for customers

Workforce turnover 47 percent Turnover level in some regions cited in research

Market Reality Check

Price: $387.63 Vol: Volume 1,714,616 is eleva...

normal vol

$387.63 Last Close

Volume Volume 1,714,616 is elevated at 1.38x the 20-day average of 1,246,040. normal

Technical Price at $387.63 is trading above the 200-day MA at $360.97 and 11.7% below the 52-week high of $438.72.

Peers on Argus

ROK fell 2.8% while peers were mixed: XYL -0.4%, IR -1.49%, OTIS -2.82%, AME -0....

ROK fell 2.8% while peers were mixed: XYL -0.4%, IR -1.49%, OTIS -2.82%, AME -0.71%, SYM +2.35%. With no peers in the momentum scanner, the move appears more stock-specific than sector-driven.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Feb 17 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Feb 17	Customer efficiency case study	Positive	-1.5%	Highlighted PCI savings from Fiix CMMS and Asset Risk Predictor deployment.
Feb 11	Dividend declaration	Positive	-1.4%	Declared quarterly cash dividend of $1.38 per share with March 10 payment date.
Feb 05	Earnings and guidance	Positive	-5.4%	Reported Q1 sales and EPS growth with raised fiscal 2026 EPS guidance and margin expansion.
Jan 30	Conference appearance	Neutral	-1.2%	Announced participation in Barclays industrial conference with webcast fireside chat.
Jan 29	Conference appearance	Neutral	+2.9%	Announced presentation at Citi industrial tech and mobility conference with webcast.

Pattern Detected

Recent positive corporate news, including strong earnings and customer case studies, has often coincided with flat-to-negative next-day price reactions.

Recent Company History

Over the past few weeks, Rockwell Automation reported strong fiscal Q1 2026 results, with higher sales, EPS growth, and raised full‑year EPS guidance on Feb. 5. The company also announced a regular quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share and highlighted a Fiix CMMS customer success story with reduced maintenance workload and costs. Management participated in multiple investor conferences in late January and mid‑February. Today’s OEM-focused research fits this pattern of emphasizing operational efficiency, resilience, and customer outcomes rather than introducing new financial guidance.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement centers on Rockwell Automation’s OEM Advantage Playbook, based on insights from 50...

Analysis

This announcement centers on Rockwell Automation’s OEM Advantage Playbook, based on insights from 500 OEM leaders in 17 countries. The research stresses cutting downtime recovery by 40%, managing outages that can last 40 hours and cost $3.6 million, and adapting to workforce turnover reaching 47%. In recent months, Rockwell also delivered strong Q1 2026 results and maintained dividend payments. Investors may track how these resilience-first strategies translate into future margins, customer adoption, and product design differentiation.

Key Terms

digital twins, amrs, cobots, cybersecurity

4 terms

digital twins technical

"Top performers adopt digital twins, AMRs and cobots strategically to design quality..."

Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical objects, systems, or processes that simulate their real-world counterparts in real time. They allow users to monitor, analyze, and predict how the actual entity will behave under different conditions. For investors, digital twins can provide valuable insights into performance and potential risks, helping to make better-informed decisions.

amrs technical

"Top performers adopt digital twins, AMRs and cobots strategically to design quality..."

AMRS is a stock ticker symbol — a short code used by exchanges and investors to identify a specific publicly traded company’s shares, similar to a car’s license plate that uniquely identifies a vehicle. For investors, the ticker matters because it’s how you look up prices, trade shares, track performance, and compare the company to peers; using the wrong ticker can lead to tracking or trading the wrong investment.

cobots technical

"Top performers adopt digital twins, AMRs and cobots strategically to design quality..."

Cobots are collaborative robots designed to work alongside humans on tasks like assembly, packing, inspection or data collection, combining physical automation with sensors and simple controls so they can operate safely near people. For investors they matter because cobots can raise productivity, cut labor costs and shorten production cycles much like adding an extra skilled pair of hands, affecting capital spending, profit margins and the competitive landscape of manufacturers and service providers.

cybersecurity technical

"Compliance and Cybersecurity Are Becoming Differentiators - Leading OEMs integrate..."

Cybersecurity involves protecting computers, networks, and digital information from theft, damage, or unauthorized access. It is essential for safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining trust in digital systems, which matters to investors because strong cybersecurity reduces the risk of costly breaches and disruptions that can impact a company’s performance and reputation. Think of it as locking and safeguarding valuable information much like securing a safe to prevent theft.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Findings reveal how leading machine builders strengthen recovery, consistency and customer outcomes

MILWAUKEE, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today released new global research that highlights how leading machine builders are strengthening performance, resilience and customer trust amid increasingly complex operating conditions.  

Titled, the OEM Advantage Playbook, the research is based on insights gained from 500 OEM leaders across 17 countries. It highlights that while OEMs continue to navigate workforce instability, supply chain volatility, cost pressure and rising customer expectations, many are adapting how they operate to perform more consistently when conditions are less predictable. Rather than relying solely on machine performance, leading OEMs are focusing on faster recovery, operational consistency and decision-making grounded in data.

"The next era of OEM leadership won't be defined by who builds the most advanced machine," said Evan Kaiser, vice president, global OEM and emerging industries at Rockwell Automation. "It will be defined by who builds a business that delivers consistent performance despite workforce turnover, supply disruptions and relentless market pressure."

Key Findings from the Research:

• Rapid Recovery Is the New Profitability Lever - With average outages lasting 40 hours and costing $3.6 million, leading OEMs enable their customers to recover in 24 hours or less. These organizations design machines to detect issues early and restore performance quickly, helping to protect revenue and customer confidence.

• Workforce Instability Is Now Permanent, and Winners Design For It - With turnover reaching 47 percent in some regions, leading OEMs embed expertise into machines and workflows to reduce dependence on individual experience while enabling faster onboarding and consistent performance.

• Performance Measurement Is Evolving - High-performing OEMs prioritize profitability and customer outcome metrics - cost of goods sold, lead times, downtime recovery - alongside traditional production yield and emerging people-centered measures like safety and satisfaction.

• Technology Is Being Applied With Greater Intent - Top performers adopt digital twins, AMRs and cobots strategically to design quality into machines and improve deployment consistency, applying field insights to inform future designs rather than solving isolated problems.

• Compliance and Cybersecurity Are Becoming Differentiators - Leading OEMs integrate cybersecurity into product design from the outset, treating security with the same discipline as safety to support market access, reduce delays and build customer trust.

To learn more, the full findings of the OEM Advantage Playbook can be found here.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 26,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2025. To learn more about how we are bringing Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.

 

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SOURCE Rockwell Automation, Inc.

FAQ

What does Rockwell Automation (ROK) say about average outage costs and duration?

Average outages last about 40 hours and cost roughly $3.6 million. According to the company, those figures frame why faster recovery and resilience-first designs drive customer profitability and confidence.

How quickly do leading OEMs enable recovery for customers, per Rockwell Automation (ROK)?

Leading OEMs enable customer recovery in 24 hours or less. According to the company, they achieve this by designing early-detection features and faster restore processes to protect revenue and customer trust.

What workforce challenge does the OEM Advantage Playbook highlight for ROK and OEMs?

Workforce turnover reaches as high as 47% in some regions. According to the company, OEMs respond by embedding expertise into machines and workflows to cut onboarding time and maintain consistent performance.

How are top OEMs applying technology according to Rockwell Automation (ROK)?

Top OEMs adopt digital twins, AMRs and cobots strategically to design quality into machines. According to the company, field insights guide future designs rather than using tech to solve isolated issues.

What role does cybersecurity play in OEM product design per Rockwell Automation (ROK)?

Cybersecurity is integrated into product design and treated like safety. According to the company, this supports market access, reduces deployment delays and helps build customer trust.

Which performance metrics are high-performing OEMs prioritizing in the ROK research?

High performers prioritize profitability and customer-outcome metrics such as cost of goods sold, lead times, and downtime recovery. According to the company, these sit alongside production yield and people-centered measures like safety and satisfaction.