Rockwell Automation Advances Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Production Improvements with Plex Technologies

Rhea-AI Summary

Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) and Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream described how the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform modernized the ice cream maker's operations, improving production, quality and inventory control.

Key outcomes include 95% inventory accuracy (a 27% improvement), 18% reduction in raw material inventory and a 3–4 hour cut in on-hand inventory work.

News Market Reaction – ROK

-0.88%

-0.88% Session close to close

In the Apr 21 session, ROK declined 0.88%, reflecting a mild negative market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Market Context

This announcement underlines Rockwell Automation’s strategy of driving value through its Plex Smart ...

Analysis

This announcement underlines Rockwell Automation’s strategy of driving value through its Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform, demonstrating outcomes such as 95% inventory accuracy, a 27% improvement in that metric, and an 18% cut in raw material inventory for a food manufacturer. It complements earlier efforts like resilience-focused OEM research and conference participation. Investors may monitor how widely such case-study wins scale across customers and how software-driven efficiencies influence long-term growth and competitive positioning.

Key Figures

Inventory accuracy: 95% Accuracy improvement: 27% Raw material reduction: 18% +3 more

6 metrics

Inventory accuracy 95% Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform result for Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream

Accuracy improvement 27% Improvement in inventory accuracy after adopting Plex platform

Raw material reduction 18% Reduction in raw material inventory with Plex technologies

Inventory work reduction 3–4 hours Decrease in on-hand inventory management work per period

Customer locations 800+ Scoop shops and restaurants supplied by Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream

Founding year 1962 Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream origin as family-owned shop in Madison, Wisconsin

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Apr 17 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	24h Move	Catalyst
Apr 17	Board expansion	Positive	+3.2%	Added experienced industry CEO David A. Zapico to the board.
Apr 14	Dividend declaration	Positive	-1.9%	Announced quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share on common stock.
Mar 04	Conference appearance	Neutral	-3.8%	Planned presentation at BofA Global Research Global Industrials Conference.
Mar 03	Conference appearance	Neutral	-3.3%	Planned fireside chat at 2026 J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference.
Feb 24	Research publication	Positive	+4.6%	Released OEM Advantage Playbook highlighting resilience-first strategies and downtime cuts.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Pattern Detected

Recent corporate and thought-leadership news has produced mixed reactions, with some positive updates bid up and others, like the dividend declaration, seeing short-term selling.

Recent Company History

Over the past few months, Rockwell Automation has combined capital returns, governance changes, and visibility efforts. A new director, David A. Zapico, joined the board effective April 16, 2026 and that announcement coincided with a 3.21% gain. A quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share was declared but saw a -1.94% move the next day. Conference participation in March generated -3.8% and -3.31% reactions, while OEM-focused research on downtime resilience on Feb 24 aligned with a 4.56% rise. Today’s customer-focused Plex case study fits the ongoing software and resilience narrative.

Key Terms

manufacturing execution system (mes), batch management, quality management system (qms), traceability

4 terms

manufacturing execution system (mes) technical

"With the Plex Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream staff now have access..."

A manufacturing execution system (MES) is a software platform that coordinates and monitors factory floor activities—tracking materials, machines and workers in real time to ensure products are made correctly and on schedule. Think of it as the factory’s operating center that turns plans into actions; for investors, a strong MES can lower costs, reduce defects, speed production and improve regulatory traceability, all of which affect profitability and risk.

batch management technical

"This includes being able to now see product loss and waste factors with Plex's Batch Management functionality..."

Batch management is the system of tracking, controlling and documenting groups of products or materials that are made, stored or moved together through production and distribution. It matters to investors because strong batch controls reduce the risk of costly recalls, regulatory penalties and inventory mistakes, while improving quality and traceability — like labeling every loaf from a bakery so any problem can be quickly found and fixed.

quality management system (qms) technical

"The Plex Quality Management System (QMS) replaced manual, paper-based quality tracking..."

A quality management system (QMS) is an organized set of processes, policies and records a company uses to make sure its products or services consistently meet safety, performance and regulatory standards. Think of it as a detailed recipe and checklist that helps avoid mistakes, recalls and surprises. Investors care because a strong QMS lowers operational and regulatory risk, protects reputation, and can reduce costs or interruptions that affect earnings and long-term value.

traceability technical

"Now, traceability is instantaneous, not an hours-long process..."

Traceability is the ability to follow a product, component, or piece of data backward and forward through every step of its lifecycle, like reading a parcel’s tracking history to see where it came from and where it went. For investors, strong traceability lowers risk by making recalls, quality problems, and regulatory breaches easier and cheaper to manage, while boosting consumer trust, supply-chain efficiency, and the reliability of reported information.

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Ice cream producer's journey from manual production tracking to data-driven insights highlighted at this month's Ice Cream & Cultured Innovation Conference

MILWAUKEE, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, and Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company shared at this month's Ice Cream & Cultured Innovation Conference how the ice cream producer is positioning its manufacturing operations for continued growth with enhanced production, quality and inventory management.

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream started as a family-owned ice cream shop in 1962 in Madison, Wisconsin. Today, the company supplies its ice cream to more than 800 scoop shops and restaurants nationwide, as well as private-label manufacturers. To better support its ongoing growth, the company recently adopted the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform, which includes multiple Plex technologies. To date, the platform has helped the company:

• Achieve 95% inventory accuracy, a 27% improvement.
• Reduce raw material inventory by 18%.
• Reduce on-hand inventory management work by 3-4 hours.

The Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform replaced two separate systems the ice cream maker previously used to track production. Those systems didn't always communicate properly and required production data to be manually entered. This took up precious time and resulted in staff working with out-of-date information, making it difficult to trust production and inventory data.

With the Plex Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream staff now have access to readily available production data to see what's happening throughout the manufacturing facility at any time. This includes being able to now see product loss and waste factors with Plex's Batch Management functionality, which has helped the company boost yield.

The Plex Quality Management System (QMS) replaced manual, paper-based quality tracking in the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream manufacturing facility. This has helped the company better meet customer-specific needs, comply with industry regulations and prepare for audits. Now, traceability is instantaneous, not an hours-long process, and staff can better communicate with customers about quality checks during production runs.

"One of the biggest functions the Plex platform has helped us improve is inventory management," said Sarah Deadman, chief operating officer, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company. "Previously, inventory was tracked using multiple systems and employee knowledge. Inevitably, employees would spend time searching the building for materials, which risked creating production delays. Now, everyone in the building can know where product is at any point in time."

With the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform in place, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream is now exploring automating more of its production operations as it continues to grow its business.

"As food manufacturers grow, they need systems that give them full visibility into their operations and more efficient ways of working," said Michael Hart, head of product – industry strategy & growth, Rockwell Automation. "The Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform gives Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream a connected foundation that supports operational improvements today and continued growth and increased automation in the future."

Learn more about the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform here.

About Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company began in 1962, when Chuck Sr. and Nancy Deadman decided to open their very own candy and ice cream shop. After 60 years of continued innovation, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company now encompasses four ice cream parlors and a manufacturing plant in Madison, Wisconsin. The manufacturing facility produces more than 100 super-premium, award-winning ice cream flavors, and supplies to independent restaurants and scoop shops nationwide. To learn more, visit www.chocolateshoppeicecream.com.

About Plex
Plex, by Rockwell Automation, is a leader in cloud-delivered smart manufacturing solutions, empowering the world's manufacturers to make awesome products. Our platform gives manufacturers the ability to connect, automate, track, and analyze every aspect of their business to drive transformation. The Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform™ includes solutions for manufacturing execution (MES), ERP, quality, supply chain planning and management, asset performance management, production monitoring, process automation and analytics to connect people, systems, machines and supply chains, enabling them to lead with precision, efficiency and agility. To learn more, visit http://plex.rockwellautomation.com.

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 inventory accuracy did Chocolate Shoppe report after adopting Plex (ROK) in April 2026?

Chocolate Shoppe reported 95% inventory accuracy after adopting Plex. According to the company, this represents a 27% improvement versus prior manual systems and improved trust in production and inventory data.

How much did Plex reduce Chocolate Shoppe's raw material inventory, and what does that mean for operations?

Plex reduced raw material inventory by 18%, according to Chocolate Shoppe. That reduction lowers carrying costs and reduces time spent searching for materials, helping prevent production delays.

How did Plex change Chocolate Shoppe's quality and traceability processes shared at the April 21, 2026 conference?

Plex replaced paper-based quality tracking with a digital QMS, making traceability instantaneous. According to Chocolate Shoppe, this improved audit readiness and customer communication during production runs.

What labor time savings did Chocolate Shoppe achieve with Plex's implementation (ROK)?

The company reported saving 3–4 hours of on-hand inventory management work, according to Chocolate Shoppe. That freed staff time and reduced manual data entry previously required by disconnected systems.

Will Chocolate Shoppe pursue further automation after deploying Plex with Rockwell Automation (ROK)?

Yes. According to Chocolate Shoppe, the Plex foundation enables exploration of additional production automation. Rockwell Automation says the platform supports continued operational improvements and scalable growth.