Allen-Bradley is the brand-name of a line of

factory automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...

equipment, today owned by

Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation, Inc. is an American provider of industrial automation whose brands include Allen-Bradley, FactoryTalk software and LifecycleIQ Services. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 26,000 ...

. The company, with revenues of approximately US $6.4

billion Billion is a word for a large number, and it has two distinct definitions: *1,000,000,000, i.e. one thousand million, or (ten to the ninth power), as defined on the short scale. This is its only current meaning in English. * 1,000,000,000,000, i. ...

in 2013, manufactures programmable logic controllers ( PLC), human-machine interfaces,

sensors A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...

, safety components and systems, software, drives and drive systems,

contactors :''In semiconductor testing, contactors can also be referred to as the specialized socket that connects the device under test.'' :''In process industries, a contactor is a vessel where two streams interact, for example, air and liquid. See Gas ...

, motor control centers, and systems of such products. Rockwell Automation also provides asset-management services including repair and consulting. Rockwell Automation's headquarters is in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

. The

Allen-Bradley Clock Tower The Rockwell Automation Headquarters is an office building located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The building is known for once having the largest four-faced clock in the world. Clock Tower History The Allen-Bradley Clock Tower, owned by Allen-Bradl ...

is a Milwaukee landmark featuring the largest four-sided clock in the

western hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

History

The company was founded in 1903 as the ''Compression Rheostat Company'' by Dr. Stanton Allen and

Lynde Bradley Lynde Bradley (August 19, 1878 – February 8, 1942), the brother of Harry Lynde Bradley, was the co-founder of the Allen-Bradley Company and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. Bradley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended Milwau ...

with an initial investment of $1,000. In 1910 the firm was renamed ''Allen-Bradley Company''; for close to the next century it provided the bulk of discrete resistors used for electronics and other products. In 1952 it opened a subsidiary in Galt, Ontario, Canada, that employs over 1000 people. In 1985 a company record was set as the

fiscal year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

ended with $1 billion in sales. In February 1985,

Rockwell International Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avionics and industrial products. R ...

purchased Allen-Bradley for $1.651 billion (equivalent to $ in ), which is the largest acquisition in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

history.Rockwell Automation
Our History
For all intents and purposes, Allen-Bradley took over Rockwell's industrial automation division. Rockwell eventually moved its headquarters to Milwaukee. In 2002, when Rockwell split into two companies, Allen-Bradley followed the automation division into Rockwell Automation.

References

External links

AB.com Allen Bradley

Rockwell Automation
{{Milwaukee Based Companies Companies based in Milwaukee Manufacturing companies based in Wisconsin