Our history began with an initial investment of $1000 and a prototype controller. Today, Rockwell Automation has become the largest company in the world that is dedicated to industrial automation and information.
1900 — 1929
- 1901 – Lynde Bradley invents the compression rheostat to control the speed of electric motors
- 1903 – Dr. Stanton Allen and Lynde Bradley form the Compression Rheostat Company
- 1909 – The company is re-incorporated as the Allen‑Bradley® Company
- 1917 – WWI government contracts fuel growth and plant expansion
- 1923 – Octagon logo debuts as the Allen‑Bradley brand trademark
- 1924 – As radio skyrockets, manufacturers order millions of Allen‑Bradley rheostats
Dr. Stanton Allen, Lynde Bradley, and Harry Bradley
Checking Hot-molded Fixed Resistors
1930 — 1949
- 1934 – The first solenoid starter with a single moving part creates a sensation
- 1935 – Allen‑Bradley engineers invent hot-molded fixed resistors, revolutionizing electronics
- 1941 – Components go to war in walkie-talkies, RADAR, fighter planes, and defense plants
- 1942 – Lynde Bradley dies and younger brother Harry assumes leadership
1950 — 1969
- 1951 – Allen‑Bradley resistors help power UNIVAC, one of the first computers in the world
- 1954 – Allen‑Bradley ferrite magnets are in all color televisions and computer memory cores
- 1962 – The largest (at the time) four-sided clock in the world is lit for the first time
- 1965 – Company launches the Sonic Sifter product, used by NASA to sift moon dust
- 1969 – Allen‑Bradley components go to the moon and back with the NASA Apollo 11 mission
Clock Tower Construction
NASA Chooses Allen‑Bradley Components
1970 — 1989
- 1970 – Allen‑Bradley pioneers the programmable logic controller (PLC)
- 1979 – Introduce Data Highway, the first plant-floor network that replaces miles of wiring
- 1981 – NASA chooses Allen‑Bradley components for its American Space Shuttle fleet
- 1985 – Rockwell International® purchases the Allen‑Bradley Company for $1.651 billion
- 1988 – Pyramid Integrator links the plant floor and information world for the first time
1990 — Present
- 1992 – First Automation Fair® event in Philadelphia, PA
- 1994 – Merges with ICOM to create Rockwell Software®
- 1995 – One millionth PLC is shipped
- 2001 – Company is officially renamed Rockwell Automation
- 2003 – The Allen‑Bradley brand celebrates its 100th anniversary
- 2007 – PartnerNetwork™ program begins
- 2013 – First cloud-based mobile access to plant floor data via smartphone
- Present – Innovation and technology leadership make The Connected Enterprise® a reality
Making The Connected Enterprise® a Reality
Historic Videos
A look back at over 100 years of history, innovation, and commitment to customer success.
