Rockwell Automation announced today the launch of TechConnectIQ Support, an updated remote support service for manufacturers. It’s designed to help maintenance and engineering teams troubleshoot equipment, access technical expertise, and reduce the time spent waiting for on-site assistance.
TechConnectIQ builds on Rockwell’s existing TechConnect service, which launched in 2003. The new offering combines hardware and software support with digital tools, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted search, and access to Rockwell technical support engineers.
Packaging OEM spoke with Bill Prather, lead global product manager for production optimization services at Rockwell Automation’s Lifecycle IQ Services division, about the launch.
“TechConnectIQ really is the next-generation evolution of our flagship remote support offering,” said Prather. “This really is us refreshing the program, adding more intelligence into the support experience for our customers, especially in the digital space.”
The service is now available for single-site contract customers in North America, with additional regions planned for 2027.
Remote support for packaging lines
For packaging operations, TechConnectIQ can help maintenance and engineering teams troubleshoot problems across tightly integrated equipment without immediately bringing a technician on site.
Prather said those problems could include communications or human-machine interface (HMI) faults, drives, controls, or software configuration.
“We’re here to help no matter what it is,” said Prather. “Hopefully avoid downtime and you’ll catch things before they turn into big problems.”
For example, if a drive unexpectedly faults on a packaging line, a manufacturer can use TechConnectIQ to connect remotely with Rockwell rather than waiting for someone to arrive at the facility.
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Customers can receive assistance over the phone, through chat, or by scheduling a callback with a Rockwell technical support engineer.
“Instead of having to wait between the time we see that fault versus getting someone on site, explaining the problem, we’re here to help right away,” said Prather.
Rockwell says its technical support engineers are available 24/7 to assist with installation, configuration, troubleshooting, and issue resolution across industrial automation systems.
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Supporting facilities with fewer on-site experts
The service also targets a workforce challenge facing manufacturers: experienced workers may not always be available when equipment problems occur.
Prather said TechConnectIQ can serve as an extension of a manufacturer’s maintenance or engineering team, including for employees working shifts when more experienced personnel are not on site.
“Whether it’s somebody working third shift who may not be as adept as some other folks on site or a remote area, we can again provide that knowledge to them,” he said.
TechConnectIQ is offered in three support tiers: Basic, Standard, and Professional. Higher tiers can also include workforce assessment tools intended to identify gaps in a customer’s technical capabilities.
The service works with existing Rockwell Automation hardware and software that the company continues to support, including ControlLogix and CompactLogix systems.
Using AI to simplify technical support
Rockwell is also incorporating an AI-assisted search capability into the support platform. It brings together information that previously existed across separate Rockwell resources, including its knowledge base, literature library, and online community.
Prather said the system uses AI and machine learning to determine which information is most relevant based on a user’s search.
He shared an example of someone searching for information related to a particular controller and its programming software. The system can use that context to prioritize the appropriate Rockwell resources rather than returning less relevant results.
“We’ve actually unified our different domains,” said Prather. “As our customers search, we’re using AI and machine learning to really understand what the most relevant things our customers are searching for.”
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Other digital support tools include augmented-reality guidance and instructional videos for maintenance and remote-support tasks.
Customers can also use the myRockwellAutomation TechConnect hub to access information about their installed base and support history.
Building on remote support
As manufacturing equipment becomes increasingly connected and end users collect more information about their operations, Prather expects remote support capabilities to continue to expand.
“Everything in the industry is getting more connected,” he said. “We want more data. We want to be able to have data-driven support experiences and also provide insights.”
Rockwell already offers monitoring capabilities for some critical assets, including drives. Prather said TechConnectIQ provides a foundation that the company can build on as it expands those capabilities.
The launch follows several years of development and input from Rockwell customers, OEMs, and system integrators about how they want technical support delivered.
“Think of this as a major revision, not the end-all, be-all,” said Prather. “More to come.”
