Thread regarding Rockwell Automation Inc. layoffs

@pve what???

@OP AI driven layoffs/cuts/ productivity gains are inevitable. No different than any other tech firm

@pte the new director should be an energetic, charismatic, decisive, transformational business leader with strong, and properly staffed teams, of product managers for the key product lines.

The business team has to be flatter, more hands-on, more transparent, visible, and able to make decisions.

Currently, there is too much of a bloat of “immobile” and “difficult” managers who prefer a “status quo” and are very entitled and comfortable.

@pr3 less people is always the benefit.
The current hierarchy is not productive…the need for restructuring is quite obvious

@pp8 that means nothing. It can get flat with less people.

Definitely a flatter org structure with more individual ownership and accountability is necessary for survival

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewell_Avery

Blake is a useless ceo

@p5f actually I don't think the business will rush to backfill the directors role. It is not a growing business. Likely recession not helping either.

@nwg What makes you think OTTO will survive? Do you think the numbers for OTTO or that entire AMR business is high enough to keep a location running for it? Or will it be another failed acquisition story?

@nx7 my 5 cents…the future for MV business and mV manufacturing location will hinge on the decision of the new MV director…the rumour is the new director may be an outsider

@nwg one real problem is that power has different multiples than “technology “. Investors and consultants are only reacting to stock buyer reaction. ABB didn’t spin out power to hitachi because it was a “bad” business, but the different economics make stock pricing more difficult and stock price appreciation suffers. Just a part of free market.

@ngn 40%. Sorry for the error. Does that change your opinion. You should leave anyway.

@nwg Cambridge is dead. Just accept it.

Not downfall. More like, managing the transfer to New Berlin. Predict: majority of MV manufacturing moves to MKE over the next 10 years. Whatever scraps are left in Cambridge, merges with OTTO.

@npr The task of the new MV Director will be to manage the downfall.

@npr "the" shakeup? Implying it's to come?

The MV facility in Canada is long overdue for the shake up.

Hopefully, the new mV director will have to pivot and make the appropriate changes in mid level management layer. The status quo cannot be maintained

@ngx the unhappy employees can and did leave, or in process of actively looking to leave,,,the less unhappy ppl fill out gv surveys, the more positive thr results are. The unhappy ppl should simply leave.

@ngn I'm convinced they lie, fudge numbers, manipulate pie charts, false comparisons etc. BC there's no way numbers go up year after year. After no bonus, no promotions, and delayed raises.

@ngn you understand Global Voices is just their way of checking a box that says they listen.. they show the numbers they want to show and discard the ones that make them look bad.. it is not anonymous but a way to find those disgruntled workers and see if they are going to be a problem in the future.. it is the biggest joke of "We Care".. every year the wage complaint comes up which they don't even bother mentioning anymore.

Oh by the way, make sure everyone donates to all the charities coming up during the "get more money from our employees" season, so they can claim it on tax forms and let Blake and his leadership team get awards for giving these charities money at their parties.. when all of them are making millions a year.

@nfz Learn how to troll better. I don't find your story believable especially since they keep telling us that the Global Voices scores keep going up year over year (another thing I find hard to believe). And "40 new participants" is a rounding error for a company that claims to have 28,000 employees.

@nf4 1000s of sme’s and experienced leaders have been “encouraged to leave in the last 5 years. Blake was shocked when the last employee engagement survey, he was told by a young HR woman, the they had 40 new participants. He yelled at his leaders as he had no idea so much institutional knowledge departed. Again, he ain’t that smart. The awe shucks schtick tiresome.

There is a big push for productivity gains…a few key folks, SMEs, retired and nobody blinked.

@n0b nope. Blake was a software cloud first guy until last month. Only took him 8 years to wake the f up. He is a mo--n. Too bad all the good leadership talent is gone. Tessa and Scotty will lead to a slow end. Retire or leave if you can.

@kv1 definitely some level of transformation/restructuring/controlled cost cutting acivity is coming for all depts and BUs. It seems to me that RA is slowly stepping out of hardware business

@mva lol. That’s funny. I don’t think she did anything meaningful. Hiring her for the role was the pinnacle of ceo hubris. She knew nothing about automation m&a. Maybe Blake was trying to pivot to adhesives and abrasives.

Can't we all just admit that things started going downhill when Veena left?

@mte a company needs all of them if they are good. My point is that this is the leadership that left earlier than needed. 10x more are solid engineers. But alas, you miss the point. Good luck. I retired from the sh---y culture Blake created after I was cast aside.

@mre do your homework. He has underperformed peers. A rising tide raises all ships. be-doverand turn red.

@kv1 some departments in Cam facility are bloated with non critical roles and misc admin and team leads roles, who can neither communicate nor lead nor think nor make decisions. They only report the PowerBI numbers up the chain to US folks.

@kt1 the positions for professional email forwarders and meeting schedulers who just stir the pot, create extra work, create zero value, and have zero real decision-making power will be backfilled

It looks like Rockwell is still quietly doing the same bullsh-t – slow-rolling layoffs, headcount reductions, and not backfilling senior engineers who leave or retire. Anyone and anything that can be done remotely is getting shipped off to Poland or India.
There’s zero clear vision or direction for actual product development. The whole division feels powerless and completely lost – like it has no purpose anymore.
What you do see growing like crazy is middle management. They’re piling on layers of directors and senior managers, rolling out Agile theater everywhere, and creating more and more positions for professional email forwarders and meeting schedulers who just stir the pot, create extra work, and have zero real decision-making power.
Classic Rockwell these days.

@kkp and how do you know this?

@k1r the mv location will pivot i leadership and direction.

The Layoffs are on the table, unfortunately.

It seems the company wants to shake- off the older / senior/ less adaptable employees currently eligible for the good pension. The manufacturing could be moved from Cam to New Berlin Facility??

Many of support roles can now be replaced or augmented with AI models.

@jy4 well the MV business requires a a new and refreshed business leadership team and new products!

Status quo will futher deteriorate the sales and winning the new markets!

The current MV leadership team is stale and long overdue for change!

Many order processing and overhead depts could be consolidated into one a single dept (execution excellence team). More flexibility, innovation and control.

@jwd Why don't they (RA) just sell us (MV) off? Both will be happy. They can spend the money for new robots or AI gadgets, and we will benefit from someone who is actually interested in the MV business.

Can't they just move the robot company they bought and make a story out of it?

@jmb is that a fact or rumour to move the Cambridge MV facility to MKE?

It looks increasingly likely but no confirmation

@jmb isn't that obvious?

@fmk heard rumors that Cambridge mv operations may be moved to the new facility in MKE???

@OP mass layoffs are unlikely.
I can see the company slowly pushing older folks to retire or leave on their own terms