A significant equipment upgrade enhances programming, component switching, software transitions, and version control, leveraging Rockwell Automation’s advanced Kinetix servo technology.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, July 2, 2025 — Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, today revealed that Kia Slovakia will be modernizing parts of its body shop by implementing Rockwell Automation’s cutting-edge servo technologies.

Servo motors and drives are employed by the body shop lifters to raise and position primary vehicle body components during the production of Kia’s Ceed and Sportage models. Kia engineers recognized that the current servo system for these lifters was nearing the end of its operational life, necessitating its replacement during the upcoming summer shutdown. This modernization initiative will provide the body shop with enhanced resilience related to operational uptime, in addition to new functionalities offered by contemporary digitized hardware utilizing modern communication networks.

“Expired and outdated components increase risks and the potential for operational interruptions in any manufacturing setting,” stated Mark Bottomley, Rockwell Automation’s regional vice president for strategic accounts and sales specialists, EMEA. “However, within streamlined, just-in-time environments like automotive production, such downtime can severely and expensively disrupt vital operations. Furthermore, users of older equipment miss out on numerous advantages provided by digitally enabled hardware. This is why we provide a comprehensive approach that assists businesses in capitalizing on the advantages of digital transformation.”

Kia’s implementation of Allen-Bradley® servo drives and servo motors will also optimize many backend processes, as Rockwell Automation PLCs will manage software transitions, modifications, and updates.

Peter Holubčík, assistant manager of body maintenance at Kia Slovakia, commented, “This phase is crucial to our production, therefore, alongside precision, our main need is dependability. When we must cease operations, for instance, to reconfigure the lifters, it’s imperative to complete it as swiftly as possible, a capability the new, closely integrated PLC, servo, and network setup will provide.”

About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK) stands as a global frontrunner in industrial automation and digital transformation. We unite human ingenuity with technological capabilities to broaden human potential, fostering a more productive and sustainable world. With its headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation has roughly 27,000 problem-solvers serving clients in over 100 countries as of fiscal year-end 2024. For more details on how we are actualizing the Connected Enterprise throughout industrial sectors, visit .

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