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Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation operates its corporate pension fund as an internal asset owner, managing retirement obligations for a global workforce anchored in...
Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation operates its corporate pension fund as an internal asset owner, managing retirement obligations for a global workforce anchored in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The plan functions as a traditional defined-benefit structure, allocating capital across a diversified institutional portfolio. As a Fortune 500 industrial company, Rockwell's pension investments run parallel to its core business in factory automation and industrial IoT, with oversight from the corporate treasury and a board-level investment committee. The pension deploys capital across private equity buyouts, private credit, real estate, and public equities. Its private equity program focuses on middle-market buyout funds, often alongside co-investment rights negotiated with general partners. The fund has committed to vehicles managed by blue-chip sponsors including Blackstone, KKR, and Carlyle, and maintains exposure to infrastructure and energy transition assets through fund commitments and direct co-investments. Geographic exposure spans North America and Western Europe, with selective allocations to developed Asia. The plan's investment team operates from Milwaukee, drawing on the company's deep industrial networks for sourcing and due diligence. Rockwell Automation itself maintains strategic alliances with Microsoft, Cisco, and Accenture — relationships that inform the pension's technology and industrial investment theses. The firm's philanthropic arm, the Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation, operates separately, and the company maintains cultural assets including the Evolution of Human Work Collection. CEO Blake Moret also serves on the board of the National Association of Manufacturers, reinforcing the firm's deep ties to US industrial policy and supply-chain networks. Rockwell's pension structure differs from most corporate plans in its degree of internalization — the treasury team exercises meaningful discretion over manager selection and co-investment decisions rather than outsourcing fully to an OCIO. This hybrid model lets the plan leverage the parent company's operational expertise in industrial technology, automation, and cybersecurity when evaluating real-asset and private-market opportunities. As corporate defined-benefit plans continue to shrink across the Fortune 500, Rockwell's active internal management makes it a durable institutional counterparty for GPs and co-investors targeting industrial and infrastructure exposure.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1903
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Milwaukee
Corporate office
Milwaukee, WI, United States
Principals
Blake D. Moret
Chairman and CEO
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Rockwell Automation's pension fund?
The corporate treasury team manages the pension's investment portfolio, reporting to the CFO and a board-level investment committee. CEO Blake Moret provides executive oversight but day-to-day allocation and manager selection sits with the internal investment staff. The plan does not employ a third-party OCIO for its primary allocations.
How does the Rockwell Automation pension fund source private market deals?
The fund sources private equity, credit, and real asset investments through longstanding general partner relationships and co-investment networks. Rockwell's strategic partnerships with firms like Microsoft, Cisco, and Accenture provide additional industrial and technology sector intelligence. The plan typically accesses deals through fund commitments from major sponsors, often negotiating co-investment rights alongside those commitments.
What asset classes does Rockwell Automation's pension invest in?
The plan allocates across public equities, fixed income, private equity buyouts, private credit, real estate, and infrastructure. Its private equity portfolio is weighted toward middle-market buyout funds, while real assets exposure includes energy transition and industrial infrastructure vehicles. The fund maintains a globally diversified posture with concentration in North America and Western Europe.
Does Rockwell Automation participate in direct co-investments?
Yes. The pension exercises co-investment rights alongside its fund commitments to private equity and infrastructure managers. This internal capability allows the plan to increase exposure to specific assets without paying additional management fees, leveraging the parent company's industrial expertise for due diligence on manufacturing, automation, and supply-chain deals.
How is Rockwell Automation's pension fund different from a typical corporate plan?
Unlike many corporate pensions that outsource investment management to an OCIO or insurance wrapper, Rockwell maintains an internal investment team with meaningful discretion over asset allocation, manager selection, and co-investment decisions. The plan's parent company expertise in industrial automation and factory technology gives the investment team a distinctive lens on real-asset and industrial private equity opportunities.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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