What dominates the section
- Cybersecurity risks span Rockwell’s products, manufacturing environment, supply chain, and information and operational technology systems.
- Supply shortages and distributor dependence could disrupt delivery and sales of industrial automation hardware, software, solutions, and services.
- Project execution, strategic transactions, changing regulations, and intellectual property disputes could pressure profitability and customer relationships.
The risks most specific to Rockwell Automation
- Business and Operational Risks
Failures or security breaches of our commercial product offerings (which includes hardware, software, services, and solutions), manufacturing environment, supply chain, or information and operational technology systems could have an adverse effect on our business
Cyberattacks or security breaches could disrupt Rockwell’s commercial products, manufacturing environment, supply chain, or information and operational technology systems.
- Business and Operational Risks
Product and Services Security
Attacks on Rockwell products and services could disrupt customers’ manufacturing processes or cause equipment to operate improperly, harming people or property.
- Business and Operational Risks
We rely on suppliers to provide equipment, components, and services
Shortages or quality problems among suppliers of electronic components, commodities, equipment, and services could delay Rockwell deliveries and reduce manufacturing efficiency.
- Business and Operational Risks
There are inherent risks in our solutions and services businesses
Solutions and services projects expose Rockwell to risks from unclear scope, execution failures, subcontractor performance, and failure to meet customer specifications.
- Business and Operational Risks
We rely on our distribution channel for a substantial portion of our sales
Rockwell depends on distributors for substantial sales, particularly in North America, and on their ability to sell products and serve customers.
- Strategic Transactions and Investments Risks
Failure to identify, manage, complete, and integrate strategic transactions may adversely affect our business or we may not achieve the expected benefits of these transactions
Poorly selected, executed, or integrated acquisitions, joint ventures, investments, and technology purchases may fail to deliver expected strategic benefits.
- Legal, Tax, and Regulatory Risks
New legislative and regulatory actions could adversely affect our business
New rules covering taxes, environment, materials, certification, labeling, privacy, cybersecurity, and climate change could raise costs or restrict operations.
- Business and Operational Risks
Intellectual property infringement claims of others and the inability to protect our intellectual property rights could harm our business and our customers
Intellectual property disputes could impose legal costs, indemnification payments, or customer-related liabilities and limit Rockwell’s ability to protect its technology.
All 20 risk factors
Headings as the filing states them, in filing order.
Industry and Economic Risks
- 01Adverse changes in macroeconomic or industry conditions may result in decreases in our sales and profitability
- 02We face the potential harms of natural disasters, including those as a result of climate change, pandemics, acts of war, terrorism, international conflicts, or other disruptions to our operations, the duration and severity of which are highly uncertain and difficult to predict
- 03Our industry is highly competitive
- 04Volatility and disruption of the capital and credit markets may result in increased costs to maintain our capital structure
Business and Operational Risks
- 05We rely on suppliers to provide equipment, components, and services
- 06Failures or security breaches of our commercial product offerings (which includes hardware, software, services, and solutions), manufacturing environment, supply chain, or information and operational technology systems could have an adverse effect on our business
- 07Product and Services Security
- 08An inability to successfully execute cost productivity and margin expansion initiatives
- 09Our business success depends on attracting, developing, and retaining highly qualified employees
- 10We sell to customers around the world and are subject to the risks of doing business in many countries
- 11An inability to respond to changes in customer preferences could result in decreased demand for our products
- 12There are inherent risks in our solutions and services businesses
- 13We rely on our distribution channel for a substantial portion of our sales
- 14Intellectual property infringement claims of others and the inability to protect our intellectual property rights could harm our business and our customers
- 15Increasing employee benefit costs and funding requirements could have a negative effect on our operating results and financial condition
Strategic Transactions and Investments Risks
- 16Failure to identify, manage, complete, and integrate strategic transactions may adversely affect our business or we may not achieve the expected benefits of these transactions
Legal, Tax, and Regulatory Risks
- 17New legislative and regulatory actions could adversely affect our business
- 18Claims from taxing authorities could have an adverse effect on our income tax expense and financial condition
- 19Potential liabilities and costs from litigation (including asbestos claims and environmental remediation) could reduce our profitability
- 20(including asbestos claims) and the uncertainties related to the collection of insurance proceeds make it difficult to predict the ultimate resolution of these lawsuits
Other Rockwell Automation 10-Ks
- 2025 10-K risk factors
21 risks. Rockwell Automation faces distinct risks around cybersecurity vulnerabilities in industrial hardware, global distribution channel dependence, and trade policy shifts. Significant capital deployment of over $2 billion over five years introduces investment execution risks.
Filed Nov 12, 2025
About this page
Item 1A of the 10-K on EDGAR was split into its risk factors and, where the company's previous 10-K is on file, each heading was matched to last year's and the text compared word for word. The headings are the filing's own. The one-line readings and the overview were written by a language model from the text of the new, dropped, and rewritten risks; they refer to risks by position and cannot misquote a heading.