Portland Bottling Company Doubles Production Volume with Plex MES

MILWAUKEE, Wis., May 12, 2026-PBC received the 2025 Plex Transformer Impact Award in recognition of its results. Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced that Portland Bottling Company (PBC), a leading U.S. West Coast beverage co-packer, has been named a recipient of the 2025 Plex Transformer Impact Award. PBC earned recognition after doubling its monthly production volume and achieving measurable operational improvements following its deployment of the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform™.

Founded in 1924 and based in Clackamas, Oregon, PBC specializes in ready-to-drink beverages manufactured exclusively in aluminum cans. As customer demand increased, PBC recognized the need for greater operational visibility and control. Prior to implementing Plex in 2020, the company relied on nine disconnected technologies with no single source of truth. Manual inventory processes introduced data errors, limited production insight and reduced the company's ability to respond quickly to customer needs.

To address these challenges, PBC worked with Plex partner Revolution Group to implement Plex Manufacturing Execution System (MES) - including Plex MES Automation & Orchestration (A&O) and Plex Quality Management System (QMS). By consolidating its technology landscape into one connected platform, PBC provided every department, from production and quality to inventory and maintenance, access to the same real-time operational data, eliminating silos that had previously constrained growth.

"Tracking our customers' inventory accurately is paramount to our business. Plex enables us to do this efficiently and easily report on-hand balances and warehouse charges," said Robert Van Blake, IT director, Portland Bottling Company. "Real-time data is a key factor in operational productivity improvements. Prior to Plex, this data was cumbersome to collect and subject to human error."

The impact of transformation was both immediate and sustained. PBC increased production volumes from 900,000 to two million case equivalents per month. Inventory accuracy reached 99%, while shipping accuracy hit 100%. Productivity improved by 10% and waste dropped by 20% and maintenance response times decreased-enabling the company to scale operations while maintaining quality and customer service.

"Plex MES extends beyond execution to help manufacturers bring greater coordination and visibility across quality, inventory and production," said Michael Hart, head of industry strategy and growth, Rockwell Automation. "Portland Bottling Company's transformation brings this to life, showing how a connected operational foundation can drive both efficiency and scalable growth."

PBC's performance earned it the 2025 Plex Transformer Impact Award, which is presented annually to three customers in the Plex Community who exemplify manufacturing excellence through measurable operational involvement and innovative use of Plex solutions.

To learn more about how Portland Bottling Company leveraged Plex MES to achieve its goals, visit here.

Published May 12, 2026

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 26,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2025. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise® to life across industrial enterprises, visit https://www.rockwellautomation.com.

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