Today, just 15% of Rockwell's revenue comes from the automotive industry, including tires. But Mr. Healy estimates that 60% of his work in northwestern Ohio can be traced to the Big Three or the so-called New Domestics, such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co.
The remaining nonautomotive clients of Rockwell also are benefiting from technology that was created for car makers. Mr. Healy just finished a project for Marathon Oil Corp., which nearly doubled the capacity of the pipelines coming from a new Louisiana refinery by using automation that sped the flow of liquids through the pipes. Another recent project allowed an Ohio maker of beverage cans to churn out 40% more lids using the same number of machines.