Natick, Mass.— As part of a newly formed global relationship and technology transfer agreement, Cognex Corp. will pay an undisclosed amount to acquire certain Allen-Bradley machine vision hardware and software technologies from Rockwell Automation. The sale is part of Rockwell's recent restructuring effort to use strategic relationships to consolidate resources and create competitive advantages. The companies' agreement also makes Cognex a member of Rockwell's Encompass program and likely to become the preferred global supplier of machine vision products to Rockwell Automation's customers. "This is the first of many steps we will take to simultaneously meet customer needs while managing our business more efficiently," says Jodi Glore, Rockwell Automation's president and coo. Rockwell Automation will continue to support its Allen-Bradley machine vision product line while Cognex will acquire the technologies, assets, and key personnel needed to complete the development, take over production, and market the new Allen-Bradley Optix vision system. Cognex is expected to hire Rockwell's core technical staff previously responsible for Allen-Bradley machine vision development and support.