A $1.9 million-automation lab jointly sponsored by the US’ Rockwell Automation Inc. and Qingdao’s Ocean University of China opened in the city of Qingdao, East China’s Shandong province, on Oct 28th, which is expected to conduct experiments, practice and training programs in automation.

Yu Zhigang, president of Ocean University of China, said that the university would take the opportunity of this cooperation to deepen the partnership with Rockwell and explore the latest in automation technology to boost the city’s marine economy.

The representative of Rockwell Automation Inc. said that they will provide 50,000 yuan ($8,000) every year for lab maintenance and scholarships.

Headquartered in the US’ Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation, the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation, employs over 22,000 people and serves customers in more than 80 countries worldwide, with $6.35 billion in sales during its fiscal year of 2013.