New Rockwell Unit

Rockwell International Corp. said Thursday that it will launch a new business unit within its automation division.

The unit, which will focus on motion control technology and automation software, will be based in the company’s offices in Milwaukee.

“These are the highest growth areas in our division, and we wanted to give them as much attention as possible,” said Randy Freeman, vice president of global marketing for Rockwell Automation. Rockwell’s annual revenues for 1997 in this arena topped $500 million, officials said.

Rockwell also said it will launch a public offering for $800 million in long-term debt. The company plans to use the funds to further expand into new markets, officials said.