Once, Rockwell International was a conglomerate composed of the companies that built some of the most important machinery in American history -- the B-25 bomber, for example, and the audio equipment used for NASA's Apollo, Gemini and Mercury programs.
But, like others in its industry, Rockwell International struggled once demand dropped after the Cold War. Boeing bought Rockwell's Aerospace and Defense businesses in 1996. The conglomerate dissolved completely in 2001.
Two companies still retain the Rockwell name; those would be communications equipment company Rockwell Collins and also Rockwell Automation, formerly a company called Allen-Bradley that Rockwell International purchased in 1985. As Rockwell Automation, it still produces industrial control equipment and software.
Asked to name the best of the best, 3,800 executives, directors, and analysts chose these businesses
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