ABB introduces leading technology to consolidate its leadership of the transformers market
Hefei, December 18, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, recently inaugurated the group’s largest global production center for transformer components in Hefei, China. The new center introduces ABB’s world-leading transformer oil bushing technology for local production. With this new addition, the scope of ABB’s Insulation and Components Business in the Hefei center now covers all transformer components.
The new facility, located in the Hefei Technology and Economic Development Zone and occupying 30,000 square meters, will double the number of employees and triple the production capacity of the component business in Hefei. The expansion of the manufacturing capacity and the introduction of the new technology further consolidate ABB’s leading position in the transformer sector in China, both promoting industry development and the local economy.
Bernd Muehe, head of the Power Products division of ABB North Asia Region and ABB China, said, “ABB, the world’s largest transformer manufacturer and a leader in transformer technology, has extensive experience with large scale projects. The new center is ABB’s largest facility for manufacturing transformer components in the world. With its establishment, we will further leverage ABB’s global footprint and continue to introduce advanced technology so as to address the increasing demand of the Chinese power industry for our complete portfolio of reliable and efficient power components. At the same time, the center will bolster our ‘in China, for the world’ strategy, allowing us to ship advanced products and equipment to ABB’s overseas markets.”
The new facility, under the operation of ABB Hefei Transformer Company’s Insulation and Components Business Unit, has five production lines. The state of the art expansion includes three bushing production lines for the manufacture of components ranging from 110kV to 550kV, as well as a variety of other bushing products. The fully automated bushing coiling machine enables precise coiling, online heating and drying of the insulation paper, and automatic molding, improving overall productivity by 30%. The new facility also features a variety of world class testing and measuring equipment including the HAEFELY standard capacitor, the dielectric loss meter and the partial discharge measuring instrument.
The bushing is a key component of transformers, allowing the electric current to pass through while also serving as the insulator and connector. ABB has more than 100 years of experience in bushing production, and is the largest bushing provider in the world with the largest market share and the most complete product range. The new facility features ABB’s world-class oil impregnated paper insulated transformer bushing technology, with high-performing and reliable insulating properties, mechanical performance, thermal stability and impermeability.
ABB’s Transformer Insulation and Components Business manufactures and provides services for on-load tap changers, bushings, safety protection devices and distribution transformer components. ABB is a leading global supplier of transformer components and the only provider with a global production network, operating 14 facilities in China, Sweden, the United States, Russia, Switzerland, Italy, India, Brazil, etc.
ABB Hefei Transformer Company began operations in 1992 and currently has three business units including Insulation and Components, Power Transformers and Distribution Transformers. The company has experienced rapid development over the past decade and now provides the broadest product offerings in China and the rest of the world, supporting the all around development of China’s power industry, especially in the transformer sector. ABB Hefei Transformer Company has been ranked among “China’s Top 100 Electric Companies” each year since 2006 and has attained major international certifications including ISO9001, ISO14001, and OHSAS 18001.
The Insulation and Components Division of ABB Hefei Transformer Company is ABB group’s only manufacturing center for transformer bushings, on-load tap changers, oil treatment plants and composite insulators in China and the Asia Pacific region. ABB’s advanced equipment has been widely deployed in numerous substation projects and major power transmission and transformation projects of State Grid, China Southern Power, Shanghai Power Company, and Anhui Power Company, ensuring the reliability of China’s power supply. In addition to the domestic market, its products have been shipped to overseas markets such as Peru, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong and Macao.
As the largest transformer manufacturer and the global leader in transformer technology, ABB operates 55 facilities worldwide and delivers over 1,500 power transformer units and over 400,000 distribution transformer units annually. Since setting up a permanent office in China in 1979, ABB has jointly established 5 transformer production centers in Chongqing, Hefei, Zhongshan, Shanghai and Datong with its local partners.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 120,000 people. ABB has a full range of business activities in China, including R&D, manufacturing, sales and services, with 15,000 employees, 27 joint ventures and wholly owned companies, and an extensive sales and service network across 60 cities.