New multi-business manufacturing site inaugurated in Shanghai
Shanghai, May 12, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, announced today that it will invest $150 million this year to expand and develop its facilities in China and consolidate its leadership in power and automation technology.
CEO Joe Hogan inaugurated ABB’s new multi-business manufacturing facility in the New Pudong Area of Shanghai, ABB Engineering (Shanghai) Ltd. With 70,000 square meters of manufacturing and R&D facilities, the new buildings and site are triple the size of the engineering unit's previous location, significantly improving production capacity.
"Despite the current global financial crisis, I believe demand for ABB’s technologies to improve industrial productivity, energy efficiency and grid reliability will only grow,” said Hogan. “Our continued investment will contribute to China’s economic growth and prepare ABB for the economic recovery.”
This year also marks the 10 year anniversary of ABB Engineering (Shanghai) Ltd. Its new site provides manufacturing, sales and engineering services for applications such as robotics, instrumentation products, analytical integration systems, control and protection devices and substation systems.
It will double ABB’s robot manufacturing capacity in China, and will produce all of the company’s paint robots by the end of 2009. The site also accommodates ABB’s global production base for instrumentation products, doubling production capacity for flow meters, and increasing pressure-transducer production by 50 percent.
The ABB “Analyzer House,” located in the new site, is an integrated analytical system that supports industries such as oil and gas, to monitor the gas and liquid flow during operations and ensure the safety and efficiency of the processes, including installation of associated electrical equipment and auxiliary devices.
The company also plans to introduce the latest production lines for high-voltage relay protection, monitoring and control devices, as well as delivering differential protection, transformer protection, bus protection and measurement and control products for the domestic and overseas markets.
Brice Koch, president of ABB North Asia and chairman of ABB China, said that ABB Engineering (Shanghai) is just one of ABB’s 27 local companies. ABB will also expand six other local companies this year. “ABB’s add investment will bring ABB’s total investment in China to 1.16 billion US dollars, underlining our consistent commitment to China for the future,” said Koch.
The building features environmentally friendly technologies such as solar-energy facilities, high-quality insulation and energy-efficient lighting systems, which will reduce carbon emissions by 600 tons and save the equivalent of 700 tons of coal every year, compared to conventional building sites. The buildings are also equipped with ice thermal-storage air conditioners, which cool the buildings during peak hours using stored refrigeration generated at night. This technology reduces demand peaks during the day and saves energy overall.
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.