ABB continues the pace of investment in China to bolster the growth of China’s economy
Chongqing, China, March 3, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, today officially announced the opening of the Engineering Center of Process Automation Division in Chongqing. The newly launched center, located in Chongqing New North Zone,
will systemically integrate the division’s engineering service resources in China and fully exploit and leverage ABB’s engineering strength in order to provide better services to customers with improved efficiency. It will enable the company to timely, thoroughly, and precisely address customer demands by staying in close contact with customers, and quickly respond to market changes. In addition, the center will contribute to promoting the development of local talent and bolstering the sustained development of Chongqing’s economy.
The Engineering Center will serve its local business units, including Marine, Crane, Minerals, Pulp & Paper, Metals, Oil, Gas, Petrochemical and Electrification. During the early-stage preparation and implementation of projects, ABB engineers and specialists will closely work with customers to respond to their specific requirements in a timely and efficient manner. The center will monitor the service quality throughout the execution of the projects to ensure quality.
Along with the sustained development of China’s economy, there is an increasing demand for technology to improve energy efficiency and industrial productivity and secure power grid reliability in China, especially in the western regions. The establishment of the Engineering Center not only contributes to the development of enterprises and the growth of the economy in the west, but also provides career opportunities for local talent by fully leveraging the human resources in Chongqing. It will also help the company expand its talent pool in the region through promoting technical exchange and providing professional training to its staff, helping them improve their technical strength.
Tobias Becker, head of the Process Automation Division, ABB North Asia Region and ABB China, said, “The launch of the Engineering Center is our latest investment initiative in China, and will consolidate the strategic importance of Chongqing in our overall business deployment. By integrating corporate resources and making the best of the favorable investment environment and talent pool, the center enables us to provide tailored services to our western customers, enhancing their technical level as well as cultivating the growth of local talent in western China, and therefore supporting the economic development of the region and the nation as a whole.
ABB has always played an active role in the development of the Western regions. In 1999, right after China launched its strategy for the development of the West, ABB setup ABB Chongqing Transformer Co., Ltd. After ten years of commitment to localized operation, ABB boasts a strong production footprint and R&D capacity in Chongqing. ABB Chongqing Transformer Co., Ltd. has developed into the group’s largest manufacturing base for transformers and insulation components in the world, and has ranked among “China’s Top 100 Electric Companies” for consecutive years. Its products have been widely applied in a number of key national projects, including the Three Gorges Dam, in addition to being shipped to Singapore, Australia and other overseas markets. Furthermore, in Chongqing ABB has setup ABB Jiangjin Turbo Systems Co., Ltd. and opened a transformer design center in 2008 in order to support the company’s innovation efforts in China or even across the world. In order to keep pace with the fast business expansion in the local market, ABB China also relocated its branch office in Chongqing to the New North Zone with its newly launched Engineering Center.
ABB’s successful localization of its operations has boosted the company’s overall business development in China, securing annual revenue growth at 20% for five consecutive years. In February 2009, ABB China posted outstanding business results for 2008, maintaining China’s leading role as No. one market of the group worldwide in terms of business volume and staff number. The company maintained its strong pace of investment in China, reaching $190 million in 2008. ABB’s total investment in China to date now stands at more than $1 billion. Despite of the global economic downturn, ABB is fully confident in the robust growth of China’s market in 2009, and is demonstrating this trust with the opening of the Engineering Center of Process Automation Division.
Along with the Power Products, Power Systems, Automation Products and Robotics Divisions, ABB’s Process Automation Division is one of the five mainstays of the ABB group. The main focus of the Division is to provide customers with integrated solutions for control, plant optimization, and industry-specific application knowledge. It maintains a leading position in a number of vertical industries including oil and gas, pulp and paper, and is at the forefront of numerous other processing industries. In China, the division employs over 1,200 specialists in the field of process automation, providing a package of complete automation solutions to customers.
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. To find out more about ABB in China, visit
www.abb.com.cn.