, formerly '''Asea Brown Boveri''', is a
Multinational Corporation headquartered in
Zürich ,
Switzerland , operating mainly in the power and
Automation technology areas. It operates in around 100 countries, with about 104,000 employees.
Fred Kindle assumed the role of President and CEO on January 1, 2005. Kindle's most recently served as CEO of
Sulzer Ltd. in 2004. Kindle received an engineering degree from
ETH Zurich , and received his
MBA from the
Kellogg School Of Management at
Northwestern University in
Illinois ,
U.S. .
ABB is active in many sectors:
The division incorporates ABB's manufacturing network for
Transformers ,
Switchgear ,
Circuit Breakers ,
Cables and associated equipment. Power Products are the key components to transmit and distribute electricity. It also offers all the services needed to ensure products' performance and extend their lifespan. The division is subdivided into three business units - High Voltage Products, Medium Voltage Products and Transformers.
Power Systems offers
Turnkey systems and services for power
Transmission and
Distribution Grids , and for
Power Plants .
Substations and substation automation systems are key areas. Additional highlights include flexible alternating current transmission systems (FACTS), high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems and network management systems. In power generation, Power Systems offers the instrumentation, control and electrification of power plants. The division is subdivided into four business units - Grid Systems, Substations, Network Management and Power Generation.
It provides products to improve customers' productivity, including
Drives ,
Motors and
Generators , low voltage products,
Instrumentation and
Analytical , and
Power Electronics . The customer profile of this division includes a wide range of industry and utility operations, plus commercial and residential buildings.
The main focus of this ABB business is to provide customers with integrated solutions for control, plant optimization, and industry-specific application knowledge. The industries served include
Oil and
Gas ,
Power ,
Chemicals and
Pharmaceuticals ,
Pulp and paper,
Metals and
Minerals ,
Marine and
Turbocharging .
ABB has the world's largest installed base of industrial
Robot s also providing robot software, peripheral equipment and modular manufacturing cells for tasks such as assembly, painting and finishing, and machine tending. Key markets include automotive, foundry, packaging, material handling and consumer industries. A strong solutions focus leverages thousands of successful applications for manufacturers worldwide.
In addition to ABB's automation activities directed at the oil and gas industries,
ABB Lummus Global continues to design and supply production facilities, refineries and petrochemical plants.
- ABB resulted from the 1987 Merger of Swedish and Swiss corporations ASEA and BBC Brown Boveri.
- In 1987 the corporation had 170,000 Employee s.
- In 2000 the company delivered equipment and services for North Korea n nuclear powerplants, a move heavily criticised in 2003 by American officials, when North Korea was declared a member of the " Axis Of Evil " by President Bush
