Abb Share Discussion Threads

[grupo guitarlumber] 27/4/2009 16:48

Dividend information

The ABB Board of Directors will propose a dividend of 0.48 Swiss francs per share to the annual general meeting on May 5, 2009. The dividend is proposed to be paid by way of a nominal value reduction with the ex-date and payment date scheduled for the end of July 2009. Each shareholder will receive a cash payment and the par value of each ABB Ltd share will be reduced from CHF 2.02 to CHF 1.54.

[waldron] 23/4/2009 10:27

ABB Sees Positive Cash Flow For Remainder Of Year





ZURICH -(Dow Jones)- ABB Ltd.'s (ABB) Chief Executive Joe Hogan expects the Swiss engineering company to produce a positive cash flow during the remainder of the year after it turned negative in the first quarter.

Hogan said he sees growth in emerging markets and more growth opportunities in specific business areas elsewhere.

The CEO also said the company would look at small bolt-on buys, adding that it was key for ABB to protect its investment grade credit rating.

Company Web site: www.abb.com

-By Goran Mijuk, Dow Jones Newswires, [phone]; [e-mail]

[waldron] 23/4/2009 08:49

ABB Chief Hogan Doubles Savings Goal as Slump Eats Into Margins
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By Antonio Ligi

April 23 (Bloomberg) -- ABB Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Joe Hogan doubled a savings target to $2 billion and embarked on the Swiss company's biggest cost-cutting drive for at least a decade to counter a slowdown in demand for transformers and industrial robots.

The Swiss manufacturer, the world's largest builder of electricity grids, reported a 16 percent drop in first-quarter orders to $9.15 billion. Net income at the Zurich-based company fell to $652 million, meeting estimates.

Hogan, who joined ABB in September from General Electric Co., faces a slowdown in so-called base orders, contracts below $15 million that form the backbone of profits. A $25 billion order backlog and large-scale energy projects in the Middle East and Europe, including a $550 million contract for a transmission cable to connect Irish and U.K. power grids, helped buoy orders.

"A lot of people look at the big orders, but the small contracts are very important as they make up the bulk of the order intake," said Ralf Rybarczyk, who manages 650 million Swiss francs ($558 million) at DWS Investment GmbH. "The bigger an order, the bigger the negotiation power of the ordering customer. Normally big orders have smaller profit margins."

Operating profit, or earnings before interest and taxes, fell 36 percent to 862 million francs. That's equal to 12 percent of sales, down from a 17 percent margin.

ABB lost 37 percent in the last 12 months in Swiss trading, cutting the company's market value to 41.8 billion francs. The shares were indicated 2.5 percent lower in pre-market trading at Clariden Leu.

'No Sunrise'

The cost and scarcity of project funding have delayed many power investment decisions and ABB management cannot precisely predict when the situation will improve or when various government infrastructure stimulus programs will kick in, the company said in a statement today.

"There is no sunrise out there yet," said Richard Frei, an analyst at Zuercher Kantonalbank. "Sales would look very bad without the order backlog."

The Swiss company's results set the scene for Siemens AG and other equipment suppliers still to report quarterly earnings as customers struggle to find credit for projects and recession spreads around the globe. In the U.S., both Eaton Corp. and Emerson Electric Co., the world's largest maker of power equipment for oil companies, have already lowered their earnings guidance for this year.

ABB reiterated a forecast for annual earnings growth of at least 15 percent through 2011, with the exception of its robotics business. Analysts in a survey predicted orders of $8.51 billion.

To contact the reporter on this story: Antonio Ligi in Zurich at [e-mail]

Last Updated: April 23, 2009 02:41 EDT

[waldron] 20/4/2009 08:21

ABB will release its first quarter results 2009 at 6:00 a.m. CET on Thursday, April 23.

[ariane] 13/4/2009 17:04

cheers she

[sheeneqa] 13/4/2009 16:31

ABB wins $20 million U.S. power order from Oncor
2009-04-09 - FACTS solution to maintain grid reliability and improve environment

Zurich, Switzerland, April 9, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth around $20 million from Oncor to supply a Static VAr Compensator (SVC) unit to support the transmission grid in north Texas. The order was booked in the first quarter and the turnkey project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010.

The SVC unit will be installed at the Renner substation in the northern part of the state. ABB has won three similar orders from Oncor in the past, most recently in 2008 for a project in the vicinity of Renner. The first two SVC units, delivered to the Parkdale substation in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, are scheduled to begin operations in mid-2009. The Parkdale installation is the world's largest cluster of SVC technology

[sheeneqa] 07/4/2009 15:05

ABB wins $56 million substation orders in Algeria
Zurich, Switzerland, April 6, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won orders worth $ 56 million from Algeria's state-owned power company, Sonelgaz, to supply two substations and ten mobile substations. The orders were booked in the first quarter.

[waldron] 04/4/2009 12:31

Caution, Optimism Combine at ABB Event
April 3rd, 2009
Written by Gary Mintchell, Editor in Chief

Global stimulus packages aimed at infrastructure improvement augur well for ABB, executives say, despite current slowdown in orders.
ABB Ltd. (www.abb.com) held its Automation and Power World annual user conference March 24-26 in Orlando, Fla., amidst both caution and optimism. The "Power" part of the name was added this year as the Zurich, Switzerland-based company decided to combine its power and automation events. This made sense, given that much of the ABB message over the last two years has been the convergence of power control and process control.


The optimism part of the conference derived from ABB's position as a provider of electrical power solutions combined with automation technologies, which places it in the forefront of companies that stand to benefit from infrastructure improvements planned as part of global economic stimulus packages. The caution part lies in the slowdown in orders and projects the company has seen over the past couple of quarters, which the company believes may extend for another quarter or so.


The Oralando event was in part, the public coming out for new Chief Executive Officer Joe Hogan. After a career at GE, part of which was in the automation business of GE Fanuc, Hogan joined ABB just last September. Foremost on his mind-and all the officers-was the current state of the economy, and ABB's performance and prospects.


ABB had a very good 2008 and expects to hold its own in a trying 2009, executives told attendees at the event. The company has a good order backlog and a strong cash position-both of which management believes will help it weather this uncertain economic climate. The ABB executive team has initiated a cost cutting program, but one area is being spared the knife-research and development. R&D spending is projected at slightly more than last year, but Chief Technology Officer Peter Terwiesch was quick to add that the output of the group is also increasing.


Alligator shadows


Hogan likened the economic climate to his early morning run along the golf course prior the conference opening day. "I started thinking, there are alligators in Florida. I wonder where they live. Hmm, I wonder if they would be along the ponds at the golf course. Then every long shadow I saw seemed to be an alligator. Economists are like this right now. All they see are the long shadows, but they don't know what's real."


Hogan and Terwiesch repeatedly stressed their optimism about the global stimulus packages under development by many countries. In the United States, ABB management has established a team to learn how to deal with the U.S. government and how to help customers get in on the stimulus money. Much global stimulus spending is targeted at the power infrastructure, for which ABB is ideally situated to supply the products and services needed.


In a presentation to the press, Terwiesch stressed ABB's strength and opportunities in electrical power (transmission, distribution, energy savings and the like), as well as the growing importance of integration-safety/control system integration and power/automation integration. ABB is, of course, poised to exploit both of these latter trends, as well.
Attendance and attitude were both alive and well at the conference. Total attendance was more than 3,300. If the normal rule of thumb applies, about half were employees. That still means major attendance by customers, and ABB managers were smiling about the turnout.


"Smarter" grid


Enrique Santacana, chief executive officer of the North America Region for ABB, granted a private interview with Automation World, and recapped some of the themes. Asked about the so-called electrical "Smart Grid" mentioned frequently in the news, and ABB's role in it, Santacana responded, "Don't call it smart grid, but smarter grid. It's not about new equipment, but adding sensors, software, information, communications-much like we do in process control already. What we're really talking about is putting in an architecture over the grid with interoperability and standards. One benefit will be better end-user decisions on how and when to use electricity. A second benefit is reliability of the grid. Third is extending the life of equipment. Fourth, utilize less peaking generation, a big source of greenhouse gas. Plus, renewable energy sources such as wind power can be better integrated into the grid. This will use more power electronics to stabilize variability of the source. With the [ABB] 800xA [control] platform, we can integrate power management with control. This is an exciting area for us."


Responding to a question about joining the two ABB conferences, he said, "Putting power and automation conferences together means putting power customers and automation (manufacturing) customers together, too. And the manufacturing people are actually customers of the utility people. This conference gives them a chance to talk and discuss the impact each has on the other."


The state of the economy is on everyone's mind. Santacana said, "Regarding the economy, the government needs to spend fast. And the banking situation must be stabilized. The biggest part of our drop in demand is due to projects on hold because of the inability [of customers] to get credit. Mexico and Canada are still strong markets for us. Our slowdown is mostly related to the commercial and residential construction slow down. This affects products such as distribution transformers."

ABB
www.abb.com

[waldron] 04/4/2009 09:39

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ABB to provide balance-of-plant solution for Algerian solar power plant
Published:03-April-2009

By Datamonitor staff writer

Single window service to help expedite project



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Switzerland-based power and automation technology group ABB has won an order worth $14 million to provide a complete electrical balance-of-plant service for a 150MW integrated, combined-cycle solar power plant under construction in Algeria.

According to the company, the order was placed by the Spanish company UTE Aberer Hassi R'Mel Construction and the plant will be set up at the Hassi R'Mel natural gas field in northern Algeria.

The power plant will have two 40MW gas turbines, one 80MW steam turbine and two parabolic trough solar fields with a generating capacity of 25MW. It will be fired by a combination of natural gas from the gas field and solar energy collected by the parabolic troughs, said the company.

ABB's project scope includes design, engineering, supply, erection and commissioning of the complete electrical balance of plant. The main equipment to be supplied includes medium- and low-voltage switchgear, auxiliary transformers, generator circuit breakers, isolated bus-ducts and emergency diesel generators. The project is expected to be completed by August 2010.

Franz-Josef Mengede, head of ABB's global power generation business in the power systems division, said: "We are pleased to be associated with this initiative. Our technology and expertise in conventional and renewable power generation, coupled with our ability to execute fast-track projects of this nature, help to make our customers more competitive."

[waldron] 03/4/2009 11:00

ABB Wins $140-million Order From China





Edited Press Release

ZURICH -(Dow Jones)- Swiss engineering company ABB Ltd (ABB) said Friday it won an order worth around $140 million to deliver transformers to the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) for a high-voltage power corridor that will strengthen the Chinese electricity network and help meet rising demand in the Shandong coastal region.

The order was booked in the first quarter.

The power link will transmit 4,000 megawatts of electricity at 660 kilovolts over 1,350 km, from Ningxia province to Shandong, China's second most populous province. This is part of China's efforts to develop energy-rich regions and transmit power from areas of surplus to centers of high demand.

The corridor will use high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology to maximize transmission efficiency. ABB's transformers will serve the stations that convert power to direct current for transmission and back to alternating current for distribution, and will be supplied in cooperation with local Chinese partners.

Each converter transformer is extremely large, weighing over 500 tonnes. This presents challenges that will be addressed by technical solutions like reducing the width of the transformers for the Ningxia station, located in a remote and mountainous area, so that they can be transported by rail.

"These high-specification transformers will enable efficient transmission of a large quantity of power across a long distance and with minimum losses," said Bernhard Jucker head of ABB's Power Products division.

Company Web Site:

-Zurich Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]

[waldron] 02/4/2009 10:30

UPDATE: ABB Warns On Profit As Orders Drop; FX, Commodity Swings





(Recasts and adds detail.)


By Goran Mijuk and Hans Schoemaker
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

ZURICH -(Dow Jones)- ABB Ltd. (ABB) Thursday warned that falling orders, high commodity prices and foreign-exchange losses will hurt its first-quarter operating profit even though the Swiss engineering company won some large orders.

The warning comes as ABB disclosed a $490 million oil and gas infrastructure order in Algeria. The order follows project award wins in the past two weeks worth nearly $1 billion for power-transmission networks in Kuwait and Ireland.

"Despite the significant boost to orders resulting from these awards, market conditions for the company as a whole remain challenging," the company said, adding that smaller orders, which make up the bulk of ABB's operations, were declining.

ABB has benefited from infrastructure demand in the Middle East, Asia and the U.S. over the past three years as emerging countries built new sites while power networks were upgraded in industrialized regions, spurring the company's annual orders and sales often by more than 20%.

The economic downturn, which has also affected many of ABB's competitors, such as France's Schneider Electric SA (SU.FR) and Germany's Siemens AG (SI), has eaten into its order book and sales figures and profits have declined. In the fourth quarter of 2008, because of a restructuring and legal charges, net profit fell almost 90% to $213 million from $1.75 billion.

To counter the trend, ABB in February launched a $1.3 billion cost cutting plan under its new chief executive, Joe Hogan. The company is attempting to reduce overheads and staff costs by moving production to lower-wage countries, for example.

But these efforts won't help ABB to buck the generally deteriorating trend in the capital-intensive industry because high commodity prices are keeping costs at elevated levels and currency swings continue to put pressure on ABB's finances.

"The volatility of major commodity prices and exchange rates in the current quarter is also expected to have a negative impact when comparing quarterly operational profit performance," ABB warned.

Analysts said that the warning was partly expected as the company's past performance has been excellent. In the first quarter of 2008, ABB posted a near-90% jump in net profit to $1 billion from $537 million as a weak dollar underpinned otherwise still-buoyant demand for power networks and automation projects. Its operating profit was up 65% at $1.35 billion from $819 million.

"Profitability is going to suffer," said Alessandro Migliorini, analyst at brokerage Helvea, who rates the company at neutral. He said the drop in small orders was worrying as these orders helped ABB drive profit and cash flow.

Shares of ABB, which have lost about 40% of their value in the past 12 months, Thursday traded flat at CHF16.24 in a broadly firmer market.


Company Web site: www.abb.com

-By Goran Mijuk and Hans Schoemaker, Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]

[waldron] 02/4/2009 08:18

cheers she

enjoy

[sheeneqa] 02/4/2009 08:13

and another
ABB wins $490-million oil and gas order
Overall markets remain challenging despite third major order in first quarter

Zurich, Switzerland, April 2, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won a contract for about $490 million as part of the El Merk oil and gas project in Algeria.
It's the third major infrastructure project awarded to ABB within the last two weeks. However, ABB said that most of its markets remain challenging.

The contract from Groupement Berkine, an Algeria entity that is co-managed by Sonatrach and Anadarko, is part of a plan to develop hydrocarbon deposits in the El Merk basin in the Algerian Sahara Desert. ABB is leading a consortium on the project with a total value of $650 million. Significant production from the development is scheduled to begin in 2012.

"The new installations will help our customer improve output and achieve their production targets," said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB's Process Automation division. "This contract underscores ABB's ability to execute complex projects for the oil and gas industry."

The project consists primarily of design and installation of pipelines, field gathering stations, gas distribution manifolds and flowlines/trunklines, as well as water and gas re-injection facilities. The pipeline network will connect oil and gas wells to the processing plant via 10 gathering stations. Facilities to inject gas and water into the wells will help increase their output.

The project award follows power transmission orders valued at $400 million in Kuwait and $550 million in Ireland announced in the past two weeks. Despite the significant boost to orders resulting from these awards – all of them booked in the first quarter of 2009 – market conditions for the company as a whole remain challenging. Base orders are deteriorating, especially compared to the record levels of a year ago. The volatility of major commodity prices and exchange rates in the current quarter is also expected to have a negative impact when comparing quarterly EBIT performance.

[waldron] 01/4/2009 10:21

Measurement Device NewsVendor: ABB launches new water analyzers at Automation & Power World 2009
Aztec range sets the new standard for colorimetric monitoring

Orlando, FL -- ABB Instrumentation introduced the first of three new products in the ABB Aztec 600 range of online analytical analyzers for potable water treatment at Automation & Power World 2009 in late March.

Built on ABB's new analytical instrument platform, the ABB Aztec 600 Manganese colorimetric monitor offers enhanced accuracy with simple operation and maintenance for potable water treatment applications.

The Aztec 600 analyzers use an LED and detector to measure the passage of light through a sample. A single precisely controlled piston pump provides all the sample and reagent fluid handling for measurement, mixing and disposal.

Measurements are taken before and after color reagents are added to compensate for background color and turbidity. These measurements are compared against the calibrated values to calculate the sample being measured.

The analyzer can measure up to six samples per hour.

Key features of the Aztec 600 range include automatic two point calibration. This enables operators to verify analyzer performance against standards of a known concentration.

Accuracy is further enhanced by various self-cleaning abilities to ensure the optical cell and analyzer tubing used for sample measurements remain free of residual particles between each analysis.

A patented mechanical cleaning function uses the piston movement to wipe the optical cell with every measurement, particularly important when measuring raw waters where optical contamination can be a real issue.

The analyzers also include various user programmable automatic options for cell rinsing and acid and alkali washing.

The analyzers are available in single or multi-stream configurations, enabling operators to use just one device to monitor up to three streams sequentially all with current loop, Ethernet or fieldbus outputs.

The Aztec 600 analyzers are also simple to maintain. The piston and optical sensor use air to mix the sample and reagents, eliminating the cost and maintenance associated with mechanical or electrical stirring systems.

The inherent product design and auto-calibrating features means that maintenance is just required annually, compared to every 3 months with some units.

A key benefit of the Aztec 600 is its ease of operation. Front-mounted push buttons allow easy device interaction in a familiar Windows® environment. Operation and commissioning is straightforward, with menus presenting options for setting and fine-tuning parameters.

Added support is provided by an extensive context-sensitive on-line help feature.

About ABB

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.

For more information please contact:

ABB Instrumentation
c/o Mr. Rob Mapleston
Tel: [phone] or 1-800-829-6001
Email: robert.mapleston [at] us.abb.com
Web: www.abb.com/instrumentation
Posted by jtalbot on Wednesday, April 01, 2009

[waldron] 31/3/2009 22:00

ABB: Switzerland's Slumbering Giant 4 comments
by: Paul Harper March 31, 2009


This Swiss power & automation specialist ABB is moving from strength to strength with the recent announcement of a €550m contract which integrates with a green power project in Ireland. Irish system operator Eirgrid, has ordered a transmission system using HVDC Light (high-voltage direct current), an ABB technology with environmental benefits that include neutral electromagnetic fields, oil-free cables, low electrical losses, and compact converter stations. The solution will allow Ireland to expand wind power generation & via the new link, will enable it to import power from the UK as needed & to export power when it generates a surplus.

"We are delighted to partner Eirgrid for this project," said Peter Leupp, head of ABB's Power Systems division. "ABB's HVDC Light technology will enhance the stability of both the Irish and U.K. transmission grids, and also expand capacity for the use of renewable power."

For those not in the know, ABB Ltd, is a global leader in power and automation technologies, enabling customers to improve performance while lowering potential environmental impact. The company has operations in 87 countries globally & currently carries a workforce of approximately 110,000 employees, delivering complex power projects into logistics, energy, industry & utility sectors.

This is just the latest in a string of deals that ABB has managed to pull together in the face of the turmoil in global markets. Looking at ABB's press release pages, it is apparent that the company has capitalised on its almost unique position as a global player in its field. In 2009 alone, ABB has so far announced in the region of $2.3bn in new contracts, a strong performance in these troubled times. Referring to ABBs annual report (a weighty 7.4Mb file) from 2008, revenues rose 20 percent to a record $34.9bn as the company continued to drive growth and also managed to deliver on its strong order backlog, more on that later. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) reached $4.6bn, with the company recording its second highest net income statement in its history, even after provisions taken in the fourth quarter, which saw the order book drop by 60% on 2007 Q4 earnings. Admirable stuff. Even more admirable is the fact that ABB exited 2008 with an order backlog in the region of $24bn, which is a huge cushion to take it through the troubled waters of 2009.

ABB is not however resting on its laurels. Under the new management team of CEO Joe Hogan (recent head of GE's Healthcare division), the company has reacted to the global shift, as ABB's business is pretty much tied to GDP of the countries it operates in. Hogan has instigated a cost reduction plan that should pare costs by as much as $1.3Bn per annum. The company has recognised that its orders are down in Europe, as industrial and construction demand has dramatically slowed. Also in Asia, ABB has suffered, mainly due to the fact that the explosive growth in the region in 2007 could not be offset in 2008.

One area that I am sure ABB will be focusing on is Emerging Markets, which will need to continue expanding their power grids for years to come, while mature economies in North America and Europe will only look to smaller upgrades to legacy platforms. This can already be seen in recent wins in Mozambique, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi & South Africa. The company is also looking into how it may capitalise on the fact that countries must tackle climate change, if they are to continue to grow their GDP and satisfy growing consumer demand for greener technologies.

I feel that ABB is under recognised by the markets & looking at the ADR's performance against the criteria above, can only come to the conclusion that it is severely undervalued at today's price of $13.50, having reached a 52 week low of $9.11. Past shrewd management of assets, coupled with a typically Swiss style of quietly acquiring smaller companies to either subsume competition or add to its technology base, make ABB a winner for me. To that end, I instigated a buy on the ADR Monday and am setting a target price of $25 by Q3 of 2009. I am also of the opinion that ABB will profit from some of the new energy projects that have been announced and which I have previously commented upon on MyStockVoice, particularly in the Brazilian Petrobras (PBR) and the West African Total (TOT) projects.

Disclosure: Long ABB.

[waldron] 28/3/2009 09:35

ABB conference highlights economics, services, and R&D
ABB combines its Automation World and Power World events and confronts economic issues faced by manufacturing and power generation/distribution industries with a focus on service offerings related to the stimulus package and outsourcing.
-- Control Engineering, 3/27/2009
More automation and power from ABB ABB combines power and automation events: Noting increased customer interest in the integration of electricity- and automation-focused technologies to achieve efficiency and optimization goals, ABB combines its two annual events and announces a number of new, cross-industry products.
Orlando, FL – ABB combined its two annual events, Automation World and Power World, into one event this year (March 24-26, 2009) to underscore a growing interest in the integration of applications for related technologies in the manufacturing and power generation/distribution industries.

Economic conditions are a key factor driving this interest in combined technologies. As noted by ABB CEO Joseph Hogan, "This recession is far different from any recent downturns in that it marks the first time in recent history when all world economies are cycling downward together."

Hogan added that he does not think the negativism associated with the current downturn is any more accurate than the euphoria that surrounded the market upswings in 2006-2007.

"Once the banking system is stabilized, growth will return," he says. "And that means there will be a lot of opportunity moving forward and a resumption of the rising demand for energy worldwide."

According to Hogan, ABB is not reducing its R&D budget this year, despite the company's recent $1.3 billion reduction in expenses. He noted that about 50% of the company's R&D budget is focused on energy savings, largely related to drives and motors and electricity transmission.

He also pointed out that, although interest in robotics overall is down due to current economic conditions affecting automotive markets, robotics is receiving increased interest from other industries, particularly food & beverage.

Receiving a nearly equal focus with technology products, services were spotlighted heavily during the Automation & Power World event. One of ABB's newest service offerings comes via its recently assembled Stimulus Package Core Team. This team is in regular contact with the U.S. government to better understand how money will be dispersed via the stimulus package to help customers better understand how to take advantage of the funds being made available.

A fast-growing global service area for ABB is its Full Service Maintenance program. Starting in North American in 2004, this program assumes all maintenance and production operations functions for a company. In effect, all maintenance and operations engineers are outsourced to ABB (they become ABB employees), which then assumes responsibility for these functions.

"We contractually commit to improving performance," says Daniel Konstantinovsky, ABB Reliability Services marketing consultant. "This includes availability, quality, OEE, and maintenance."

Under the contract (a 5-year agreement), ABB shares in the profits if goals are exceeded and gives money back if goals are not met. "We have skin in the game," says Konstantinovsky. He adds that ABB has made 150 such agreements worldwide. Most of these agreements have been in the pulp & paper and mining industries, but ABB is now taking this business model into the discrete industries.

[waldron] 25/3/2009 16:57

ABB's CEO Upbeat on Company's Future
Joe Hogan sees energy efficiency technology as huge opportunity
Karen Field, Editor-in-Chief -- Design News, March 25, 2009

"The economic outlook is very uncertain, but ABB is well positioned to come out ahead," is how Joe Hogan, ABB's CEO concluded his remarks at a press briefing on the first day of ABB Automation and Power World 2009.

Some 3,000 customers are attending the event this week here in Orlando to attend workshops and training sessions, learn about ABB's new product offerings and network with their peers.

Given its diversified portfolio, which ranges from power products and systems to automation and robotics, the $38B ABB is weathering the economic maelstrom better than some.

Hogan told reporters ABB began to see its drives, motors and control products and robotics businesses go down in the second quarter of 2008 and then "get hit pretty hard when the recession hit," due to shorter buying cycles for these products and the downturn in the automotive industry, which is a heavy user of robotics.

Nonetheless, the Swiss-headquartered automation giant recorded its strongest year ever in 2008, with record orders and revenue. And the company has entered 2009 with momentum from a $24B backlog in orders.

Hogan's confidence about the future stems from a strict focus on internal factors that the company can control – from operational excellence to staying alert to growth opportunities. The company also is accelerating several initiatives that it hopes will pay off in the future, including improved engineering and product development efforts to reduce costs.

ABB maintains a steady commitment to R&D, with expenditures in 2009 expected to match 2007 and 2008 levels. The company employs 6,000 out of its 120,000-strong work force in R&D, focusing on technologies as diverse as industrial wireless applications to the energy grid of the future.

Chief Technology Officer Peter Terwiesch described several of the key technology areas where ABB is innovating, such as wind turbine technology. Here, the trend is toward reduced complexity in mechanics and higher sophistication in electronics. "It's the same basic evolution as in automation products," says Terwiesch. That's knowledge ABB can leverage from its $10.3B automation business.

As for this business, ABB is pushing ahead to develop new technologies that will increase productivity without compromising safety, extend the asset life and optimize energy usage. Some of those technologies were on display in the event's Exhibition Hall, including a new ultra low harmonic drive and a small footprint, low-voltage high-performance ac motor.

And while the economic future may be uncertain, CEO Hogan is certain of one thing: That energy efficiency will play a big role in ABB's future. "Some 65 percent of electricity

[waldron] 25/3/2009 09:09

cheers she

trust you are well

[sheeneqa] 23/3/2009 11:08

ABB commissions switchgear rated at more than one million volts
Switchgear a key component of safe and reliable ultrahigh-voltage AC transmission

Zurich, Switzerland, March 23, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has commissioned a switchgear rated to handle more than one million volts (1,100kV), touching new heights in terms of global voltage levels.
The ultrahigh-voltage gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) has a switching capability of 6,900 megawatts, which means it can turn power equivalent to the average electrical consumption of Switzerland, a country with more than 7 million inhabitants, on or off within milliseconds.

ABB successfully designed, tested and commissioned the GIS for a pilot project launched in 2006 by State Grid Corporation of China to demonstrate the feasibility of AC power transmission at ultrahigh voltage.

The GIS is a central component of ultrahigh-voltage electricity transmission designed to carry huge amounts of electricity over vast distances with very low losses. ABB completed the assignment in just two years with technology partner Xian Shiky, a leading Chinese switchgear manufacturer who worked in close co-operation with ABB throughout the project.

"This is a breakthrough that will serve as a benchmark for future ultrahigh-voltage projects and is another example of ABB's constant quest for technological innovation and commitment to energy efficiency," said Bernhard Jucker, head of ABB's Power Products division.

State Grid has announced plans to invest more than $14 billion in the next three to four years to expand its ultrahigh-voltage (UHV) network. Ultrahigh voltage transmission reduces power losses and requires a smaller transmission corridor than conventional technologies. It is particularly suitable for countries like China, where energy resources are often far from the centers of power consumption.

ABB pioneered gas-insulated switchgear 50 years ago. This application level is the biggest leap in capacity and efficiency of AC power transmission in more than two decades.

[sheeneqa] 19/3/2009 14:10

ABB wins $32 million order in Mozambique
Electrification and automation to maximize efficiency of coal handling plant

Zurich, Switzerland, March 18, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won a $32 million order from Vale in Mozambique for complete electrification and automation solutions to maximize productivity, monitor energy use and minimize energy consumption at a new coal mine.
The new mine is one of Vale's major investments in Africa and will be built at Moatize, in the Tete province of Mozambique. When completed, it will have a nominal capacity of 11 million tons per year: 8.5 million tons of metallurgical coal and 2.5 million of thermal coal.

"ABB's vast industry experience, combined with our comprehensive automation and power offerings, provide our customers with the robust solutions they need for these large scope projects," said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB's Process Automation division. "Our ability to provide a complete scope of supply, global expertise and excellent local resources helped us to win this order."

Construction of the entire facility will take an estimated 36 months, and ABB's portion of the work is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.

[grupo guitarlumber] 17/3/2009 17:10

ABB upgrade to "buy"
6:39a.m. - Deutsche Bank
LONDON, March 17 (newratings.com) - Analysts at Deutsche Bank upgrade ABB Ltd (ABBN) from "hold" to "buy." The target price has been raised from CHF15 to CHF19.

In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that the company is poised to benefit from the fiscal stimulus packages in the US and China. The stimulus packages are expected to support pricing and order trends in ABB's T&D business, the analysts add. A possible weakness in the company's automation divisions is likely to restrict margins in the near future, Deutsche Bank says.