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[waldron] 02/2/2009 10:36

ABB Lands $53 Million Power Transmission Order In South Africa





Edited Press Release

ZURICH -(Dow Jones)- Swiss engineering company ABB Ltd. (ABB) said Monday it has won an order worth $53 million from the South African power utility, Eskom, to strengthen the transmission network in the Western Cape region.

ABB will design, manufacture, install and commission six 765-kilovolt capacitor banks at Alpha, Beta, Mercury and Perseus substations. The installations, which form part of an initiative to increase power capacity in Cape Town and surrounding areas, will allow Eskom more flexibility and reduce their reliance on the existing Koeberg power station. The compensators used in the project are part of a family of technologies known as Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems (FACTS).

The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2008 and is expected to be completed by 2010.

"ABB's FACTS technologies allow more power to be delivered more efficiently using existing infrastructure," said Peter Leupp, head of ABB's Power Systems division. "This reduces the need to build additional transmission lines, lowering environmental impact and minimizing cost."

The project includes ABB's Mach2 technology, which is an advanced control and protection system, and the most widely applied platform for HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) and FACTS solutions. It brings the benefit of fast, flexible, real-time control. Fuseless capacitor units and highspeed bypass switches will further increase system reliability.

Company Web Site:

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

[sheeneqa] 02/2/2009 10:06

ZURICH -(Dow Jones)- Swiss engineering company ABB Ltd (ABB) said Thursday it has won orders worth around $80 million from Swiss train manufacturer Stadler Rail for traction and onboard power equipment.

ABB's scope of supply includes specially designed traction converters with integrated onboard power supplies as well as traction transformers and battery chargers. Compact, lightweight ABB traction products convert electricity from overhead power lines to the voltage levels needed by a train's motors and a host of auxiliary power systems (lighting, heating, ventilation, automatic doors, etc.).

The equipment will be installed in 50 double-decker trains serving the busy commuter network in and around the Swiss city of Zurich. ABB will also provide specialized electrical equipment for Stadler Rail's trains on routes between Switzerland and Italy.

"This contract highlights ABB's special capabilities as a supplier of leading-edge technology to the rail industry," said Tom Sjoekvist, head of ABB's Automation Products division.

[grupo guitarlumber] 29/1/2009 16:55

cheers she

[sheeneqa] 29/1/2009 16:32

FRANK HEMSLEY
Dear Subscriber,

If you're looking for a new investment trend for 2009, look no further than infrastructure.

Around the world, diggers are mobilizing, cement lorries are loading up, and armies of road and rail workers and builders are gearing up for action.

From America to London, China to Chile, governments are ready to build their way out of the global recession with huge stimulus packages which will focus to a large degree on new infrastructure.

On 6 December, US President-elect Barack Obama outlined a plan to create millions of jobs in the U.S. by "making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s." construction equipment. That's good news for companies like Caterpillar.

Eight months ago, Caterpillar was trading at over $85 dollars, but you can pick up shares now for a little over $45. With this kind of planned demand, Caterpillar looks pretty cheap on its current single-digit P/E ratio – one certainly worth taking a closer look at.

Closer to home, another beneficiary could be Zurich-based ABB Ltd. The company is the global leader in the business of building, refurbishing, and creating the supplies for industrial, municipal, and national power supplies. It should also be a huge beneficiary of China's $586 billion stimulus package, which is aimed at infrastructure build-out. We'll be checking that one out, too.

As I said, we'll be looking closely at this growing trend in the months ahead. When we have found the individual shares that we believe are best placed to deliver solid gains from the global infrastructure boom, we'll let you know.

[grupo guitarlumber] 26/1/2009 16:09

cheers she

[sheeneqa] 26/1/2009 12:10

ABB wins $95-million order for power substations in Saudi Arabia
Zurich, Switzerland, Jan. 26, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth $95 million from the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), Saudi Arabia's national power transmission utility, for substations to help strengthen the country's distribution network.

[sheeneqa] 23/1/2009 16:30

Monitoring planet earth with ABB instrumentation
2009-01-23 - Advanced ABB instrumentation is helping space and meteorological agencies all over the world better understand complex processes in the atmosphere and improve their ability to forecast the weather and monitor global climate change. The latest is the Japanese satellite GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite), launched Jan. 22. Its main component is an ABB spatial interferometer.

[waldron] 22/1/2009 10:49

ABB Lands $159 Million Full Service Contract In Germany





Edited Press Release

ZURICH -(Dow Jones)- Swiss engineering group ABB Ltd (ABB) said Thursday it has renewed an agreement worth about $159 million over the next five years to manage maintenance and increase productivity at several plants in the Werk Bobingen industrial park near Munich.

ABB will provide performance-based maintenance services at the site for polyester product manufacturers Johns Manville, Performance Fibers, Trevira and Teijin Monofilament. ABB will evaluate plant processes to improve efficiency of maintenance and repair operations, as well as maintain power generation and distribution facilities, and infrastructure such as fire protection and site security for the entire 80-hectacre complex.

This agreement was first signed in 1999, and renewed in 2003. The current contract begins in January 2009, and is one of ABB's largest full service agreements.

"ABB's combination of innovative service solutions, local knowledge and unsurpassed application experience have helped us build an effective relationship with customers at this site," said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB's Process Automation division. "Our reputation for delivering results has been crucial to maintaining this successful partnership over the years."

ABB has more than 150 similar strategic full service agreements with customers in the paper, mining, chemicals, and oil and gas industries globally. ABB best practices applied to maintenance operations improves the performance and reliability of production assets, increasing plant efficiency and reducing costs so that customers can focus on the their business, adding new value to their bottom line.

Company Web Site:

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

[waldron] 21/1/2009 15:39

cheers she

[sheeneqa] 21/1/2009 15:35

Transforming Asia's largest oil and gas company
Jan. 20 - ABB is nearing completion of one of the largest oil and gas automation projects ever – an enterprise-wide supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA) that will monitor and manage the vast onshore and offshore assets of Asia's largest oil and gas company, ONGC.

[ariane] 17/1/2009 10:16

ABB makes World Future Energy Summit 2009 debut to showcase energy-efficient solutions
ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, will make its first-ever appearance at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi (from January 19-21) in a bid to share its expertise with customers and industry professionals about its innovative renewable energy solutions.
Iraq: 2 hours, 18 minutes ago PRESS RELEASE







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At its high-tech exhibition stand (stand no. 9120, hall 9), ABB will showcase its technologies in four key areas: solar and wind generation, long- distance power transmission, green buildings and carbon management.

More than 15,000 attendees, including top government officials, heads of global organizations, leading environmentalists and international investors from over 40 countries, are expected to attend this year's WFES event to discuss the future of renewable energy, and ABB will be a key player in this debate.

On January 19, Gunnar Asplund, from ABB's Research and Development Systems, will join the Green Energy Showcase at 4:00pm to reveal how ABB's pioneering HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) technology can enable the development of renewable technology.

Additionally, top ABB experts will be present on its stand during the three-day summit to share their expertise on a wide array of topics, including carbon capture, HVDC Light, ABB's i-bus KNX intelligent installation system, as well as solar and wind power.

Frank Duggan, ABB's MEA region manager, who will also be present at the event, is excited about ABB's debut at the summit, and reckons ABB's innovative technologies will make a big impression on visitors.

'The world is currently facing major energy challenges and increasing concerns associated with climate change. This makes our presence at the World Future Energy Summit more important than ever, as our technologies are at the forefront in assisting stakeholders in overcoming these challenges and mitigating their effects. For example, ABB's HVDC Light technology simultaneously tackles the energy supply, efficiency and sustainability issues associated with offshore oil and gas production, which is a key industry in the region,' says Duggan.


'More importantly, ABB's recent Arabia Corporate Social Responsibility Award win highlights our commitment to offering sustainable products and solutions to the Middle East market, whilst lowering the environmental impact of our customers,'



concluded Duggan.

ABB's stand will also feature a number of intriguing exhibits, including the firm's solar tracker and the NorNed bi-pole cable - the world's longest submarine cable at 580 km route length. A model of ABB's well-known North Sea HVDC project will also be on display; the project reduced CO2 emissions by nearly 1.5 million tons per year by replacing fossil-fuel generation.

Another key display will be the firm's carbon capture plate called the 'Fourier Transform Spectrometer', which collects and transmits global CO2 and methane densities (up to 30 times daily) from an impressive 650 km above the earth.

ABB's microsite features in-depth information about ABB's energy-efficient technologies, a special 'Meet with ABB' form for journalists, customers and channel partners, and a 'Press Room' corner, featuring the latest press releases, interviews and key publications ABB will be featured in during the summit.
The new microsite also features a wind power game called 'Blackout', developed specifically for ABB. In the game you're responsible for designing wind turbines best suited for different locations - without wasting money. You either light-up the city of Metropolis or plunge its residents into darkness.

ABB 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.

[sheeneqa] 15/1/2009 08:46

ABB wins $45-million order for Swedish power plant upgrade
ABB technologies to expand output and extend life-span of Forsmark nuclear plant

Zurich, Switzerland, January 14, 2009 - ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth $45 million to provide engineering expertise and supply power products for a project to expand the output and life-span of a nuclear power plant owned by Swedish utility Vattenfall. The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2008.
ABB's center of competence for nuclear power plant projects, which is based in Sweden, will execute the project involving electrical system studies, design, engineering, installation and commissioning. ABB will provide the electrical package needed to increase gross output from 1,200 megawatts (MW) to 1,360 MW at Unit 3 of the Forsmark nuclear power plant, a project due to be completed by 2014.

[sheeneqa] 13/1/2009 18:02

ABB wins marine orders worth $30 million
Zurich, Switzerland, Jan. 12, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won orders worth $30 million for electric propulsion, power generation and power distribution systems that maximize the fuel efficiency of offshore supply vessels to be built in China.

[waldron] 05/1/2009 15:22

cheers she

should give a up lift to 19 euros

[sheeneqa] 05/1/2009 15:03

Towering performance with ABB drives
Jan. 5 - Potain, the world's leading manufacturer of tower cranes, has selected ABB's direct current (DC) drives for a range of heavy-duty cranes that operate in some of the most demanding construction environments in the world. Both the drives and ABB met performance criteria that no other drive or vendor could match.
16.47 chf today!

[waldron] 04/1/2009 16:39

Markman doesn't necessarily believe that you should be out of the stock market entirely. In fact, he likes several infrastructure-related stocks that he believes will do well as a result of President-elect Obama's infrastructure rebuilding plan. Among his favorites are Caterpillar, Manitowoc, Shaw Group, Foster Wheeler, ABB, and Jacobs Engineering. But he does believe you should keep most of your money on the sideline, either in cash or high-grade corporate bonds.

"You never need to buy into a bull market early,'' he said. "You shouldn't be worried about missing the first 20 percent of a bull market. If we hit a real bull market, it will go up 100 to 200 percent in the years ahead. Twenty percent is nothing -- it's just a bounce in a bear market.

"I've always been an optimist," adds Markman, "but you can't invest based on hope. Hope is what really drives a stake into the investor."

Let's hope the market really does rally 25 percent this year. But in the meantime, you might want to keep your powder dry.

[waldron] 19/12/2008 17:37

ABB to Book $850 Million Cartel Expense, Reduce Costs (Update2)
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By Andrew Noel and Thomas Mulier

Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) -- ABB Ltd., the world's largest builder of electricity grids, will book an $850 million provision to cover a cartel probe and announced the biggest cost-cutting drive since facing bankruptcy in 2002.

The Swiss maker of factory robots and transformers plans to reduce costs by $1 billion after the economic slowdown clipped orders in October and November, the Zurich-based company said in a statement today.

ABB will shift more production to emerging markets, where the growth in orders is outpacing more mature markets. Joe Hogan, who became chief executive officer in September, joined his peer at Siemens AG in saying a strong order backlog will help it meet existing growth targets as new bookings fall. The provision to cover possible fines, asset writedowns, and the revamp -- coupled with exchange-rate losses -- will reduce fourth-quarter profit.

"It's positive that Hogan has begun to prepare ABB for a downturn," said Scott Babka, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, which reiterated its "underweight" recommendation. "The bigger issue is that orders will be down materially in 2009, which implies the earnings trough is unlikely till 2011."

ABB has declined 52 percent this year, paring its market value to 36 billion francs ($32 billion). That compares with 1.7 billion francs in 2002, when the business faced spiraling asbestos claims. The stock dropped 3.4 percent to 15.47 francs today.

Possible Jobcuts

After holding up in the first 15 months of the credit crisis, European equipment suppliers are now flagging projects are being delayed because of financial constraints. Markets have changed "dramatically" in recent months, Heinrich Hiesinger, head of Siemens's industrial division, said yesterday.

Today's announcement by ABB may indicate the market slowdown is coming earlier than expected, Babka and Vidya Adala said in a note.

Some customers face the lack of affordable financing and volatile commodity prices mean customer investment decisions are being deferred, according to ABB. That prompted the cost-cutting program and details will be outlined when full-year earnings are reported on Feb. 12.

Improved component sourcing and boosting efficiency will help generate savings. A cut in the number of employees, reducing temporary workers and shorter working hours cannot be ruled out, spokesman Wolfram Eberhardt said in a telephone interview. ABB employs about 120,000 at operations in 100 countries.

"Given the uncertainty surrounding the global economy, we must be sensible and prudent from an early stage and ensure that ABB's cost base is in line with weaker market conditions," Hogan said.

Siemens is cutting 16,750 jobs to match the margins of rivals General Electric Co. and ABB and Chief Executive Officer Peter Loescher is combating weakening markets with a 1.2 billion- euro ($1.7 billion) savings program.

Price Fixing

The Swiss company faces more than five investigations into alleged anti-competitive practices, including bribery and fixing prices in the market for large-scale transformers used in power grids. Siemens, Areva SA, and Toshiba Corp. are also accused of acting as a cartel. Power transformers are key components in electricity transmission, reducing or increasing the voltage in an electrical circuit.

European Union regulators in February 2007 raided offices of ABB and other transformer makers in Austria, France and Germany as part of the investigation.

To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Mulier in Geneva at [e-mail].

Last Updated: December 19, 2008 11:45 EST

[waldron] 19/12/2008 07:28

ABB Plans $850 Million Charge, $1 Billion Cost Cuts (Update1)
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By Thomas Mulier

Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) -- ABB Ltd., the world's largest builder of electricity grids, said fourth-quarter profit will be hurt a provision of $850 million for costs related to investigations into alleged anti-competitive practices in the U.S. and Europe.

The pretax provision also includes a portion for the expected impact of a tax dispute, asset writedowns and restructuring costs related to the economic slowdown, the Zurich- based company said in an e-mailed statement today.

ABB said it plans to reduce costs by $1 billion after new orders in October and November were hurt by the economic slowdown and lack of financing for its clients. Swings in commodity prices and currency exchange rates will also hurt earnings this quarter, the company said.

"Given the uncertainty surrounding the global economy, we must be sensible and prudent from an early stage and ensure that ABB's cost base is in line with weaker market conditions," Chief Executive Officer Joe Hogan said in the statement.

ABB will give details on the cost-cutting measures on Feb. 12 when it releases full-year results.

ABB said it "remains confident" to achieve its targets of 15 percent to 20 percent growth in power revenue and more than 10 percent growth in automation sales, both in local currencies.

To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Mulier in Geneva at [e-mail].

Last Updated: December 19, 2008 01:50 EST