ABB was incorporated in 1949 as Hindustan Electric Company Ltd. In 1962, the company entered into a technical collaboration with Brown Boveri & Co, Switzerland, as a result of this, the company's name was changed to Hindustan Brown Boveri Limited (HBB) in the year 1965. Pursuant to the scheme of amalgamation of Asea Limited with HBB with effect from 1st January 1989, the name further changed to Asea Brown Boveri Limited (ABB) with effect from 13th October 1989.

In 2003, the name of the company was changed from Asea Brown Boveri Ltd to ABB Ltd.ABB Ltd, India, is a partly owned subsidiary of ABB Asea Brown Boveri Limited, Zurich, Switzerland (ABBZH). ABBZH and ABB Norden Holding AB hold 46.19% and 5.92% of equity shares in the company respectively. The company manufactures a wide range of electrical, mechanical and electronic equipment and executes projects for power generation, transmission and electrification.ABB has been in the railway transportation business manufacturing components of electric locomotives for many years. ABB Group and Daimler-Benz, Germany have merged their transportation activities worldwide during the period 1994-95, by forming a joint venture company called 'ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation AG' (Adtranz).

A subsidiary of Adtranz was incorporated in India viz. 'ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation Limited which took over the transportation business of the company effective 1st January 1996. In 1999, the company demerged and transfered its power generation business to Asea Brown Boveri Management Ltd and its name was changed to ABB Alstom Power India Ltd.ABB is having 12 manufacturing facilities, twenty eight marketing offices, eight service centers, 3 logistic centres and has developed a national network of 700 channel partners, to ensure deeper market penetration. All its manufacturing facilities are ISO 14001 certified units.In 1999-2000, the company obtained ISO 14001(EMS) certificates for its manufacturing units at Peenya and Andheri. The company has merged its four subsidiaries, ABB instrumentation, ABB Analytical, ABB Lenzohm Service and Introl (India) with itself with effect from 1 April 2001.

The amalgamation will enable ABB to serve its customers in a more focused manner and help it streamline its operations.ABB Group has sold their Air Handling equipment business worldwide to Global Air Movement (Luxembourg) SARL. This sale also includes the Fans Business (a part of the Air Handling equipment portfolio) which is represented in India and accounts for approximately 3% of the Company's turnover. The Automation Technology Products-Division has commissioned 70 KA rectifier unit for HINDALCO and this division has launched e-Service and a full featured e-Commerce website for its products. The company has divested its business from Air handling equipment and the proceedings were invested in Bonds of Rural Electrification Corporation Limited to the extent of Rs.215 million.

The total amount realized from divestment of Air handling equipment business were Rs.295 million. In the year 2004, the Company has made major expansions in its installed capacity of Motors and Other Machines, Switchgear of all types, Turbochargers, Transformers, Electronic Control and Supply Units for Variable Speed Drives and Other applications Power Capacitors of all types. The Company has divested its Control Valves Business to Kent Introl Pvt Ltd on 12 July, 2004, with a gain of Rs.38 Million. During the year, the Company has expanded its range of products and also added several new products under Power Technologies and Automation Technologies divisions. The Power Technologies division included Compact Secondary Substations, Ring Main Units, Railway Circuit Breakers, a new model of 420 KV Current Transformers, Low Voltage Capacitors and 66 & 32 kV Condensor Bushings. ABB's power transformer manufacturing facility at Vardodara, rolled out its first HVDC Converter Transformer as part of an order for six such 400kV, 200MVA, back-to-back HVDC converter transformers to be supplied to Powergrid.

The Automation Technologies division included Line Protection Devices, Electrical Wiring Accessories and products like MCSs, ELCBs, Distribution Boards as well as switches, sockets and regulators. The Company has launched its 800XA Extended Automation System, a significant technology for the pharmaceuticals and biotech sector and was successful in winning orders from Biocon, Ranbaxy and other major pharmaceutical companies. The company has established a technology center in Nashik for medium voltage power technologies catering to the fast developing power distribution sector. It is based on ABB's commitment to leverage India as a technology and domain resource center.

The main focus of this center will be on the development of outdoor MV products (1 to 40kV) for the global market and localization of indoor medium voltage products for Asian markets, a fast expanding region for ABB.In order to leverage India's intrinsic technology strengths and the vast pool of highly qualified software professionals, ABB has set up a global R&D Center in Bangalore, which focuses on Industrial IT development and deployment. It also helps maintain and support a range of software intensive products and acts as a partner for the ABB R&D centers as well as business areas within the group.ABB recently outlined a strategy that emphasizes improved business execution and a broader approach to value creation, including focus on growth, operating margins, use of capital and cash generation. To support the execution of the strategy, the two core divisions, i.e. power and automation technologies have been replaced by their five respective business areas. The new divisions, with effect from 1st January 2006 are Power Products, Power Systems, Automation Products, Process Automation and Robatics.

ABB has been rated as the STAR MNC 2005 by Business Standard, one of India's leading financial dailies and an associate of Financial Times, London. ABB won this award amidst stiff competition among hundreds of well known MNCs across the industry spectrum. The company has also been awarded the prestigious Helen Keller Award in recognition of its efforts in facilitating gainful employment for people with disabilities. The award has been instituted by the National Center for the Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a leading NGO, to recognize. In 2006, ABB commenced commercial operations at two of its newly established unit, one for LV apparatus at Haridwar and another one for LV electric motors at Bangalore. The company has also established Global Operation & Engineering Center in Bangalore. The center's main focus is to develop and execute system and engineering solutions for ABB's global automation business, and it will serve as a resource base for ABB units around the world.

In the News

On the Web

In the Blogs

Images

Videos

Local Search