In the renowned industrial competition «Factory of the Year 2018» ABB Semiconductors has won the prize in the category «Excellent Location Safeguarding by Digitalization». The business unit receives the award for increasing its competitiveness through a digital connected production.
The «Factory of the Year» is considered the most demanding benchmarking competition for the manufacturing industry in the German-speaking region. This year ABB Semiconductors in Lenzburg, Switzerland, won the award in the category «Excellent Location Safeguarding by Digitalization». The business unit receives the award for the development and implementation of its digitalization strategy. This includes, for example, the fully connected production of semiconductor modules with the help of digital ABB solutions. In this way, ABB Semiconductors increases productivity, improves quality and flexibility, and reduces delivery times.
“The competition «Factory of the Year» is, in a way, the «Oscar» award for the industry in German-speaking countries in Europe. We are very proud and excited that we have been selected as the winner of a category. We see the award as recognition for ABB's pioneering role in industrial digitalization. With the solutions from our digital offerings ABB Ability™, we enable our customers to increase productivity and resource efficiency as well as minimize downtimes. At the same time, we are also driving digitalization in our own manufacturing processes”, says Robert Itschner, Country Managing Director Switzerland.
ABB is a global leader in manufacturing high-power semiconductors for rail, power transmission & distribution, renewable and industrial applications. These products are key components for power electronics technologies, which enable for example, improved energy efficiency or the integration of renewable energy into the electricity grid. ABB Semiconductors has set up a new department to further develop and implement digital solutions. The strategy involves mapping the value creation process in the factory completely digitally and further optimize it by connecting the production equipment and the intelligent use of data.
The competition «Factory of the Year» is executed every year by the management consultancy A.T. Kearney, in collaboration with the trade magazine «Produktion». A jury of industry experts from universities and economy assigns the awards in various categories. Different criteria such as strategy, process, resource and quality management are evaluated. Other ABB factories have also received awards in recent years: The production of ABB traction converters in Turgi won the «Industrial Excellence Award» and the production of ABB generator switches in Zurich-Oerlikon was «Best Factory in Europe».
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in power grids, electrification products, industrial automation and robotics and motion, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner in ABB Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees. www.abb.com
