During a recent visit to China, Tarak Mehta, President of ABB’s Motion Business Area and Member of the Group’s Executive Committee, had in-depth communications with local government, customers, media and employees, apart from visiting the newly built ABB Drives R&D hub in Beijing and the ABB motor and generator factories in Shanghai. He is happy with the achievements of local business and optimistic about the development prospects in China.
“I am very pleased to see that China is moving fast towards a higher efficiency and low-carbon society. From energy efficiency standards to customer feedback in the survey, very clearly the industry is focused on making sure low carbon is not just a conversation topic but actual reality. This trend is highly aligned with our business development. We will continue to invest in R&D and innovation for more energy efficiency products and solutions, and support China to embrace the low carbon future.” Said Mehta in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.
Technology innovation is key for ABB to retain its market leadership. ABB’s Motion business in China has continuously enhanced its R&D capabilities in recently years, and with a strong local R&D team of about 450 people it has led or participated in the development of many innovative products ranging from drives, drive connectivity panels to high and low-voltage motors. In 2022, ABB established the ABB Drives and Controls North Asia R&D Hub to enhance its market competence and support the long-term growth of Motion business. The new hub aims to respond faster to customer needs with innovative and customized drive products. Prior to this, it has set up the Nanjing R&D Hub in 2020 for next-generation Servo products.
ABB Motion’s innovation strength and technology leadership in China were widely recognized. In 2022, ABB Beijing Drive Systems Co., Ltd. was recognized among the first batch of Beijing Foreign-Funded R&D Centers by the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission; the R&D centers of ABB Electrical Machines Ltd. and Shanghai ABB Motor Co., Ltd. were certified as global R&D centers by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce; and all of these three companies have been ranked among China Top 100 Electric Companies for years and won multiple industry awards.
ABB Motion keeps the world turning, while saving energy every day. It provides pioneering drives, motors, generators, and integrated digital powertrain solutions to enable low-carbon future for industries and tackle the increasingly severe climate change and energy challenges, which is highly consistent with China’s dual carbon goals. By the year of 2022, ABB has delivered over 11 million drives and high-efficiency motors in China, resulting in a savings of more than 510 billion kWh of energy, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 500 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The amount of electricity saved is roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of Shanghai for three years.
ABB has been leading by example in promoting sustainability and aims to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations by 2030, by boosting renewable energy use, driving energy efficiency and cutting emissions. A few months ago, ABB Beijing Drive Systems Co., Ltd. , a Green Factory certified by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2020, along with its Nanjing R&D Hub for Servo products received the carbon neutrality certificate from China Beijing Green Exchange, marking the carbon neutrality in the company’s operation achieved in 2022; Both ABB Electrical Machines Ltd. and Shanghai ABB Motor Co., Ltd. were recognized as Zero-Carbon Factory by the Shanghai Economic and Information Technology Commission, on the right track to reach its sustainability goals ahead of schedule.
To further promote energy conservation and address climate change on a global scale, ABB launched the "Energy Efficiency Movement" initiative in 2021. Earlier this year, ABB China Energy Efficiency Symposium was held in Beijing, inviting experts and representatives from government, academia, and businesses to share their experiences and perspectives on improving industrial energy efficiency, and highlight the opportunities and challenges involved. More Chinese companies are joining Energy Efficiency Movement to take actions for a more energy-efficient world.
According to a global survey commissioned by ABB last year, China is leading overall investment in energy efficiency, and a considerable 86 percent of businesses in China plan to make their operations more energy efficient. This is a tangible result of the government’s five-year plan and efforts to tackle the climate change challenge. ABB believes technology holds the key to a more prosperous and sustainable world, and will develop more high efficiency motors, drives and digital solutions to help Chinese customers improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions, and support China’s decarbonization pursuit and high-quality development.
ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. The company’s solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered and operated. Building on more than 130 years of excellence, ABB’s ~105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation. www.abb.com
