- The two leading OEM companies join forces to develop an integrated service portfolio for ABB mine hoists
- The partnership is an important step in ABB’s ambition to expand the service portfolio and maximize customer value
- Geographic reach will focus on the mine hoist end user markets in Australia, Europe, China and North America
ABB and Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group (BBRG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to jointly explore the evolution of service capabilities for mine hoist systems located in customer sites worldwide.
There are more than 600 active production and service mine hoists within ABB’s global installed base and now there is an opportunity together with BBRG, a leading manufacturer of mission-critical advanced cords and ropes, to serve these customers under a coordinated approach.
The two companies will design, develop and deliver services focused on the improvement of critical operations for mine hoist customers. The consultative solutions will include innovative approaches towards safety, availability, productivity, risk reduction and sustainability. Aligning the best-in-class practices for preventative maintenance will be further enhanced by the integration of inspections, audits, and spare parts inventory optimization, now for the complete hoisting system. The focus will be on Australia, Europe, China and North America.
ABB’s digital solution suite for mine hoist monitoring and optimization, ABB Ability™ Smart Hoisting, and BBRG’s VisionTek offerings for ropes will be combined under the predictive maintenance category, bringing technologies to provide asset health and condition/performance monitoring platforms and services to mine hoist operations.
Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group's VisionTek optical measurement technology is deployed for predictive critical rope performance. Image BBRG 
ABB and BBRG recently signed the agreement to work together to further understand synergies and develop service opportunities. Image ABB 
ABB provides customers with mine hoists and mine hoist systems, with more than 1,000 solutions delivered globally. Image ABB
“We’ve chosen to partner with Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group in this way because we can see the many benefits for our customers who are using ABB mine hoist systems,” said Charles Bennett, Global Service Manager, Business Line Hoisting, ABB Process Industries. “It has been clear from our work together in the past and in more recent discussions that we’ll make a great team for these future projects, where we can demonstrate our joint capabilities for all types of service.”
"The geographies and breadth of service we can work on together is extensive,” said Koray Bineklioglu, General Manager Advanced Services, Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group. “Our potential collaboration spans across diverse geographies and a broad spectrum of services. We are excited about the imminent introduction of our comprehensive service portfolio and our engagement with customers who frequently grapple with the challenge of balancing hoist productivity and equipment servicing. Our VisionTek solution will offer customers a complete package, including real-time analysis, digital data access, and expert monitoring of critical working ropes, ultimately enhancing efficiency and reducing downtime.”
ABB has been a leader in developing world-class hoisting solutions for over 130 years. Powered by electricity with the possibility to run off renewable energy sources, hoists are a future-forward solution. To date, ABB has delivered over 1,000 hoisting solutions globally. As a supplier of complete mine hoist systems, customers can benefit from low lifecycle cost, high reliability and system availability, short project execution time, and a single source of supply for complete systems, including service and spare parts.
Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group (BBRG), a division of Bekaert, is a leading innovator, developer and producer of the best performing ropes and advanced cords globally. The Group provides superior value solutions to the oil and gas, wind energy, mining, crane, elevator, and other industrial sectors. VisionTek is the leading 3D optical measurement technology that runs performance and surface algorithms to compare real-time performance with critical rope parameter requirements.
ABB’s Process Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs – from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~20,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, ABB Process Automation helps customers in process, hybrid and maritime industries improve performance and safety of operations, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. go.abb/processautomation
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 140 years of excellence, ABB’s ~105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation.www.abb.com
About Bekaert and its division Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group
Bekaert's ambition is to be the leading partner for shaping the way we live and move, and to always do this in a way that is safe, smart, and sustainable. As a global market and technology leader in material science of steel wire transformation and coating technologies, Bekaert also applies its expertise beyond steel to create new solutions with innovative materials and services for markets including new mobility, low-carbon construction, and green energy. Founded in 1880, with its headquarters in Belgium, Bekaert (Euronext Brussels, BEKB) is a global company whose 27 000 employees worldwide together generated almost € 7 billion in combined revenue in 2022.
Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group - division of Bekaert - is the world's premier supplier of mission-critical advanced cords and ropes. As a leading innovator, developer and producer of the best performing ropes and advanced cords globally, the Group provides superior value solutions to the oil & gas, wind energy, mining, crane, elevator, and other industrial sectors.
