Zurich, Switzerland, April 30, 2010 - ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, today inaugurated its expanded high-power semiconductor manufacturing plant in Lenzburg, Switzerland. Doris Leuthardt, President of the Swiss Confederation, was the guest of honor at the event.
The expansion is the end result of a three-year, $140 million investment, which includes new buildings and additional manufacturing lines. It substantially increases production capacity at the Lenzburg unit to help meet market demand for semiconductors, while maintaining ABB's high standards of quality and delivery. ABB also recently acquired the semiconductor business of Polovodiče a.s. in the Czech Republic to boost its production capacity.
The Lenzburg expansion will help harness production synergies and ensure maximum use of the specialized infrastructure needed to produce these high-technology products, such as clean room technology and research and test laboratories.
The state-of-the-art facility will produce a new generation of high-power semiconductors with significantly improved performance characteristics. It also widens the scope of application of high-power semiconductors across a range of technologies, for greater energy efficiency.
"Concerns about climate change and carbon dioxide emissions are high on the global agenda," said Peter Leupp, head of Power Systems division at ABB Group. "Many of the proposed solutions, such as integration of renewables and energy efficiency, depend on high power semiconductors. The expansion in Lenzburg strengthens our market leadership in this technology, and supports ABB's commitment to innovations that improve power efficiency and productivity for a better world."
Power semiconductors are switching devices that control the flow of electrical power and convert electricity into the wave form and frequency needed.
ABB's Lenzburg plant is the company's leading manufacturing unit for high-power semiconductors that are at the heart of many leading ABB technologies, such as High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission systems and variable speed drives. Power semiconductors are also central to the development of a more reliable and smarter grid.
ABB (www.abb.com) 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 117,000 people.
