The 13,300 m2 state-of-the-art facility is the second ABB plant in the country and employs 250 people dedicated to the manufacture of medium-voltage products to satisfy domestic demand, with a further 40% of products sold to Latin America and the rest of the world.
ABB, the Swiss-Swedish multinational leader in digital solutions for the oil & gas, infrastructure, industry and energy segments, opens its second factory in Argentina. A US$9+ million investment in equipment, building infrastructure and technology was made at the new industrial plant, located in Esteban Echeverría, to develop an entirely new medium-voltage production line. The line manufactures products including OVR-3, OVR-15/27/38 and GridShield reclosers; AutoLink electronic sectionalizers; VBF switches; UniPack-G compact secondary substations and UniSec secondary distribution switchgear, which are designed to satisfy domestic demand as well as the export market.
ABB Esteban Echeverría employs more than 250 people including engineers, technology experts, researchers and administrative staff and has cutting-edge services, which aim to satisfy both local and export market demands. The new factory will also host an onsite Power Systems Engineering Research Center, a Distributed Control Systems area, an Applications area for Process Plant Control, a Robotics Engineering Center, a Frequency Variator Repair Laboratory, an Analytical Instrumentation Laboratory, a Turbocharger Service Station, and a National Logistics Center.
The Turbocharging Service Station – first of its kind in the country - stands out for its technological complexity oriented to post-sales service and the quality standards of the more than 100 stations that ABB has worldwide. With advanced technology and specialized professionals, it attends the demand of strategic industries such as mining, hydrocarbon extraction, maritime transport and power generation, among others; for the Argentine market and the markets of Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.
“Our presence in Argentina dates back to 1922, now with this new investment, we reaffirm our commitment to the country. This modern industrial plant allows us to increase our production capacity, with manufacturing processes fully compliant with ABB Europe’s guidelines. It also places us in a privileged position in the region and helps us to promote exports to other markets with high tech demands, not only in Latin America but globally,” said José Paiva, Country Managing Director of ABB Argentina.
“ABB Esteban Echeverría is ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified, guaranteeing that our processes meet the highest standards of safety and comfort, occupational health, environmental responsibility and quality,” said Gaspar Urman, ABB Hub Manager for Electrification Distribution Solutions in South America. “Meeting these certification standards allows us to offer customized solutions and due to our proximity to our customers, shorter delivery times. The change represents a qualitative leap into a modern, safer, integrated and flexible space; boosting productivity.”
ABB technologies have been present in different industrial segments in Argentina for almost a century. Currently, there are more than 1,700 robots installed in the automotive industry participating in the manufacture of the 70% of the country’s automobile production. About 80% of the oil & gas companies have ABB’s process control systems, electrification and energy solutions. Also, the most important steelmaker groups in the country and the region use technological applications developed entirely by ABB engineers for their production.
ABB Argentina has a second plant in Bella Vista, Tucumán province, where it manufactures low- voltage (up to 380V) protection, control and maneuvering products. Moreover, ABB Argentina is headquartered in San Telmo, Buenos Aires, and has two commercial offices in Rosario and Neuquén; among other commercial sites in the rest of the country.
ABB’s presence in the region is completed with commercial and operative offices in Uruguay and Bolivia.
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a technology leader that is driving the digital transformation of industries. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB has four customer-focused, globally leading businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation, supported by the ABB Ability™ digital platform. ABB’s Power Grids business will be divested to Hitachi in 2020. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees. www.abb.com
