- ABB Chairman Peter Voser was invited to attend the 33rd IBLAC Shanghai meeting
- Support the Shanghai’s development of science and technology innovation by increasing R&D investment and expanding business footprint
- Advocate building up a multi-level talent development system to further drive digital transformation
ABB Chairman Peter Voser attended the online meeting of the International Business Leaders Advisory Council (IBLAC) for the Mayor of Shanghai on October 15 with the leaders of Shanghai Municipal Government and other council members worldwide. The theme of this year’s meeting is “the new development paradigm and Shanghai’s leading role in reform and opening up”.
Within the context of China's 14th Five-Year Plan and the net-zero carbon target, Shanghai is pursuing high-quality development under new development paradigm. With a clear, science-based plan for its future development, Shanghai is further promoting the construction of scientific and technological innovation center. As a global technology leader with a long history and strong R&D presence in Shanghai, ABB offered its recommendations for Shanghai based on its global experience and local knowledge, in a bid to support Shanghai’s development into an even more vibrant nexus of scientific and technological innovation and an increasingly powerful magnet for investment.
“Over the years, Shanghai has made remarkable progress in building itself into a global science and technology innovation center. We are honored to be present in Shanghai and to be part of this process.” said Peter Voser, “Collaboration is necessary to accelerate this progress; government, business, academia and research institutes must all be engaged in this effort. At the same time, it will be crucial to scale up the process of building new innovation parks with distinctive characteristics. The resulting dynamic R&D innovation ecosystem will provide fertile ground for world-class sci-tech breakthroughs, especially in such focus areas as AI, integrated circuits, biopharmaceuticals and high-end manufacturing.”
Digital transformation calls for more talent with digital skills. Based on the successful experience of Switzerland and other countries, Peter Voser recommended Shanghai to build up a multi-level talent development system to support new market demand, and the vocational education is a specific area where Shanghai is well positioned to leverage international best practices, to optimize curriculum design and career development guidance, and to improve social recognition and acceptance. Shanghai will host the 46th WorldSkills Competition next year. This will be a good opportunity to boost vocational education and foster closer ties between academia and business.
ABB has been actively supporting Shanghai’s efforts in promote high-quality development and building a science and technology innovation center by increasing its R&D investment and expanding business footprint. With a total investment of $150 million, ABB’s new robotics factory in Shanghai will be put into operation in Q1 2022. The new factory represents the next level of ABB Robotics manufacturing technology, deploying the latest manufacturing processes, including machine learning, digital and collaborative solutions. It will be the most advanced, automated and flexible factory in the robotics industry worldwide. It will also host an onsite research and development center, which will help accelerate innovations in AI.
ABB also opened its Robotics Spare Parts Asia-Pacific Distribution Center in Shanghai this year. The center will provide around 4,000 kinds of spare parts to China and many other countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific area, with delivery time shortened by 50%. Last year, ABB completed its acquisition of Shanghai Chargedot New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese provider of EV charging solutions and further broadened ABB’s e-mobility portfolio.
As an “old friend” of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), ABB has taken part at the CIIE every year since its first session in 2018. Over the past three years, ABB has exhibited more than 130 innovative products and digital technologies and signed nearly 70 MoUs with local customers at CIIE. This year, ABB will unveil more innovative products and solutions, such as the latest Greenhouse Gas Emission Detection System, the revolutionary switchgear ABB NeoGear™, and a high-quality customized cabinet drive ACS880-07C equipped with ABB Drive Connectivity Panel. These new technologies will further support our customers in China to save energy, enhance productivity and reduce environment impact.
China is ABB’s second largest market worldwide, and Shanghai is a key base for ABB. ABB established its first joint venture in Shanghai in 1994, and since then its business has been growing together with Shanghai and the company has been engaged in many important projects. In 2018, ABB and the Shanghai municipal government signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation in the fields of industry, energy, transport and infrastructure. ABB first took part in Shanghai IBLAC in 2005. By integrating its global perspective and local knowledge, ABB has shared forward-looking advices over the years to support Shanghai’s economic transformation and sustainable growth, with special focus on driving innovation and digitalization.
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com
