After almost three years of keeping in touch with partners over phone calls, emails, and online meetings, we were excited to recently meet face-to-face again with some of our key collaborators for an evening of idea exchange and networking in the United Arab Emirates at the end of November.
At our first Distribution Panel Builders Event held since the pandemic, ABB hosted around 120 representatives from seven of our distributors, as well as dozens of panel builders, mostly operating in the commercial building segment.
The event offered an opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss ABB’s commitment towards enabling a low-carbon society and helping customers achieve their carbon neutral objectives – something that can only be collectively achieved with our partners. Additionally, it was a chance to see faces we hadn’t seen - apart from virtually - for a long time.
“Over the last few years, we have missed seeing our partners face to face,”says Shiju Abdul Wahid, ABB’s Channel Manager for Distribution in the region. “We wanted to get together with panel builders and distributors in a space where everyone was comfortable openly sharing their thoughts and ideas, and where we could further build those relationships, creating even more productive partnerships. The event was very well received; people were very happy to see each other in-person. And we believe it will help our distributors and their customers gain the most from our products and solutions.”
Bharath J Kharani, Operational Manager of one of ABB’s key UAE distributors, Prakash Trading Co., confirmed the event was a resounding success: “The presentations were professional, and our customers really appreciated the products and effort of the ABB team. More importantly, with this event we had the opportunity to directly interact and network with ABB partners and panel builders.”
Optimizing partners’ product and solutions portfolio
One of ABB’s key priorities is to help distributors and panel builders stay ahead of shifting market dynamics to meet evolving customer demands. With more and more regulations set to come into force around the energy efficiency of commercial buildings, such as Dubai’s Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, which aims to reduce Dubai’s total energy consumption by 30% in the next eight years, this aspect has never been more important.
At the event, ABB had a chance to showcase the complete product range for panel builders, as well as launch two exciting new products – Formula Air ACB and TruOne ATS, both of which are designed to improve the reliability and efficiency of end-users’ activities, reducing energy costs and bolstering their sustainability credentials. The Formula Air ACB is a new easy-to-install low voltage air circuit-breaker that makes it easier than ever to protect electrical installations, while TruOne ATS is the world’s first true all-in-one automatic transfer switch, which ensures the steady delivery of critical power at all times.
Adil Mohammed, Sales Manager for panel manufacturer KBB Electrical Switchgear Industries LLC., was grateful to be invited to the event and felt it equipped him and his team with valuable tools to help them succeed in today’s challenging business environment. “We had such a wonderful ABB event after a long time,” he says. “During the event we came to know about ABB product updates and solutions, which will help us in optimizing our offering to our customers.”
Even within the short time since the event, ABB has already secured strong sales from the new products, and we are confident this will continue to grow over the coming months. In addition to this event, the teams have been ramping up in-person marketing activities across the Middle East region, with a further successful roadshow in Egypt and several initiatives in Qatar.
Moving forward, distributors and panel builders can expect more beneficial programs and initiatives, as ABB continues to prioritize partners. Working together is the only way we can continue to bring more cost-effective, innovative and energy efficient products to commercial customers to meet their increasingly complex energy efficiency-related needs.
