According to Dainius Bružas, ABB’s Electrification Business Manager in the Baltic countries, their goal is to ensure a smooth and sustainable transition to renewable energy.
Safety is a priority
Energy efficiency is more important to companies than ever before. New rules and standards, combined with society’s expectations, are forcing companies to increase energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. At the same time, urbanisation, global population growth and technological advances are increasing the demand for resources – according to predictions, global electricity demand will more than double by 2050.
“We’ve entered the golden age of electrification, as the whole market is looking for ways to change the existing operating models,” explains Bružas. “It’s very important for ABB to be part of this process as a leader and provide safe, smart and sustainable solutions.”
Safety is a priority for ABB. Proactive management of health, safety and environmental risks is a natural part of the company’s activities. “We must talk about safety consistently,” says Bružas. “Let’s not forget that electricity can be dangerous for people and other living beings, so we should take safety knowledge and awareness very seriously and treat them with respect.”
A crisis is also an opportunity
ABB supports energy efficiency and progress in energy with its digital solutions and smart technology. Sustainability is one of the top priorities for ABB’s electrical equipment business. ABB saves resources, both in its own operations and in partnership with clients who want to find a balance between emissions and rising energy costs, while improving performance and safety. It’s clear that sustainability is not something that can be tackled in isolation and solutions must be both financially viable and beneficial to the environment.
“Clients are much more motivated to make changes – markets and investors are moving towards the use of renewable energy,” explains Bružas. “Investments are made in solar energy and parks, wind energy and turbines, and other renewable energy sources. The price increase of fossil fuels has an evident impact on the attractiveness of renewable energy sources and investments pay off much faster. The part of the market that involves renewable energy developments is proliferating.”
Trendsetters in electricity sector
According to Bružas, the development of renewable energy is currently the main trendsetter in the electricity sector and will have a major impact on the market in the near future. Increasingly more renewable resources are becoming accessible, which means more generating capacity at the local level, but system operators are facing a significant challenge in managing the reorganisation and changes in the electricity grid.
“This is not the same structure as 20 years ago when we had one large network of power plants in each of the Baltic countries and elsewhere to generate electricity, and we were able to calculate optimal prices,” says Bružas. "Generation capacities are now scattered across countries and the result for each country is different, taking into account weather conditions, season and power grid capacity.”
Bružas adds that another trendsetter is the rapid development of data centres. “They are rapidly promoting digitisation and are becoming increasingly bigger energy consumers,” says Bružas. “Increasingly more data centres are being built around the world, including in the Baltic countries. At the same time, the centres themselves are interested in achieving a sustainable footprint. They want to get involved in electricity generation through solar or wind farms to help introduce green thinking into their business model."
The third trend is electromobility. “The situation in the transport sector will change drastically in the coming years because of the shift to electric cars,” says Bružas. “The market is growing rapidly. There’s still a lot to be done in the Baltic countries, as an efficient infrastructure for vehicles needs to be put in place.”
Success starts with clients
ABB’s electrification business is working extensively with clients to develop new platforms, products and systems to better meet their needs. ABB also invests in start-ups to support the creation and development of new technologies. ABB’s cooperation with its clients is aimed at understanding their needs as accurately as possible and creating the best possible living environment for all. The company is convinced that success starts with clients and then expands to its employees, partners, shareholders and communities.
In the field of electrification, ABB has three main client segments with which it actively collaborates: builders and property developers; electricity companies; and industrial companies.
At present, ABB offers clients an outstanding portfolio of electrical products, solutions and services which is in line with the main global trends and include distribution equipment, electromobility infrastructure components, installation parts, building automatics and smart electrical conductivity solutions, devices designed for energy-saving and ensuring network reliability, as well as maintenance services for all of the above.
People and shared values
“I remember reading a job advertisement for ABB in the newspaper when I was in tenth grade and thinking that one day, I’d like to work for this company,” Bružas says. He has now held various positions in the company since 2005. He’s proud of the career he’s built at ABB and hopes to be a role model for others who are still deciding what direction to take in their professional lives.
Bružas recalls that ABB was one of the first international companies to properly establish itself in the Baltic countries. “We were the technology flagships in the region at the time when the market had barely emerged,” says Bružas and adds that the company not only brought Western technology, mindsets and management culture to the Baltics but also embedded business principles and changed the rules of the market.
None of this would have been possible without shared values and the people who respect them. “These values are the foundation of our company,” says Bružas. “We rely on them and are guided by them every day.”
All of the" thousands of people who’ve contributed to the company’s success over the past thirty years have shared these values. “ABB’s biggest asset is its people,” says Bružas. “Their professionalism is the reason why clients trust us with their greatest challenges. We’re working together to create opportunities for new business models and to find new ways to benefit our partners and society as a whole.”
