Across societies and economies, many of us take it for granted that we have reliable power at the flip of a switch, that water flows at the turn of a knob, or that goods are available at our fingertips. What we rarely think about are the sophisticated, interconnected processes, systems, technologies and operations working around the clock to enable everyday life as many of us know it.
Every item we own and use tells a story of where it came from. Take our smartphones, for example, perhaps the most common device on earth with 6.3 billion in use . The metals and minerals that go into each phone need to be responsibly sourced. By automating, electrifying and increasingly digitalizing mines, ABB is playing a vital role to ensure working conditions are safe, and environmental impacts are addressed. For example, by making it possible for vehicles to be powered with electricity rather than diesel, by ventilating underground shafts to ensure fresh air where it is needed, or by optimizing production processes and enabling autonomous operations so that machinery can be controlled reliably from a distance.
Once produced, our smartphones are packaged. ABB systems help the pulp and paper industry to produce at optimal quality, continuously monitoring the process so that the least amount of raw material is used for this packaging. The journey continues – our smartphones are shipped. Cargo vessels are the most efficient way to move goods in terms of energy use per ton transported. ABB’s power, propulsion, instruments, analyzers and software allow ships to cross the seas more efficiently, optimize their route to increase safety of crew and cargo, and reduce the fuel needed. Once at port, the cargo is discharged, through automated and often unmanned cranes, enabled by ABB’s systems, making it a safer place to work.
Then the phone enters our daily lives, needing to be charged, with power generated from a range of sources. ABB helps energy producers provide reliable and affordable energy by automating their plants, by helping them monitor, manage and reduce emissions through analytical equipment, and by supporting the transition to more renewable sources.
“We want to enable industries to operate more sustainably by applying the best automation to their production processes.’’
Peter Terwiesch
President of ABB Process Automation
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