For more than 100 years, ABB and its predecessor companies have set the pace for innovation in technologies to harvest energy, improve productivity, safeguard the environment, increase profits, and more. Their modern day power and automation technologies are derived from the efforts of dozens of leading companies and thousands of talented individuals worldwide.
Although certain brand names have changed, the spirit of innovation from these leading companies and their employees remains at the core of ABB. In celebration of this heritage, they offer here a brief history of some of the companies that have contributed to shaping ABB - and a quick guide to the technologies that they continue to influence today.
AccuRay Systems
AccuRay designed, manufactured and marketed computer-based automation and management information systems for manufacturing processes to save raw materials and energy, increase productivity, lower costs and improve product quality. AccuRay automation systems controlled manufacturing processes in the pulp and paper, rubber, plastics, textile and metals industries.
AccuRay systems measured the basic properties of materials, such as weight, moisture, thickness, width, opacity and component content. The technologies for performing such measurements employed a variety of physical and electronic principles that included nuclear, X-ray, infrared, radio frequency, optical, pneumatic and electromagnetic techniques.
AccuRay technology and expertise has helped ABB maintain its status as the leading provider of measurement and control technologies for the Pulp and Paper industries.
Alfa Laval Automation
Founded in 1955, as the company Elektronlund in the town of Malmö, Sweden. The company grew through different mergers and name changes (Satt Electronics, Ahlsell Control, SattControl and Alfa Laval Automation) to one of the major players of process automation and control in Europe. In the early 70’s, this company developed and launched the first programmable controller in Europe, the PBS system.
Merged with Alfa Laval in 1986 to form its Automation Company. Alfa Laval Automation has always been at the front end of technology and launched in the early 90’ the successful Object Oriented DCS system SattLine. Merged with ABB in August 1998. Alfa Laval Automation innovations, creativity and knowledge is still an important driving force in the latest ABB technologies.
ASEA
Asea AB, an industrial jewel of Sweden, was created in 1883. Asea’s business was broadly defined as "the generation and application of electric power". The company manufactured such diverse items as steam turbines for power plants and high-speed electric locomotives for passenger railroads.
In 1986, Asea announced the successful implementation of its Nordic Strategy, an attempt to extend the firm’s engineering and manufacturing operations beyond Sweden in order to gain economies of scale - both in manufacturing and in raising capital. The big step forward had been the acquisition in Finland of Strömberg AB with its 7,000 employees, which was followed in late 1987 by the acquisition of 63 percent of EB Corporation in Norway. By 1987, Asea was radically altered from a Swedish-centered into a pan-Nordic electrical multinational. But the company continued to look even beyond the Nordic countries.
In 1987 Asea and Brown Boveri were of roughly equivalent size in many respects (annual sales, net worth, number of employees) and had adopted similar lines of decentralized command. The companies also complemented each other in their geographical concentrations and in management strengths. This marriage of equals, Asea and Brown Boveri into one company, ABB, allowed it to stay at the forefront of technology. Utilizing production plants in many countries, the merged group made the most of the advantages of international specialization and became the world's leading supplier in the electric power industry.
ASEA Brown Boveri
ABB Asea Brown Boveri, was the result of a merger between Asea AB of Sweden and BBC Brown Boveri Ltd. of Baden, Switzerland in 1988. The merged entity became the world’s leading supplier in the $50 billion electric power industry. At that time ABB controlled as much as a third of Europe’s business and more than 20 percent of the world market. It successfully integrated 850 subsidiary companies and 180,000 employees operating in 140 countries.
When ABB was formed its two parent companies retained their separate names, boards and stock listings. In 1996 ASEA AB in Sweden and BBC Brown Boveri AG in Switzerland decided to change their names to "ABB AB" and "ABB AG," respectively.
August Systems
History of TMR
The Triple Modular Redundant (TMR) technology widely used today in certified safety system applications was originally invented by August Systems (founded in 1978). August Systems was the first to prove that three microprocessors could carry out a single valid control action. This development effort was a result of the NASA space program in the United States.
The original application of the TMR technology was in Critical Control and Safeguarding systems. This technology was later applied to Emergency Shutdown Systems (ESD) and Fire & Gas Systems (F&G) in the Oil and Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Industries.
The Triguard TMR product has over 1,000 major systems installed worldwide with over 10,000,000 operational hours. ABB purchased August Systems in 1997. Their latest product offerings include ABB Plantguard, an Industrial IT enabled TMR system.
Bailey Controls
From development of the world’s first steam boiler meter to innovations that ushered in the age of distributed processing, the Bailey name has long been associated with excellence in control and instrumentation. Founded in 1916 by the US inventor Ervin G. Bailey, the company soon grew to become a global force in automation.
In 1989, Bailey Controls merged with Italy’s Elsag Group to form Elsag Bailey Process Automation, achieving top market positions in various process control and instrumentation segments. Elsag Bailey was, in turned, merged with ABB in 1998. Elsag Bailey talent, creativity and knowledge continue as an important driving force in ABB technologies. For more information follow the links on the right.
Bailey Network Management
The name Bailey Network Management has long been associated with excellence in Energy Management and SCADA systems used primarily in the electric power industry.
As part of the ABB Power Technologies division this heritage provides a wide range of hardware, software, and full-service solutions for the railway, gas transportation, hydroelectric, and petrochemical industries. Although the familiar Ranger and Vanguard names have been retired, the same attention to detail and robust technology that made these names the leaders in the industry is assured. These solutions are available today from ABB. For more details follow the links on the right.
Bomem
The Bomem name has long been associated with a wide variety of analytical products and systems geared to both the process and research/laboratory markets.
Bomem technologies for FTIR push the envelope for quality and precision. Included are products for raw material identification and quality analysis, tools for analysis of polyatomic molecules, multi-point process monitors, and systems for monitoring the composition and quality of molten aluminum. As a part of ABB, Bomem technology continues to set the standards for FTIR Spectroradiometry used in military, meteorological, and environmental applications.
BBC Brown Boveri Electric
The American operation of Swiss-based Brown Boveri Limited was called Brown Boveri Electric Company, incorporated as a US company. In 1984, the US company name was changed to BBC Brown Boveri Inc.
Brown Boveri Electric continued innovation in the electrical industry in the field of stored energy low- and medium-voltage circuit breakers and 5 kilovolt (kV) air magnetic circuit breakers started by ITE Circuit Breaker Company and Gould ITE. Manufacturing a complete line of low- and medium-voltage indoor and outdoor products in addition to high-voltage circuit breakers and switches, the company was known for technical innovation and engineering excellence.
In 1988, the name changed again following the merger of Swedish ASEA, and Swiss BBC. The new company ASEA Brown Boveri grew considerably when the transformer and relaying businesses of Westinghouse Electric were added to the American operation.
Shortened to ABB Inc. in recent years, the American operation continues the strong engineering and innovation that was a tradition of the ITE Circuit Breaker Company.
Brown Boveri
Brown, Boveri & Cie (BBC) was a Swiss group of electrical engineering companies.
It was founded in Baden, Switzerland, in 1891 by Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown and Walter Boveri who worked at the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In 1970 BBC took over the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In 1988 it merged with ASEA to form ABB.
The company produced DC motors, AC motors, generators, steam turbines, gas turbines, transfomers and the electrical equipments of locomotives. Some of BBC's technology went into German U-boats of World War II, such as the depth controls.
Calor Emag
The company was founded in 1925. One of the first products of that time comprised motor protection switches with thermal tripping.
The name Calor comes from the Latin Word for heat, corresponding to the response criterion of these protection switches. During this initial period, high- and medium-voltage switchgear was built in the Emag works, which took its name from the Elektrische Meßinstrumente -und Apparatebau-Gesellschaft (Electrical measuring Instrument and apparatus company).
Within a few years only, the young CALOR-EMAG was manufacturing a well-rounded range of products for customers in heavy industry, the basic chemicals sector, and power supply. Exports in the prewar period, however, remained within modest limits. Nevertheless, at the outbreak of war in 1939, CALOR-EMAG was employing a staff of over 1.500. The extensive destruction of the works meant that reconstruction after 1945 was a slow process.
Deliberations on minimum-oil circuit-breakers from before the war were taken up again. In 1949, the first circuit-breakers on this principle went into series production, and from then on, success of CALOR-EMAG was closely coupled with advances in circuit-breaker construction.
Together with the development of circuit-breakers, the 1950s saw the start of another test program, which was to have extremely far-reaching consequences:
- CALOR-EMAG was the first manufacturer systematically to concern itself with the effects of arcing in high-voltage switchgear installations. The result - new switchboard versions for operating voltages of up to 35 kilovolts (kV) in metalclad design with withdrawable circuit-breakers - was a landmark in switchgear design.
- The world's fastest switching device - the Is-limiter - for handling of high short-circuit currents, the first SF6 insulated high-voltage switchgear installation in the world, and switchgear cubicle designs for a variety of special applications (including both underground and open cast mining) were further milestones on the company's road to success.
Following a lively exchange of theoretical knowledge and experience with Brown, Boveri and Cie AG, the entire block of shares was purchased in 1973 and CALOR-EMAG thus integrated into the BBC Group.
Cellier
ABB Process Engineering (Cellier) offers expertise in a number of industrial processes, with specialization in formulation, batch production and associated technologies.
Industries served include paper, lubricants, paint, resins, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, winery engineering, and agro-food packaging engineering. Their scope of services includes the construction of turnkey production units, process engineering, design and manufacture of equipment, and design and manufacture of process control equipment.
Based in Aix-les-Bains, ABB Process Engineering has more than 40 years of experience and over 1,000 installations worldwide.
EJF (Elektrotechnicke zavody Julia Fucika)
Products from EJF (Brno, Czech Republic) have a long history. From the factory foundation in 1887 by Bartelmus - Donát, through its acquisition by Skoda, ZSE Praha group and during company independence, EJF products gained excellent reputation among power distribution customers of former Czechoslovakia and abroad.
Since 1993 ABB continues to be the preferred partner to the customers in the Czech and Slovak Republics and even becomes a global supplier of medium-voltage switchgear 6-25 kilovolts (kV), instrument transformers and sensors, SF6 and vacuum circuit breakers.
ABB is continuously extending the range of products, systems and activities for residential buildings, industry or power plants to meet all customer demand. We make products, deliveries, actions and daily operations an expression of the quality of the work we carry out in the whole company.
ABB supports life extension or upgrade of the original EJF switchgear equipment, such as circuit breaker, contactor, dosconnector or bus riser trucks and offers a wide range of modern medium-voltage products.
Elettrocondutture S.p.A.
As far back as the first half of the 20th century, Elettrocondutture S.p.A., with its head office in Milan, was one of the few leading Italian companies which marked the historical milestones of the low voltage plant engineering evolution. Back in the 1930s, under the guidance of the Calì family, it had already introduced the first Stotz-Kontakt automatic circuit-breakers in Italy. These represented the development of the first types of automatic protections, whose invention by the German company even dated back as far as the 1920s.
In 1950, when collaboration with BBC Brown Boveri had been strengthened, production was extended to remote switches and industrial relays and, at the beginning of the 1960s, immediately after the inauguration of the new factory in Milan, the Elettrostop residual current circuit-breakers were patented. These were the ancestors of the present series of residual current protection devices found in every domestic, service sector and industrial electrical installation.
The new factory in Pomezia was opened at the beginning of the 1970s. This worked alongside the one in Milan to produce the different series of circuit-breakers featuring the technological innovations which have progressively established themselves. The same period also saw introduction of the first series of miniaturised modular apparatus in Europe.
The automatic and residual current circuit-breakers, which represented the company’s traditional market, were placed side by side with a continuously widening range of products and systems: PLCs and other electronic equipment for industrial automation, switchboards, building automation systems, etc.
At the end of the 1980s, Elettrocondutture became part of the ABB Group where it has carried on developing and selling products and solutions, constantly keeping pace with progress of the technologies available and with the increasing new needs of all the operators in the electrical and automation sectors.
ETSI
Advanced technology and expertise made Electronic Technology Systems Inc (ETSI) a world leader in the development of controls for turbines and rotating equipment. As part of the overall ABB portfolio products, these systems continue to offer users a variety of digital automation solutions for new or retrofit application to gas and steam turbines from all makers.
Included are advanced speed and load controls, auto synchronization and simulation packages, plus remote valve calibration for faster startup. In addition, ABB provides high-pressure hydraulic systems including skid-mounted units for turnkey retrofits.
Many ETSI control strategies were developed in concert with Bailey distributed control systems, for which dedicated slave modules and other products were developed, which are now integrated into the ABB systems offerings.
Founded in 1984, ETSI was acquired by Elsag Bailey in 1993 and became part of the ABB portfolio with the ABB aquisition of Elsag Bailey in 1999. The products and professional services are sold through ABB operating units in more than 100 countries.
Fischer & Porter
The Fischer & Porter Company, founded in 1937, has long been a leader in the design and manufacture of process instrumentation. The Fischer and Porter brand was associated with an industry-leading range of flow measurement products, along with devices to measure, indicate, and control other process variables including pressure, temperature, level, and more.
In 1994, Fischer & Porter was acquired by Elsag Bailey Process Automation (EBPA), a strategic union that recognized Elsag Bailey's primary strengths in the distributed systems area and Fischer & Porter's expertise in process instrumentation. With the 1999 acquisition of Elsag Bailey by ABB, these products became a cornerstone of a larger portfolio of process instrumentation and control.
Today, Fischer & Porter products are fully integrated into the ABB portfolio of world class process instrumentation products including magnetic flow meters, and other flow measurement technologies including variable area, vortex shedding, and mass flow. Market leading systems for dosing and filling are also available.
Gould ITE
ITE Circuit Breaker Company, named for the innovative oil-dashpot inverse time element on its electro-mechanical circuit breaker trip devices, was acquired in the late seventies by Gould, Inc.. The new company Gould ITE continued to manufacture its products mainly in several factories in the Philadelphia area and a west coast facility in Downey, CA.
Gould sold a majority of the ITE Company to Swiss-based Brown Boveri Limited, which later became ABB.
Hartmann and Braun
Hartmann & Braun was founded in Germany in 1879, becoming a leading supplier of instrumentation devices by the turn of the century. In the 1920's, Hartmann & Braun expanded its offering to control equipment, and has since become a leading supplier of both instrumentation and control equipment to the German and pan-European markets.
Much of Hartmann & Braun's growth can be traced to strategic acquisitions, beginning with a series of geographical actions taking the company into key markets throughout Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. In 1951, the group acquired controlling interest in Schoppe & Faeser, a leading German producer of automation equipment for the power industry. Other significant actions included the 1988 purchase of Applied Automation, a US-based leader in analytical products, and the 1991 acquisition of Sensycon, a leading German supplier of temperature measurement devices. Hartmann & Braun became part of the ABB product catalog with the acquisition of Elsag Bailey in 1999.
ITE
The ITE Circuit Breaker Company, named for the innovative oil-dashpot inverse time element on its electro-mechanical circuit breaker trip devices, was founded in the 1890’s in Philadelphia, PA. A merger in the 1960’s changed the name to the ITE Imperial Company.
ITE was an innovator in the electrical industry creating the first stored energy low and medium voltage circuit breakers. It also was the first to create 5 kilovolt (kV) air magnetic circuit breakers. Manufacturing a complete line of low- and medium voltage indoor and outdoor products in addition to high-voltage circuit breakers and switches, ITE was know for technical innovation and engineering excellence.
The American operations of ABB continue the strong engineering and innovation that was a tradition of the ITE Circuit Breaker Company.
Kent
The present instrumentation business had its beginnings in Hatton Garden, London when Robert W. Paul started his company in 1891. Within six years, expansion brought about a move to Muswell Hill, North London where the company remained until 1975 when the decision to find a new site was made and the current St. Neots site in Cambridgeshire was selected.
In 1920 Paul's business amalgamated with the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Co. taking the name of Cambridge and Paul. The name was again changed in 1924 to Cambridge Instrument Co. Ltd. In 1937 the original production area was enlarged and again, in 1951, more space was acquired at Friern Park, Finchley, North London for further expansion. The year 1968 saw the Cambridge Instrumentation Co. joining forces with the George Kent Group of Luton, forming the largest independent British manufacturer of industrial instruments. After reorganization, the industrial division was separated from those involved in scientific and medical products and at the same time the Foster Instrument Co. of Letchworth, Herts. was amalgamated with Cambridge Instruments to create Foster Cambridge Ltd.
The George Kent Group combined with BBC Brown Boveri & Co. Ltd., the international electrical engineering organization in late 1974. By December 1975, all personnel had transferred from London to St. Neots, at the same time production of all Fielden Electronics products was moved to the St. Neots site. In 1976 Metrawatt, a Brown Boveri company, was also moved to the St. Neots factory. Kent Industrial Measurements Limited and Kent Process Control were formed from the creation of Brown Boveri Kent Ltd in July 1979. A 1988 merger between BBC and the Swedish organization ASEA resulted in the formation of ABB (ASEA Brown Boveri), bringing Kent into the ABB fold.
Kuhlman Electric Corporation
Kuhlman was founded in 1894. In that year, Mr. Etna Kuhlman with a start-up workforce of two men set up shop in Elkhart, Indiana. It was there that Kuhlman's very first transformer was designed and produced.
In 1915, Kuhlman moved its manufacturing operation to Bay City, Michigan, where it remained until that facility closed in 1975. Throughout the 1940's and early 1950's, with rural electrification and urban and industrial growth reaching record highs, the need for transformers rose greatly. Kuhlman's orders and backlog grew with this trend as well. After several much needed expansions to the Bay City plant and the addition of a new warehouse facility, Kuhlman was still faced with the "problem" of needing even more factory capacity.
To expand their power transformer product line, Kuhlman opened the manufacturing facility in Crystal Springs, Mississippi just south of Jackson, Mississippi in 1956. This facility allowed Kuhlman to expand into the three phase small power transformer market. This was vital for rapid growth due to the distribution substation construction throughout North America.
In July 1969, the Versailles, Kentucky plant began manufacturing distribution transformers for Kuhlman. In 1977, plans to expand the facility received corporate approval, and the project was completed in the latter part of 1978. This expansion increased capacity by about 20 percent to 250,000 square feet. Also in 1978, Kuhlman acquired Associated Engineering Company, an independent manufacturer of instrument transformers with facility near Charlotte, North Carolina.
In 1991, Kuhlman Corporation Headquarters moved from the Birmingham, Michigan facility to the Versailles location near Lexington, Kentucky in the heart of central Kentucky's lovely Bluegrass Region. In 1993, some of the company's Corporate HQ Division briefly moved to Savannah, Georgia, where they remained until the purchase of the Kuhlman Corporation (NYSE: KUH) by Borg Warner Corporation (NYSE: BWA) and the subsequent sale of Kuhlman Electric Corporation to The Carlyle Group in 1999. During the transmission market downturn of 1994, the oil-filled instrument transformers were moved to the Crystal Springs facility when Kuhlman consolidated instrument transformer manufacturing with the power transformers.
In August 2008, Kuhlman Electric was purchased outright from the Carlyle Group by ABB. In addition to Crystal Springs facility becoming part of ABB’s Small Power Transformer division, this facility also manufactures oil-filled instrument transformers for ABB Kuhlman High Voltage Instrument Transformers, a division of Power Products High Voltage.
Luca System - History of ECS
The Plastic Enclosures factory in Marostica born as a private company owned by Luca family in 1971. The factory was a part of ELEKTROLUME company together with the factory LUMETAL in Porcia producing metal and resin enclosures and metal ducts.
In 1992 the LUMETAL factory split into two parts, one sold to HAGER group and the other with the name of ELLECI still belonging to Luca family. In 1995 Luca family sold the Marostica plastic factory to ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) and became ABB LUCA SYSTEM.
In 2000, the merger among the four ABB companies in Italy operating in the field of low voltage (ABB Sace L.V., ABB Elettrocondutture, ABB LucaSystem and ABB Turati) led to ABB SACE Spa being set up, and the factory in Marostica became the "Enclosures and Cable System" (or ECS).
The range actually produced by ABB ECS factory covers all the distribution plastic range from consumer units up to plastic wiring ducts, including the plastic enclosures Gemini sold in the export and domestic market.
National Industri
National Industri (NI) was established in Norway in 1917 as a major supplier of heavy electrical products, transformers and hydropower generators to the Norwegian market.
National Industri started to establish an export activity during 1965 - 1970.
Transformer companies in certain markets were acquired in order to have access to the worldwide market. Gradually, new countries were added to the list where National Industri had production in wholly or partly owned companies. These countries were Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Ecuador.
National Industri was first incorporated in the EB-Group before it became an ABB entity in 1988.
National Industri’s main export products have always been furnace and rectifier transformers based on the “shell-form” principle. They are especially fitted for arc furnaces and reduction furnaces.
National Industri was the world’s leading company for furnace transformer when it was acquired by ABB in 1988.
Shell form transformers delivered from National Industri or ABB Norway are still repaired in the original factory in Drammen, Norway.
This facility is also able to produce new spare transformers, identical or upgraded version of the existing transformers. Spare parts are also available from the ABB factory in Drammen, Norway.
The factory in Norway is also supporting transformers delivered from ASEA Per Kure (Norway) (APK) and Richard Pfeifer (Norway) (RP).
Reyrolle
Reyrolle & Company was a British engineering firm founded by Alphonse Constant Reyrolle, a Frenchman, in 1886 to produce scientific instruments. At its peak it employed 12,000 people and manufacturered switchgear for power stations worldwide.
Reyrolle was a leader in electrical manufacturing in the United Kingdom throughout the 1900’s through to about 1980. During this period there were many Reyrolle plants established outside the UK including switchgear factories in South Africa and Melbourne, Australia.
The South Africa based division of Reyrolle, a division of NEI Africa Ltd., was acquired by ABB in 2002. It included the medium-voltage part of Reyrolle South Africa.
Reyrolle's medium-voltage switchgear got an impressive reputation for quality and reliability, with a long service life. Nowadays ABB is offering extensive retrofit solutions for Reyrolle LMT, LMS, LMR and LMRP switchgear. There is a specific benefit of circuit-breaker retrofit, where the original breakers are of an oil-insulated type and there is a need to reduce fire risk in the sub-station for safety or insurance purposes. The breaker can easily be replaced with the latest vacuum or SF6 circuit breakers, enabling the switchboard to reach its full lifespan.
Reyrolle LM panels retrofitted with the Internal Arc modifications increase operator safety at a fraction of the cost of new switchgear with minimal downtime and all modifications done on site.
SACE S.p.A. - The Value of Continuity
At the beginning of the 20th century, on the entrepreneurial initiative of Alberto Fantini, ex workshop foreman at the Electrotechnical Laboratory of L. Magrini, the construction activities of electric switchboards and line apparatus was started up in Bergamo, which was then to be linked to the name SACE. It was 1906, and the Italian electrotechnical industry was taking its first steps.
The first company, the "Officine Elettrotecniche Bergamasche Alberto Fantini and C.", remained in business until 1918, when it was turned into SACE, "Società Anonima Costruzioni Elettromeccaniche". The company was then re-founded in 1934, thanks to the willpower and initiative of the late Agostino Eschini, Federico Mazzola and Leopoldo Ferrè.
At that time SACE was little more than an artisan workshop, where the first apparatus was built, studied and realized on the basis of original patents: in those years, thanks to the quality and specificity of its products, the company had managed to make a name for itself both abroad and with important Italian customers, such as the Royal Arsenals and the State Railways.
Production activities, which had remained at the original premises inaugurated in 1906, were moved to the new factory in Via Baioni, in the locality of Valtesse in 1947, covering an area of about 30,000 square metres. Following on the initial industrial settlement in Bergamo, in 1969 the factory in Frosinone (at that time called SACE-SUD) started up business and, in 1979, the factory in Dalmine.
During the ’60s, SACE, which had in the meantime changed its corporate name to Società per Azioni Costruzioni Elettromeccaniche, caught the interest of FPE, a United States company working in the electromechanical sector. In 1969 the figures showed that 10% of the merchant navy worldwide was fitted with SACE apparatus.
In 1970, SACE became part of the Brown Boveri and Cie. of Baden group, which then became Asea Brown Boveri in 1988, following the merger of the Asea and Brown Boveri groups, which took place in the summer of the previous year. Since then ABB has been a major world colossus in the electromechanical field, and within this, the SACE company has won over an important worldwide market share.
All together, at the end of the eighties, the ABB SACE factories occupied an industrial area of about 500,000 square metres, of which 75,000 were covered, and had 2.200 employees.
Nowadays, ABB SACE is an ABB centre of excellence for production of Low Voltage circuit-breakers and electric switchgear. The ABB SACE range of Low Voltage circuit-breakers includes both moulded-case and air circuit-breakers able to satisfy all plant requirements up to a rated current of 6300 A, a breaking capacity of 200 kA and rated voltages up to 1000 V AC and DC. Furthermore, both the ranges have complete and standardized series of accessories.
Following a series of transformations, ABB SACE is now a modern company operating in Italy in the Automation Product sector and exports its products all over the world, without having lost sight of the “mission” of its pioneering electrotechnical artisans.
Simcon
Simcon specialized in simulation and advanced control system application within the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical industries. The knowledge and expertise of Simcon applications can be found within many ABB products and solutions.
Stromberg
Strömberg was established in Finland in 1889. Offerings included electromechanical products such as generators, electric motors and even small power plants.The founder of the company, Gottfrid Strömberg, became the first person in the country to conduct academic research and teaching in electrotechnology while acquiring the highest university level knowledge in Berlin and Hanover, Germany.
Product development was Strömberg's preferred activity from the very beginning. It intensified in the 1960’s when some 10 percent of Strömberg's employees were working in product development and technology research. Strömberg had been early in applying modern electronics to its products, especially motors, electric drives and protective relays. The first frequency converter based drive was installed as early as 1973. The first microprocessor-based relay was developed in 1982.
The passion to remain an entrepreneurial company based on the belief that the key to success in all circumstances would be product and quality excellence has been a cornerstone over the years. Building international networks was also an early key competence in Strömberg. Since 1988, ABB has offered this sustained knowledge in automation and power technology.
Taylor
George Taylor and David Kendall established Taylor, first known for their extensive line of the highest quality of thermometers and barometers, in 1851. They quickly went from focusing on the weather to process instrumentation in 1911 and automation technologies in 1984, with the launch of the MOD 300 distributed control system.
In 1983 Taylor merged with Combustion Engineering, becoming one of the largest process instrumentation companies in the United States. Combustion Engineering then merged with ABB in 1989, joining the largest electrical engineering company in the world. Taylor’s technical expertise continues to be an important part of ABB technologies today.
TBI-Bailey
Longtime leader in the measurement of pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen, the TBI Company was acquired by Bailey Controls in 1985.
TBI-Bailey-based products include sensors, transmitters, and controllers for the total management of liquid analysis variables. Among the company's strengths are its line of durable sensors, which withstand harsh process environments far longer than many competitive models.
TBI-Bailey also provides a range of both conventional and "smart" transmitters for interface to host control systems, as well as stand-alone controllers which form the basis for "packaged" liquid analysis solutions.
Based in Carson City, Nevada, TBI-Bailey joined the ABB catalog in 1999 with the ABB acquisition of Elsag Bailey. The legacy of innovation and product quality can now be found embedded in many ABB products.
Totalflow
After a long association with Applied Automation unit of Hartmann and Braun, Totalflow was included in the merger of Elsag Bailey with ABB.
Former Totalflow brand flow computers, communication devices, BTU/CV transmitters, data management and collection software and the full line of pre-configured solutions for the natural gas industry are now part of the ABB product catalog.
Turati S.p.A. - History of ADB
The Automation and Distribution Boards (or ADB) was a private owned company - Turati S.p.A. – until 1995, when ABB purchased the operations. Land and building still belong to Turati Family.
At that time, the company was specialised in the production of enclosures for application in the Automation market.
Soon after the acquisition, ABB decided to develop a new and parallel range of distribution boards with the purpose of selling to the market a complete distribution system (i.e. breakers, DIN Rail, Enclosures).
Starting from 1998, ADB produced the two ranges of products (automation range, IS, and Distribution named ArTu), mainly sold on the domestic markets. From 2000 on, ADB started sales in export markets and giving licences to local Sales Organisations.
Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric Corporation was founded by George Westinghouse in 1886. He devised the use of alternating current (AC) for electric power transmission. He was a prolific inventor, beginning with the air brake for railways in 1868, and then added 360 patents for railways, electricity and natural gas. He invented the gas meter and pioneered a control system of pipes to transmit natural gas into homes safely.
His hydroelectric development of Niagara Falls in 1896 initiated the practice of placing generating stations far from consumption centers. The Niagara plant transmitted massive amounts of power to Buffalo, New York, 20 miles away. To solve the problem of sending electricity over longer distances, Westinghouse developed the transformer. They are still used today to step up the voltage for efficient long-distance power transmission and then step it down at the point of use.
The electric transmission and distribution (T&D) business of Westinghouse Electric developed into a dominant and sustained industry leader in North America. In 1989, ABB acquired the T&D business of Westinghouse. This gave ABB a leading production position for distribution and power transformers, instrument transformers, transformer components, high-voltage breakers, medium-voltage breakers and reclosers, surge arresters, and capacitors.
ZWAR
ZWAR Group, one of Poland’s leading manufacturers of switchgear and high-voltage equipment, was acquired by ABB in 1997. The ZWAR Group comprised four factories - two in Warsaw, one north of Warsaw in Przasnysz, and one west of Gdansk in Lebork. Altogether, they employed 1,750 people and were major suppliers to the Polish market.
The new company manufactures a wide range of products for applications in power transmission and distribution for utilities and industry, including medium- and high-voltage switchgear, instrument transformers and surge arrestors. The four factories are all certified to international quality standard ISO 9001 and were previously licencees of ABB for various advanced circuit breaker designs. The new company has gained by sharing in ABB’s latest technology across this wide field and from further investment to modernize production facilities, enhance environmental performance and transfer know-how in management and information systems.
During the last six years ABB Zwar has gone through a very deep restructuring process. One factory in Warsaw was closed (on Goclawska Str.) and production moved to factory in Warszawa Miêdzylesie. The factory in Lêbork was also closed and production moved to factories in Przasnysz and Lodz. At the end of 2001 ABB Zwar consolidated its activities with ABB Elta (producer of power and distribution transformers) within the Power Technologies Division. On March 19, 2002, ABB Zwar and ABB Elta merged with ABB Sp. z o.o. Operations of both companies continued under ABB Sp. z o.o. Since then the usage of brand names ABB Zwar and ABB Elta have been replaced by ABB.
The factory in Przasnysz became a focused factory for medium-voltage fuses, switch disconnectors and MV instrument transformers within the ABB Group, and is still producing medium voltage (MV) instrument transformers and circuit breakers for the local market. The factory in Lodz is responsible for producing oil immersed medium-sized distribution transformers (251-2000 kVA), and medium-sized power transformers (70-200 MVA, up to 254 kV). The factory in Warszawa- Miedzylesie is producing ST7 movable transformer substations for the global market and switchgear for the local market. Moreover all ABB activities in Warsaw were moved to Miedzylesie, including ABB headquarters in Poland and Automation Division activities.
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