Energy in focus at ABB Customer Day

While it may be more familiar in red, it was green that was definitely the favored color at the Customer Day event hosted by ABB Singapore on October 8. Along with a series of presentations touching on environmental and energy efficiency issues, customers also had a chance to get up close and personal to latest products and to quiz ABB staff about how the company’s power and automation technology can meet their current project requirements.

“While the world is changing rapidly in the way we think about carbon emissions and generation, distribution and consumption of electrical power, the overall macroeconomic trends, climate change agenda, fiscal stimulus plans in major economies, the renewable energy focus, industrial efficiency for greater productivity gains, and infrastructure spend both in emerging and developed economies offer significant opportunities for ABB and the industry as a whole,” said James Foo, president and country manager, ABB Singapore, in his opening address.

Goh Chee Kiong, director of clean technology, Economic Development Board (EDB), provided a comprehensive account of Singapore’s strategy for becoming a hub for clean and green technology. Aside from the initiatives in solar energy and water treatment over the last couple of years, Goh highlighted four new growth areas: Electric Vehicles; Smart Grid; Green Buildings; and Carbon Trading.

New products on display included the AC500-eCo PLC – specially targeted at smaller automation applications; the ACS850 drive – featuring integral energy saving calculator; the Aztec 600 colorimetric analyzer for detecting water contamination; and the IRB 120 – ABB’s smallest ever robot, which targets the handing of small parts in facilities where space is at a premium.

Summing up, James Foo noted, “This year has been challenging, and I believe the economic downturn has driven us all to work even harder. For now, we can’t really determine how the economy will recover, when it will recover, but I am happy to note though, for us at ABB, we are very well positioned beyond the economic cycle.”