ABB marks 50 successful years in Singapore

ZURICH-HEADQUARTERED ABB, founded by two Swiss engineering pioneers in 1891, will be celebrating its 50th year of operation in Singapore soon. The company was established in the Republic in 1970 and employs around 900 people to serve markets across South-east Asia and beyond.

"Our technologies have contributed to Singapore's growth journey whether it be in terms of advanced manufacturing, urban infrastructure or sustainable mobility and complements its future industrial roadmap perfectly," Johan de Villiers, managing director of ABB in Singapore, tells The Business Times.

"Furthermore, we continue to build our capabilities to support the increasing need for advanced IoT (Internet of Things) and digitalisation solutions which transform industry, utilities, transport and infrastructure every day, to be safer, more productive and more sustainable," he adds.

The end of 2020 marks the 50th year of ABB's presence in Singapore and over the years the company says that it has changed the way the nation powers, produces, works, lives and moves. As Singapore brings its Smart Nation vision to reality, many of ABB's key projects have contributed to the smart infrastructure that underlies this.

ABB is providing electric bus charging infrastructure for buses that will hit the roads this year, and hundreds of its electric vehicle fast chargers will be installed across the island by Singapore Power soon. The company's heavy vehicle chargers are also powering two autonomous electric buses currently on trial in the NTU campus and it is providing the charging infrastructure for autonomous guided vehicles at Tuas Port.

"Singapore has the most reliable power grid in the world, thanks in part to ABB substations that strengthen the efficiency and reliability of transmission and distribution networks, and to meet the growing demand for power. Building from this, close to 30 major data centres use ABB's pioneering technologies for secure power supply and operations," says Mr de Villiers.

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ABB, in collaboration with Keppel Marine and Deepwater Technology, will develop the technology for autonomous vessels and retrofit a 32-metre harbour tugboat with leading-edge digital solutions, enabling autonomous vessel operations in the Singapore Port at the end of 2020, he adds.

For the Ulu Pandan water reclamation plant, ABB has installed an integrated solution with smart sensors, remote condition monitoring, and augmented reality to assist with maintenance and training. The sensors give PUB real time data that allows it to reduce troubleshooting time, as well as manpower and paperwork.

The plant recently won the World Water Award, which is a testament to the bold technology vision that the PUB has for Singapore's water future. ABB is also the main supplier of the electrical and automation systems for the Marina East desalination plant.

"You will also find ABB robots in many factories, ABB drives and motors in almost every industrial plant, and ABB switchgear and transformers in most buildings in Singapore," adds Mr de Villiers.

ABB, which recorded revenues of US$28 billion in 2019, is a leading global engineering company that energises the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive and sustainable future.