This was a great trip, “Joachim Braun said of coming to China again.” I’m glad to see that our relationship with our customers remains as close as ever. “Whether it’s orders or profits, ABB’s process industry business is entering a record year. Within a short week of coming to China, Joachim Braun has completed meetings with clients in the mining, pulp and paper industries, as well as the steel and non-ferrous metal industries, and has received many positive feedback. He is also looking forward to new cooperation opportunities in the future.
Process industrial automation is a field that covers a more complex content, from various cables and I/O installations in electrical systems to hardware and software systems, with a wide range of products that are interconnected. Joachim Braun stated that ABB mainly focuses on two major themes in the process industry field, one being sustainability and decarbonization. Many of the industries it involves are major emitters of carbon dioxide, and in recent years, these companies are also vigorously promoting emission reduction and sustainable development; The second theme is digitalization, which is essential for enterprises to achieve higher quality products, higher production efficiency, greater resilience and competitiveness.
For many years, ABB has been committed to providing a wide range of solutions for process industry enterprises. Joachim Braun stated that ABB’s general-purpose products such as switchgear, frequency converters, motors, distributed control systems (DCS), and instruments can provide seamless integration of automation and digital solutions for growth segmented industries such as mining, steel and non-ferrous metals, pulp and paper, cement, as well as food and beverage, lithium batteries, and data centers. Moreover, more importantly, ABB has accumulated decades of profound industry expertise and insights globally, which are unparalleled advantages for other manufacturers. These industry knowledge and insights can help process industry enterprises accelerate towards a sustainable future.
For example, in the mining industry, each hoist has different parameters such as diameter, load, and geology. Based on ABB’s strong industry knowledge and deep understanding of customer needs, ABB is able to meet the highly customized needs of more customers with leading products and solutions. Joachim Braun stated that ABB has a deep understanding of the underlying logic of various segmented industries in the process industry, rather than just selling independent products. The value transfer of professional knowledge is the key to ABB’s ability to gain global user favor.
02 Promoting Localization and Supporting the High Quality Development of Manufacturing in China
Against the backdrop of accelerating global digital transformation, China’s manufacturing industry is relying on digital empowerment and innovation to aim for and move towards high-quality development, from the “world factory” to “China’s intelligent manufacturing”. Joachim Braun stated that many countries have launched similar visions and plans, which also means that many investment projects in the manufacturing industry can receive strong government support, which is an exciting opportunity.
In industries such as mining, steel, and non-ferrous metals, companies will pay more attention to improving the efficiency of factory operations, as well as the configuration and electrification of mining trucks, which provide opportunities for ABB to explore the market. Not only that, ABB has accumulated solid digital successful practical experience in multiple vertical industries in the process industry, but also has a professional and large local engineering team, which can provide comprehensive customized intelligent manufacturing solutions for domestic enterprises. Especially for traditional industrial industries that urgently hope to achieve low-carbon goals and high-quality sustainable development in the process of energy structure adjustment, ABB can effectively combine digitalization and low-carbon to promote its green transformation.
China is ABB’s second largest market, and in promoting localization construction, ABB has always been a benchmark enterprise in the industry. Nowadays, over 90% of ABB’s sales in China come from locally manufactured products, solutions, and services. Adhering to the long-term development concept of “in China, for China”, ABB continues to optimize its business footprint in China and promote the localization of the entire supply chain. Joachim Braun added that ABB’s advantage lies in its ability to apply global talent resources including China, Sweden, Germany, India, and other countries to the same product development and post service.
ABB has been committed to the construction of local manufacturing bases. As early as 2011, the ABB hoist manufacturing base located in Lingang, Shanghai has been established and has been providing Chinese users with products such as mine hoists, hoist gate control systems, and related training services for more than a decade. In addition, after Switzerland, ABB has also established a manufacturing base and engineering center for high-power rectifiers (HPRs) in China. In the future, technologies such as additive manufacturing, collaborative robots, and AR/VR will also be applied to training and on-site services.