ABB and SMEs to collaborate to increase productivity using robotics technology

Singapore, September 29, 2010 – ABB, the leading power and automation company, celebrates the official opening of ABB’s Robotics Application Center (RAC) in Singapore today. The first for ABB in Asia, the robotics set-up in the RAC is a picking, packing, and palletizing line, which is an essential process for many growing industries like food & beverage, pharmaceutical production, semiconductor and photovoltaics.

Robotics systems offer an amazingly high degree of accuracy, hygiene, speed and flexibility. There is an increasing demand for robotics technology in Singapore and Southeast Asia, as manufacturing lines are pressured to stay cost competitive, while achieving high standards of productivity and quality. Robotics technology are also used by many industries for safety and health reasons, as the robots can work in environments that are unpleasant for humans.

James Foo, ABB’s president and country manager in Singapore, said “There is a great potential for Singapore to take leadership in packaging and other robotics solutions in Southeast Asia, as we benefit from the presence of high-end manufacturing industries in Singapore, great local and regional companies that support the development of cost-effective systems, and a booming food & beverage industry in Southeast Asia.”

Many food & beverage companies in Southeast Asia have reported impressive growth numbers this year, and the fast-developing region of 568 million people offers plenty of demand for food. With fluctuating energy and raw material prices, robotic automation and software has become essential to reduce costs of end products – production efficiency is increased, optimal energy is utilized, and less raw materials are wasted as production methods are more refined, flexible and accurate.

ABB, along with the support of systems integrators, can benefit from the growth opportunities in the region. ABB will be seeking out five SME partners to develop robot systems that will help industries like aerospace, pharmaceuticals and food & beverage achieve greater productivity. The RAC will be a space that ABB’s partners can freely utilize to develop new solutions.

"Today, the use of industrial robots is widespread and there are over 1 million operating robots in the world. Asia being one of the emerging regions, is expected to see an increase of nearly 40 percent in the sale of industrial robots. This could be the highest increase across the world. So the bottom-line is "If you don’t automate, others will", said Renny Yeo, Honorary President and Chairman of SMa Productivity & Innovation Function Committee
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 117,000 people.

For help with any technical terms in this release, please go to www.abb.com/glossary

About ABB
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 117,000 people.

About ABB Robotics
ABB Robotics (www.abb.com/robotics) is a leading supplier of industrial robots – also providing robot software, peripheral equipment, modular manufacturing cells and service for tasks such as welding, handling, assembly, painting and finishing, picking, packing, palletizing and machine tending. Key markets include automotive, plastics, metal fabrication, foundry, electronics, pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries. A strong customer focus helps manufacturers improve productivity, product quality and worker safety. ABB has installed more than 175,000 robots worldwide.

ABB Robotics
2 Ayer Rajah Crescent
Singapore
139 935

Emely Tan
emely.tan@sg.abb.com
65 9658 5005

This release was published on openPR.