Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Automation Technology News

Yaskawa Announces Expansion Plan in Europe

Photo courtesy of Yaskawa

Japanese technology group Yaskawa announced that it will intensify its presence in Europe, with the aim of becoming one of the two leading manufacturers of industrial robots in strategic target markets in the medium term. This investment plan follows a successful first wave of expansion initiated in 2014, which included the acquisition of The Switch, one of the leading manufacturers of advanced drive train technology for the marine, wind energy and industrial sectors.

Schlumberger Buys Omron Oilfield and Marine

Schlumberger announced today that it has acquired Omron Oilfield and Marine, Inc., a U.S.-based OMRON Corporation group company, which is a global leader in automation technology and solutions. “The addition of Omron Oilfield and Marine will enable us to strengthen our industrial automation control systems capabilities as part of our long-term strategy to develop an integrated well construction system,” said Ashok Belani, executive vice president, Technology, Schlumberger.

ABB debuts Dynamic AC Concept

Zurich, Switzerland, March 14 2016 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, is launching a new Dynamic AC (DAC) concept that optimizes engine speed, leading to significant fuel savings. It joins a number of established ABB products, such as Azipod propulsion and the Onboard DC Grid, which maximize energy efficiency for vessel owners. For a large cruise ship, for example, up to 6 percent (or up to 2000 tons of fuel) of annual savings can be achieved by engine speed optimization.

Azipod D, Energy Storage Solution Selected for Newbuilds

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, will supply the power, propulsion and energy storage solution for two of the most innovative vessels operating in the offshore oil and gas sector. The specialized vessels require an advanced propulsion and power generation system to perform its operation. The new Azipod D will help the vessels safely achieve millimeter precision at open sea. The Azipod D is the latest generation of ABB’s award winning podded electric propulsion system. The vessels will each feature two 4.2 megawatt units.

ABB Makes 5 km Subsea Operations Safe

Power and automation technology group ABB will provide the technology that will help three vessels safely carry out construction and maintenance tasks up to 5 kilometers under water. The vessels will be equipped with ABB’s OCTOPUS software that uses sensors and the Internet of Things, Services and People (IoTSP) to interpret weather conditions, allowing the crew to make informed decisions during sensitive operations. The ships will be built for Ultra Deep Solutions at CSIC Huangpu Wuchang Shipbuilding Company Limited and China Merchants Heavy Industry.

ABB to Strengthen Power Network at Dubai International

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, will upgrade its SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system for the power network at Dubai International (DXB), the world's busiest international airport. The upgraded system includes replacement of the central computers and deployment of the latest version of ABB’s Network Manager software. This will connect to the existing field devices (remote terminal units, bay control units and main…

Turbocharger Upgrades Yield High ROI -ABB

Power and automation technology group ABB announced study results show return on investment from turbocharger upgrades. The increased revenue resulting from higher engine output of three engines in a power plant accumulated to approximately $537,000 per year, and in addition, fuel savings of $470,000 per year were realized. Forrester Consulting conducted a study examining the return on investment (ROI) from upgrading ABB turbochargers for a major power plant operator in the Caribbean.

ABB to Cut Downtime for Ecuador’s Petroamazonas

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, is supplying an integrated intelligent energy management solution to Petroamazonas EP, Ecuador’s state-owned oil company, helping it gain up to an extra week of productivity annually by avoiding unexpected generator shutdowns. Petroamazonas EP is installing ABB’s Emax 2 air circuit breakers with integrated power management in four new facilities across Ecuador where diesel generators supply electricity for essential plant processes such as pumps and drills.

Husain appointed ABB’s CTO

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has appointed Bazmi Husain as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective January 1, 2016. Husain, an expert in power and automation who has been with ABB for more than 30 years, will report to CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. Husain is currently Managing Director of ABB India Ltd. In his new role, he will be based in Bangalore, India, with an office in Switzerland. His successor will be announced in due course.

First Eco-efficient Gas Switchgear from ABB

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has achieved a significant breakthrough in gas insulated switchgear (GIS) technology by commissioning the world’s first high- and medium-voltage GIS bays with a new eco-efficient gas mixture as an alternative to the widely used greenhouse gas SF₆. A switchgear combines electrical switches, fuses or circuit breakers to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment in a power network. Switchgear is installed throughout the power value chain from generation through to transmission…

ABB to Upgrade S. Arabia’s Power Grid

ABB technology to upgrade five GIS substations to increase electricity transmission capacity ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won orders worth around $150 million from the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to expand five existing substations, helping to ready the country’s transmission system for a 50 percent expansion of power generation capacity to accommodate a growing economy. SEC, Saudi Arabia’s national power transmission and distribution operator…

ABB hands over Germany’s DolWin1

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has successfully commissioned and handed over the DolWin1 offshore wind grid connection to the Dutch-German transmission system operator TenneT. The 800 megawatts (MW) High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) link connects offshore wind farms around 75 kilometers off the German coast in the DolWin cluster, with the country’s transmission grid. The DolWin1 grid connection can integrate 800 MW of offshore wind power, enough to supply around one million households with clean energy.

Schiendorfer is ABB's Head of BMR

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has appointed Michael Schiendorfer as head of its Business Media Relations team focusing on financial and business topics, effective Aug. 1, 2015. He will report directly to Christoph Sieder, Head of ABB Group Corporate Communications. Schiendorfer joins from Novartis, succeeding Thomas Schmidt who will focus on public affairs ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has appointed Michael Schiendorfer as head of its Business Media Relations team focusing on financial and business topics…

ABB to Increase Norway’s Grid Capacity

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth around $30 million from Norwegian transmission system operator Statnett SF to supply power transformers that will help to significantly increase the capacity of the country’s central power grid, bolstering its energy security and ability to transmit more renewable energy. The order was booked in the second quarter of 2015. The order for nine transformers was booked in the second quarter of 2015.

ABB Wins $85 mln Qatar Order

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth around $85 million to provide turnkey substations to help integrate electricity from a new independent water and power plant (IWPP) into the country’s grid. The IWPP will utilize Qatar’s natural gas resources to produce 2,520 megawatts (MW) of power and desalination capacity of around 600 million liters of water daily, helping supply drinking water and power to one of the economic zones that Qatar has made a centerpiece of its plans to modernize and diversify its economy.

ABB: Top Innovator for Marine Industry

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has been awarded the Innovation of the Year Award for the recently introduced Azipod D electric propulsion product at the Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Innovation of the Year Award identifies pioneering technologies that push the boundaries and contribute to making electric and hybrid propulsion possible and viable. The winner was selected by an international jury consisting of 38 maritime journalists, industry experts and academics.

ABB Tops list of Patent Applications

Zurich, Switzerland, February 26, 2015 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, registered more patent applications with the European Patent Office (EPO) than any other Swiss-based company in 2014. Switzerland remains top of the world rankings for the number of patents filed per million inhabitants. ABB filed 450 patent applications with the EPO last year, followed by Nestlé, Alstom, Roche and Novartis, reflecting its strong track record in technological innovation.

ABB, Ericsson to Optimize Cloud Data Center Management

Houston, United States, March 3, 2015 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has signed a strategic alliance with Ericsson, a global leader in mobile telecommunications, to provide an end-to-end automation platform that optimizes physical and virtual resources for data centers and cloud operators. By bringing together the Ericsson Cloud System and ABB’s Decathlon® data center infrastructure management (DCIM) system, customers of Ericsson’s…

ABB to Strengthen China's Transmission Grid

Zurich, Switzerland, April 9, 2015 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won orders worth over $100 million to supply converter transformers and components including wall bushings and circuit breakersfor the Lingzhou-Shaoxing ultrahigh-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission link in China. The link will be the 7th 800 kilovolt (kV)  UHVDC transmission system in the country and will help to deliver more electricity from remote power plants in China’s interior to growing urban areas, over longer distances with fewer losses.

ABB substations For Swiss Railways

Zurich, Switzerland, April 20, 2015 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won orders worth around $30 million from the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the national Swiss rail operator, and from the private Matterhorn Gotthard Railway to help boost power and increase capacity on one of the world’s most comprehensive and reliable rail networks. The order was booked in the first quarter of 2015. Three new traction substations being supplied…