ABB in the United Kingdom

ABB began operations on January 5th, 1988 following a merger of Asea and Brown Boveri. This is of course a modest achievement compared to our parent companies, each of whom has been in business for more than a century. Still, we are proud of what we have accomplished in this time, completing what was at the time Europe’s biggest-ever cross-border merger and then building up a multi cultural global company with strong local roots in more than 100 countries around the world. Below is a brief history of ABB since its formation:

2006
  • ABB's two core divisions are replaced by five business areas - automation products, process automation, power products, power systems and robotics.
  • ABB announces its Group Charter and sets standards to provide the framework and foundation for ABB to become one of the world's best-run businesses.
  • ABB sold its 5,000th robot in the UK to support an advanced package handling solution for Allied Bakeries.
  • ABB won a £44 million turnkey contract to replace key National Grid substation serving Manchester.
  • MV switchgear order for Network Rail substation and feeder sites in the South East.
  • National Grid awards ￡12 million NICAP substation automation and protection contract to ABB.
  • ABB signs a five year support contract for 800XA system on Nexen's Buzzard platform.

2005
  • ABB announces its new mid-term targets to 2009, with focus on growth, operating margin, use of capital and cash generation.
  • ABB UK provided the complete distribution switchgear package for the Emirates Stadium – the new home of Arsenal Football Club
  • Supply of drives, motors and transformers for Heathrow Terminal Five.
  • ABB won a submarine cable contract valued around £6 million for Burbo Bank offshore wind farm off the west coast of the UK.
  • ABB's Intelligent building controls were installed in Mentmore Homes’ latest prestigious building project in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.
  • ABB won an order with Ford's Premier Automotive Group to supply 186 industrial robots 6400R to Land Rover.
  • The UK’s longest serving ABB (formerly ASEA) robot has been retired after completing an incredible 26 years of almost continuous operation.

2004
  • 2004 is a key turnaround year for ABB - ABB returns to profitability.
  • ABB appoints its new CEO Fred Kindle, and CFO, Michel Demaré.
  • ABB provided National Grid Transco (NGT) with equipment and services for upgrade of the power supply of Europe’s busiest rail line.

2003
  • ABB finalizes the agreement to sell the upstream part of its Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals division.
  • Group 2002 annual results: strong performance by core divisions.
  • ABB supplied switchgear for the £30 million Mirabella V, the world's largest single-masted luxury superyacht


2002
  • ABB streamlines its divisional structure to focus on two core areas of business: Power Technologies and Automation Technologies.
  • ABB won a £23 million order to improve the quality of the electricity supply feeding the entire London Underground Distribution Network.
  • ABB provided an integrated control package for water abstraction under Thames Water's New River Northern Wells Refurbishment programme.

2001
  • ABB lists on the New York Stock Exchange.
  • ABB streamlines R&D to focus on software and Industrial IT.
  • ABB won a turnkey order worth £40m from National Grid plc to manufacture, install and commission a 20km 400kV 3-phase underground cable circuit.
  • ABB worked on £19 million contract for National Grid’s City Road North substation
  • ABB suuplied 13 subsea horizontal trees for the Leadon Development by Kerr McGee North Sea (UK). These were manufactured, tested and assembled at ABB Vetco Gray's facility in Montrose.
  • ABB acquired Eutech Engineering Solutions Ltd from the ICI Group to provide a range of consulting services in manufacturing operations and engineering,including project implementation and management, to chemicals, petrochemicals and pharmaceutical customers world-wide.
  • ABB Group transformation programme was introduced and the separate limited companies in the UK were brought together as 6 operating divisions: Oil & Gas.
  • Manufacturing and Consumer Industries; Automation Technologies Products; Process Industries; Utilities; Power Technologies Division.

2000
  • ABB acquired East Midlands Electricity Contracting which enabled ABB Power T & D to offer a full service solution for electrical systems.
  • The first ABB Interactive Café was officially opened on the 20th March by William Cash, MP for Stone.
  • ABB Power T & D Ltd won a turnkey order worth over £50 million to build a new indoor high voltage (HV) sub-station in the centre of London.
  • ABB Zanting won a £66 million order from Scottish and Southern Energy for ten combined heat and power (CHP) plants.
  • ABB concluded the sale of its 50 percent share in ABB Alstom Power to Alstom, marking another milestone in the company’s transformation to a knowledge and service-based business.
  • The UK Automation and Instrumentation companies combined to create a single source of supply for process instrumentation and control, analytical products and systems, motors and drives, industrial robots, turbochargers and industry-specific automation solutions.

1999
  • Following the realignment of ABB’s business segments in September 1998 and the Group’s commitment to becoming a faster, more knowledgeable and service-based global company, ABB UK's operation structure changed.
  • ABB announced in January 1999 that it had agreed to sell its half share in Adtranz to Daimler Chrysler.
  • Power Generation Ltd – this operation was merged with those of Alstom and a new company ABB Alstom Power Ltd was formed.
  • ABB acquired Elsag Bailey, one of the world’s leading automation and instrumentation groups. In the UK the automation activities of Elsag Bailey was merged with those of ABB in Industrial Systems Ltd. The instrumentation activities of Elsag Bailey was merged with those of the ABB Kent Group to form a new company, ABB Instrumentation Ltd
  • The other major change in the business was the formation of ABB Metering Ltd.

1998
  • Work commenced at Staythorpe Power Station and an order was won for 400MW Shoreham Power Station.
  • ABB supplied the district heating system scheme for Shetland Isles.
  • Order to design, supply and install complete 90kV interconnection system between France, Jersey and Guernsey.
  • As a consortium partner in SEEBOARD Powerlink, ABB won £40m sub-station equipment for London Underground.
  • ABB won an electrical service contract for Lowry Centre, Salford Quays – the prestigious millennium project for the Arts

1997
  • ABB acquired the subsea control business of GEC-Marconi Ltd (Seatec) and the Rolls Royce boiler service business.
  • ABB won two large gas turbine power station orders: a 400MW plant for Enfield Energy Company, and a 1500MW plant at the Staythorpe Power Project for National Power. Orders for M & E contracting work at Terminal 2 at Manchester International Airport.

1996
  • ABB-UK acquired a controlling interest in ForStar Ltd, UK leading supplier of energy trading systems.
  • ABB-UK acquired GEC Meters Ltd, the UK’s leading manufacturer of electricity meters. Company renamed ABB Metering Systems Ltd.
  • Humber Power placed a turnkey contract for 510MW extension to South Humber Bank Power Station. 4 ABB-UK companies were involved in successful development of Texaco Captain Field. ABB Robots were adopted for production of Rover 200 at Longbridge and Vauxhall Vectra at Luton.

1995
  • ABB Transportation won a £40 million order from GEC-Alsthom Metro-Cammel to supply 1,272 bogies for London Underground new tube trains for the Northern Line.
  • ABB Transportation segment bought from British Rail three depots which carry out heavy maintenance of rolling stock.
  • ABB acquired one of the UK’s leading mechanical and electrical contracting groups, William Steward Holdings Ltd.
  • ABB Transportation won a £40 million order from GEC-Alsthom Metro-Cammel to supply 1,272 bogies for London Underground new tube trains for the Northern Line.
  • ABB was awarded order for the Rocksavage 720MW CCGT Power Station. ABB Transportation Ltd was awarded £40 million contract to supply bogies for London Underground.

1994
  • The Process Automation sector of ABB Industrial Systems Ltd was awarded multi-million pound contract by ICI Ltd for “asset enhancement” modernisation programme at their Aromatic’s 2 plant.
  • ABB UK was awarded order to design, supply and install 750MW gas fired CC plant at South Humber Bank.
  • A new company called ABB Power Construction Ltd formed which was primarily involved in construction of plant for new power stations and the repair and maintenance of existing power station equipment.
  • A major order was received from GEC Alsthom AGR France for the supply of wheels/wheelsets for the London Underground Jubilee Project.
  • ABB’s largest contract so far in UK Oil and Gas market was received from Texaco for the Captain Oil Field Project.

1993
  • ABB Robots achieved major successes in the field of arc welding; largest ever single order received.
  • Orders worth £140m were won for the supply of 41 Networker Express trains for the South East Region – the UK’s busiest commuter network. Further orders received for the Channel Tunnel permanent ventilation scheme.
  • ABB Industrial Systems Ltd was formed through merging Process Automation, Industrial, Turbocharger and District Heating operations.
  • ABB purchased from Rolls Royce their 50% shareholding in NEI-ABB Gas Turbines Ltd, leading to the establishment of ABB Power Generation Ltd.

1992
  • National Power plc awarded ABB an order to design/build a 500MW turnkey CCGT power station at Deeside, N. Wales.
  • ABB increased its shareholding in BREL from 40 to 85% and ABB Transportation Ltd was established.
  • Major orders included: London Underground Ltd awarded ABB the contract for ten new sub-stations on the Central Line. ABB won orders for community heating projects in four UK cities. The Royal Opera House in London has ABB Drive technology applied in computer controlled lifting system for stage scenery changes. ABB Transportation Ltd wins £140m order for Networker trains.

1991
  • National Power PLC awarded ABB a contract to design/build its first CCGT (600MW) station at Killingholme, South Humberside.
  • ABB Servo Drives ordered by Ford Motor Co to increase automation on their Escort and Orion production line at Halewood. Following success of this installation, further orders are received for Ford plants in Dagenham, Germany and Spain. Both Honda (Swindon) and Toyota (Derby) place orders for ABB Environmental Control equipment at their new car production plants.

1990
  • ABB purchased majority shareholding in the Kent Group and ABB Kent Group was formed. ABB acquired the UK subsidiaries of Combustion Engineering Inc. These two major events enable a fundamental re-organisation of a number of ABB UK's key activities, including process automation and instrumentation.
  • During the year ABB UK companies won major orders for London Central Line and the Channel Tunnel Project (ventilation system and heavy freight locomotives) and the Transformer and Power Capacitor companies gain major orders from National Power and National Grid Companies.

1989
  • ABB (40%) were in consortium with Trafalgar House (40%) and management/employees (20%) purchase BREL Ltd from British Rail.
  • BREL won a £350m contract to build the next generation of tube trains for the Central Line of London Underground Ltd. The order was made up of 680 vehicles formed into 85 trains.
  • ABB was awarded contract to build UK’s first CCGT Power Station. The 240MW Roosecote Station in Cumbria was the first privately owned CCGT station to produce electricity for public use.

1988
  • ABB acquired Manchester-based British Wheelset Ltd. A former subsidiary of British Steel, British Wheelset had a workforce of 400 and specialised in the manufacture of forged steel wheels, wheelsets and tyres for rail transportation.
  • T & D Operations won a major order from British Rail for 27 substations for the electrification of the Southampton-Portsmouth line.


Last edited 2008-04-02
  • Rate this page
      Cancel
  • E-mail this page
      Cancel

Contact us

Links

gbabb902 ca647a821b39730ac1256cc90034d918