Making breakthroughs happen
ABB spends some eight percent of its revenues on research and development, a high level for the type of industry we are in. We make this investment because we believe it is the foundation for our future growth and profitability. Through it we keep our products and systems competitive, develop innovative solutions for our customers and make technological breakthroughs that change the rules of the game in our industry, while creating value for our customers and, ultimately, our shareholders.
Let's take some examples of breakthroughs and how we make them happen:
- Imagine being able to log on to a Web site, use some simple pull-down menus to design a product like an electrical transformer to meet your particular requirements, then click the mouse to have that product manufactured by a team of robots and delivered within a matter of hours. ABB has created a factory using the power of the Internet and our knowledge of robotics and flexible manufacturing to make it possible.
- Measuring the quality of water is a tedious process today. You need to collect samples, bring them to a properly equipped lab where technicians carry out the analysis. We have created a smart alternative - a complete and self contained free-floating lab that uses the latest micro-technologies to collect and analyze water automatically, then makes the results immediately available to the customer online.
- What if you could engineer or build things from scratch by manipulating molecules? For example, what if you could develop a new catalyst by creating a microscopic grid structure into which you could place tiny catalytic particles? With the right surface and coating, the chemical reaction is much more efficient and easier to control. By working with these so-called nanotechnologies, we will be able to engineer materials exactly the way we want them, with the properties we need, like conductivity, flexibility, robustness or resistance to heat and pressure. This will have a tremendous impact on chemical processes, insulation, magnetic materials and coatings, and other areas.