2008-08-03 - Just as Distributor Day, which trains the trainers for the event, gets underway, a quake of 5.8 on the Richter scale shakes venue and attendees, alike
CITY OF ORANGE, CA, August 3, 2008 . . . “We were all shaken, but not stirred,” said Steven Jones dryly, following the earthquake that marked the opening bell of the Low Voltage Products Roadshow here. The two-day event began at noon on Tuesday, July 26 with training for the ABB sales and channel partners; they, in turn, played host to customers and ABB prospects that descended on the Hilton Doubletree here all day Wednesday. The event is designed to focus customers and prospects on expanding their existing automation solutions with ABB.
“At first, we thought maybe heavy equipment had fallen,” said Jones, “but when all the chandeliers began to shake and sound like toy rattles overhead, we knew we were part of something much bigger!” Instinctively, all attendees dashed out into the open street and parking lot, until hotel staff sounded the all clear, he said.
Train Trainers
Distributor Day focused on briefing electrical distributors’ personnel on what is new with each of the 30-plus product lines on display. “ABB delivers product and service solutions to end users through channel partners – an ongoing commitment,” noted Bob Stojanovic, senior district manager on ABB’s Power & Control Sales Team, and host of the event. “This Distributor Day is designed to get you ready to take customers and end users around to the experts and automation solutions that can help them the most.”
Customers See Deep Product Mix that Makes Up ABB’s Solution
The nearly 140 customers and prospects visiting the exhibit venue on Wednesday also crowded the workshops, which offered “must-know” expertise on a host of automation-related information, ranging from UL and NEC standards, to harmonic mitigation in industrial environments, to sizing motors correctly to drives, to a profile of motor types, and PLC installations, and efficient, energy saving, control-panel designs.
“This LA market continues to grow, with strong interest in hardware and software solutions that save energy,” Stojanovic said. “We are seeing growing interest from key markets such as marine and water/wastewater, in addition to COG and commercial building owners.”
The show offers visitors a close-up look at a wide berth of low-voltage products and services (drives, controls, and motors), automation, power/transformer, medium voltage, and instrumentation solutions -- and the chance to talk with the product experts on all the lines. The Process Automation division of ABB, along with the Instrumentation Local Business Unit, were on the floor with their new displays, as well. See photo profile of event below.
The Roadshow resumes its tour, stopping next in Salt Lake City, UT. The schedule of venues and dates will be available at www.abb-events.com.
See Full Story and Photos at Right . . .