2008-12-03 - Drive series plays a critical role in opening new markets and growing market share around the globe
NEW BERLIN, WI, December 2, 2008 . . . The one millionth ABB standard (general purpose) drive (type ACS550 and ACH550) has rolled off the production line, marking a historic milestone as the first of an ABB drive range to hit this significant figure.
Five years ago, the first drive of this family was manufactured at ABB’s Helsinki factory, and demand has grown so much that the drive line now is produced out of five factories on three continents. To mark the occasion of this production milestone, each of the factories held celebrations on their factory floors on Tuesday morning.
"This is a great milestone for the entire ABB drives business and yet more proof of the fantastic growth that we are experiencing with low-voltage drives in ABB," says Pekka Tiitinen, Group Vice President, and Head of the Business Unit Low Voltage Drives. "This product family has been designed to fulfill customer needs globally. Consequently, it is a worldwide sales success and clearly has contributed to our increased global market share in low voltage drives; that share has grown 18.1% in 2007, as stated by the latest ARC report.”
Included in ABB’s offer are three families of drives: industrial drives; standard drives; and machinery drives. The ABB standard drive is one of the world’s best selling drives of all time, according to senior managers.
Wide, Deep, and Feature-rich!
“The ACS/ACH550 series is designed as a standard drive for standard applications – which gives it a tremendously wide range across a host of applications in the industrial and the HVAC/commercial markets. And yet it possesses some of the most advanced features that give it the simplicity of use demanded by these markets,” says Panu Virolainen, Vice President, Component AC.
"Among the key features are: easy to use human-machine interface (HMI), providing simplified commissioning and maintenance; extensive power range and enclosure offering; patented swinging choke for superior harmonic reduction; remote or on-site drive communication connectivity to major automation systems; and dynamic performance, with multiple motor-control modes and brake chopper.”
“This product has been a very important part of our North American market-share growth, and now has a very large installed base,” noted Cliff Cole, director of product marketing for ABB Inc., Low Voltage Drives. “It will continue to be a profitable product for us and our partners for many years to come.” Cole noted that the drives factory in New Berlin has produced well over a quarter of a million ACS/H550 drives for the N.A. market.
Designed as a Drive to Open Market Opportunities
ABB launched the drive in a bid to enter markets which were showing strong potential for drives but in which ABB, at the time, had a small market share. These industries included building automation, food and beverage -- and the targeted applications typically included pumps and fans and other variable-torque and basic constant-torque- applications such as conveyors.
Since its launch in 2003, the drive has been evolving continuously, to ensure that it uses the latest hardware and software developments. This is something Virolainen sees continuing for the foreseeable future. “Today, drives evolve quickly, and the ABB standard drive is a good example of how the technology continues to improve constantly.
“When it was launched, this drives series had pioneered several firsts, like intuitive user interface and swinging choke technology for harmonic reduction. The control panel, in particular, has been a trendsetter, with many competitors now adapting some of the drives series’ user-friendly features.
“The concept behind the drive clearly was ahead of its time,” Virolainen said, “and now is the model adopted by many: it is a model based around simple selection, excellence in connectivity, intuitive use and built-in EMC and harmonic solutions.”
Virolainen, in acknowledging the significant milestone for ABB, said, “I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of the ABB standard drive. Most importantly, I want to thank all our customers who have made this success story possible. It is a success and story that continues to evolve and develop.”
Full Story and Photos at Right. . .