Innovating lifelines: healthcare and life sciences

The healthcare and life sciences sectors are undergoing a major transformation fueled by aging populations, rising healthcare demands, and rapid advancements in technology. To meet these challenges, ABB supports the development of modernized facilities and cutting-edge automation to deliver better care and accelerate innovation, so healthcare providers can outrun.

Web Story

10min

2025-01-14

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Aging populations and urgent evolving medical demands are transforming healthcare and life sciences, driving modernization, automation, and sustainability efforts.

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Reliable power supply, upfront costs for modernization, CO2 emissions, and workforce shortages remain key challenges.

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ABB supplies power distribution technologies, motors and drives for HVACR systems, digital solutions etc. to help the sector outrun leaner and cleaner.

Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities

The global healthcare and life sciences sectors are experiencing significant transformation driven by aging populations, increasing healthcare demands, lack of staff and advances in medicine, science and technology. These trends build pressure for unprecedented investment in both physical infrastructure and operational capabilities. In order to meet growing patient needs, healthcare providers must modernize and expand their facilities, while life sciences organizations are racing to accelerate R&D and production through the application of advanced automation and robotics.

Growth trends and challenges

With the healthcare sector contributing 4.4 percent of global net CO2 emissions, net-zero hospital initiatives are gaining significant traction, particularly in Europe and North America. Energy efficiency and sustainability have become key in this context, with facilities increasingly adopting high-efficiency heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and smart lighting systems with occupancy sensing as standard features in new construction. Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems are also critical for hospitals to ensure the continuous functioning of life-saving equipment, maintain patient safety, and prevent disruptions in sensitive environments like operating rooms and intensive care units. Here, brief outages can have severe consequences.

Comprehensive technologies and solutions

Smart building integration and internet of things (IoT) technology are transforming healthcare facilities through widespread adoption of building systems with real-time monitoring capabilities.

ABB delivers comprehensive solutions for modern healthcare facilities, integrating critical power distribution and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) – ensuring critical hospital equipment never loses power during an outage. Our intelligent energy management systems- advanced variable speed drives - substantially reduce energy consumption in energy intensive HVACR systems. This enables healthcare facilities to optimize operational costs while maintaining exceptional performance standards. When combined with an ABB IE5 motor, they exceed the highest efficiency class possible.

Smart building integration and (IoT) technology transform healthcare facilities

Customer case studies around the world

United Kingdom - Camden, London

ABB Electrification has completed a £1.5 million installation of low voltage smart power solutions at a new centre for eye care, research, and education being built in Camden, London, by leading contractor Bouygues UK. Opening in 2027, the world-class centre is a joint initiative between Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology, and Moorfields Eye Charity. By collaborating closely with the site management team, ABB’s Electrification teams strategically directed the delivery of a complete low voltage solution.

United Kingdom - Sir Francis Crick Institute

Scientists at Europe’s largest biomedical research facility, the Sir Francis Crick Institute, protect sensitive laboratory equipment with ABB technology. Its solution included eight ABB PCS100 AVC-40 Active Voltage Conditioners (AVC)  rated at 225 kVA along with low voltage bypass switchboards, which regulate the incoming electricity supply to keep voltage within a very tight quality window.

Switzerland

The new Baden Cantonal Hospital (KSB) has undertaken six years of construction and ABB has provided medium and low-voltage distribution boards and systems and uninterruptible power supplies ensuring a reliable supply of electrical energy.

This means that in the event of a power failure, one UPS system can seamlessly take over, maintaining power for up to 20 minutes while emergency generators are activated.

Finland

With the ABB Ability™ Asset Manager for transformers, the Helsinki University Hospital is now able to access key operational performance data and real-time trends for the transformers via the cloud, which reduces the requirement for time-consuming physical inspections, and costly shutdowns. The Meilahti Hospital Area in Helsinki, which is operated by HUS, upgraded its electrical system to maximize uptime, eliminate the use of SF6, a potent greenhouse gas in the medium-voltage (MV) switchgear, extend the life of electrical equipment and optimize hospital operations.

Estonia

ABB UPS devices drive the operation of vital equipment in the Narva and Läänemaa Hospitals in Estonia, especially in the event of possible power outages. For example, medical equipment such as what is needed in the surgery room now operates without interruption thanks to the UPS technology.

Australia

The modern 12 story Calvary Adelaide Hospital, in South Australia, uses ABB building automation solutions to deliver critical support to staff and patients. The building has been equipped with the latest ABB i-bus KNX® smart building technology, which reduces staff workload by automating core building functions such as lighting, shutter control, heating, ventilation, security, and energy management.

Germany

The newly opened vorum health, fitness, and therapy center in Nabburg, Germany, has integrated ABB's ClimaECO system, based on the KNX standard, to enhance its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) automation. This system seamlessly combines room automation with primary HVAC controls, leading to energy savings of up to 30 percent and ensuring compliance with Germany's GEG2024 energy standards.

USA

ABB partnered with ThermAir , an engineering company in Arizona, to provide advanced HVACR solutions, ensuring the highest levels of safety and efficiency in this critical environment. The project utilized a variety of ACH580 ABB drives, each tailored to specific HVACR components.

Hungary

ABB has supplied ultra-premium efficient IE5 SynRM (synchronous reluctance) motor and drive packages to modernize pumping applications and boost energy efficiency at GSK’s vaccine plant in Hungary. Significant energy savings mean the investment will pay for itself in around two years.

Africa

ABB’s Azipod® propulsion enables Global Mercy - the world’s largest civilian hospital ship enter less accessible harbors off the African coast to support people in areas that would otherwise be too challenging to access.

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories and Life Sciences

Growth trends and challenges

The laboratory sector is experiencing increased pressure to improve efficiency while maintaining precision, which in turn is driving significant technological adoption. Automated data analysis and reporting systems are becoming standard practice, largely driven by persistent labor shortages and the growing need for increased testing throughput.

While adoption of automation brings clear benefits, laboratories face distinct implementation challenges. Integration with existing systems requires careful planning to maintain operational continuity, while navigating the complex regulatory landscape for medical devices and laboratory equipment can slow adoption of new automated systems. Technical expertise gaps are becoming more pronounced as the workforce ages, with developed markets struggling as specialized technical staff retiring. Training and retaining qualified staff is a universal challenge but particularly acute in rapidly growing healthcare markets according to Columbia Southern University and Health Management.

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Engineered to Outrun

By providing critical power, automation, and digital solutions across global healthcare facilities and laboratories, ABB is helping healthcare providers and laboratories deliver better care, accelerate innovation, and achieve their sustainability goals.