Instrumentation Monthly Test | Measurement | Control
ABB has won Manufacturer of the Year at the Motion Control Industry (MCI) awards.
Presented at an awards evening on 9 May, the MCI Manufacturer of the Year Award recognises ABB’s commitment to developing variable speed drive (VSD) and electric motor technologies and services that save energy, improve productivity and reduce plant downtime across all motor-driven applications in all industries.
Kris England of ABB, who collected the award, says: “This award recognises that our offer is second to none across the motion control industry. ABB is one of only a few manufacturers of both VSDs and motors, which enables us to supply perfectly matched motor and drive packages. We also invest heavily in developing next generation motion technology, we offer comprehensive life cycle services to maintain the reliability of our products, and we have application knowledge across multiple industries from food and beverage to automotive. I believe this is why we are recognised as market leaders in the supply of motors and drives. The award of Manufacturer of the Year is testament to our success in serving these diverse industries.”
The award win is the second in as many months for ABB, which, in March of this year, won Supplier of the Year at the Pump Industry Awards.
ABB is at the forefront of technologies like the synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) – a motor design that operates with a VSD and uses a cageless rotor to reduce losses by up to 40 percent, is significantly quieter than traditional motor technology, yet has a similar price point.
Another innovation is the ABB Ability Smart Sensor for low voltage motors which offers, for the first time, a low cost way to monitor the condition of most low voltage motors. Smart Sensor converts low voltage motors into intelligent, connected machines. Predictive maintenance based on data from the sensor can help to reduce downtime by up to 70 percent, extend motor lifetime by as much as 30 percent and cut energy consumption by up to 10 percent. Smart Sensor is suitable for both ABB and non-ABB motors.
Smart Sensor is part of the ABB Ability portfolio, which comprises more than 180 digital solutions which use the industrial internet to create digitally connected devices, systems and services that increase productivity, cut maintenance costs and reduce energy consumption by up to a third.
Behind these innovations is ABB’s world leading manufacturing facilities. Its 25,000 sq.m Helsinki factory, for example, is home to VSD R&D initiatives. As such there are over 20 different laboratories at the site supporting production, R&D and customer applications. The factory produces some 200,000 variations of frequency converters and inverters each year.
To support its drives and motors in the field, ABB has its own field service engineer network, backed up with local support through its authorised value provider channel, the most advanced technical distributor network in the UK.
