ABB announces 800xA sales success, upgrades, customer wins

ControlGlobal.com
09/29/2006

INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION giant ABB says it has sold and shipped more than 2280 800xA systems since the introduction of the automation system architecture in 2004. The number includes new systems and upgrades.

Key among the announced upgrades is “Load-Evaluate-GO” simulation module that enables users to modify, download and evaluate changes to applications without interfering with running systems, and to see the changes running in the controller using the real-world I/O. Until users hit the “Accept” command, they can revert to the original application configuration.

Alicia Bauer, ABB’s global director of marketing for control systems, calls the new functionality “one of the most important fruits of the Dow/ABB collaboration that has produced the System 800xA.”

ABB also announced new third-party integrations for IndustrialIT, including Maximo, Integraph, Matrikon, SAP and IFS. With these third-party connectors, ABB is able to tackle the entire life cycle of a process automation system, says Bauer, “leading to reduced total cost of ownership, increased production output, reduced risk and improved safety.”

Bauer also discussed “Industrial IT Enterprise Connectivity Solution,” a single interface to the enterprise that enables SAP R3 connectivity and allows access to any business object in SAP PP-PI. It especially facilitates bidirectional connection to SAP PP-PI for batch.

In IndustrialIT, ABB has combined front-end engineering tools, alarm management, integrated CMMS, OEE analysis tools and smart instrumentation in the same single- window environment. The company also announced work on a certification program for intelligent devices, such as HART, Foundation fieldbus and Profibus.

(More details about these new applications are discussed in Editor in Chief Walt Boyes’ recent Sound Off blog entries.)

Global Implementations
ABB has also has announced a five-year agreement with Cooper Tire to manage maintenance operations at its Albany, Ga., plant. Under the terms of the agreement, ABB will assume some 100 maintenance employees and responsibility for all maintenance-related activities and equipment at the plant.

In addition, the company has signed a $1.6 million contract with Jura Cement Fabriken, Wildegg, Switzerland, to replace the complete control system on its No. 5 production line. It has also been awarded the contract to upgrade one of South Korea-based Yeochun NCC Co. Ltd.’s ethelyne plant’s to the 800xA system.

ABB has also recently won contracts with Enelpower of Italy to supply a DCS to its new clean-coal power plant, and with Brazilian paper manufacturer Klabin SA to supply electrical and automation systems for a new paperboard line.