MicroMod Automation Leads Management Buyout of ABB Instrumentation's Advanced Control Business

MicroMod Automation, Inc. recently announced the management buyout of ABB Instrumentation's Advanced Control business. The move, said the company, should simplify control solution selection, installation, and service for those target customers best served by advanced panelboard/3X6 multiloop products. MicroMod Automation is a newly formed company based on two well-established panelboard product lines; Micro DCI, developed by Fisher & Porter, and MOD, a control line that has roots that go back to Taylor Instruments. According to MicroMod, the buyout is more than a simple acquisition of technology. The sales, support, development and project engineering, and manufacturing team that formed the core of ABB's Advanced Control business are now part of MicroMod Automation. Manufacturing remains unchanged. President and CEO Richard Keane and senior VP-Controls Carol McNelly, said the new entity will focus exclusively on the process control needs of smaller, process applications such as water treatment, batch-oriented fine chemicals, institutional/industrial boilers and food processing. "We're taking our focus back to our roots," said McNelly, to the areas where our expertise and our products can provide real returns to our customers. We can simplify the selection, installation and service of their control systems. ABB's strategy is geared to much larger projects that aren't served well by our type of products and are much more engineering intensive. According to Keane, There are numerous applications in the 10-100 loop range that don't get the attention they need. Although they are smaller, these needs also require in-depth applications knowledge to formulate the best control solutions.