PASS First Production of ABB Localization Strategy in China

In early June, the semi-closed compact circuit breaker product (abbreviated as PASS in English) was successfully off the assembly line at Beijing ABB High Voltage Switchgear Co., Ltd. This is the first time that the ABB Group's PASS products have been manufactured in China. Huang Zheng, general manager of Beijing ABB High Voltage Company, once again witnessed ABB's determination to continue its localization process. In fact, Huang Quan himself is the beneficiary of the localization strategy. He graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University and grew from an ordinary employee of ABB to a corporate executive. Now he is one of the iconic figures of ABB's Chinese localization.

Whether it is Huang Quan’s growth experience or the newly introduced PASS product, it reflects the ABB Group’s strategy in China “in China, China and the world”. Compared with the original "China, China", this new strategy contains more profound meaning. This is evident from the 16-year history of ABB High Voltage in Beijing.

Accelerate the localization of products PASS is a star product introduced by ABB Group in China's high-voltage switch market this year. It can be integrated with other components in the substation and has advantages in economy, flexibility and reliability.

Huang Zheng believes that: "The production of PASS products in China is closer to customer needs, and it is easier to provide solutions for customers. It will bring more advantages in terms of after-sales services, cost control, etc. At present, the voltage rating of offline products is 110 kV. In the future, we will gradually introduce products with higher voltage levels.” He placed great expectations on new products. “From the Chinese market, I think more and more customers will use this solution.”

Market data gave Huang Quan great confidence. PASS entered the Chinese market 10 years ago from Italy and has sold more than 1,000 units so far. It is understood that the product's global sales exceed 6,000 units.

In addition to PASS, Beijing ABB High Voltage Company has also introduced many new products one after another. After 16 years of development, the product has evolved from a single circuit breaker in 1996 to 12 current varieties of high voltage circuit breakers, medium voltage products, disconnectors, current transformers, arresters and cable accessories. Huang Quan revealed that there will be more products to be introduced in the next step.

With the localization of more and more products, the localization process has not been accelerated. Huang Chung said: "At present, our raw materials are mainly supplied by China. It can be said that more than 90% of the important raw materials are sourced from China." This makes Beijing ABB High Voltage Company have more supply than its ABB Group counterparts. The advantages of cargo resources have created conditions for its entry into markets in other regions.

Continued enhancement of technical strength With the abundance of products, the production scale of Beijing ABB High Voltage Company has continuously expanded, becoming one of the three largest bases for ABB Group's worldwide production of high-voltage switches and the largest isolating switch production organization.

Closely related to these are the continuous enhancement of technical forces, which is the prerequisite for the successful introduction of products. Huang Chung said that in the process of product introduction, an important link is to strengthen the local R&D team and transfer the technical force to China so that the company has the appropriate technical capabilities to serve the Chinese market. "Our products began with the introduction of China, first serving the local market, and then continue to develop products and develop products."

Beijing ABB High Voltage Co., Ltd. has high-voltage and medium-voltage product R&D centers in China and cooperates with technical forces from around the world to make products not only applicable to Chinese standards but also to other regional standards. In addition, the introduced products are continuously optimized to prepare for entering more markets.

The proportion of exports has increased significantly. The export business of Beijing ABB High Voltage Company is expanding. At present, more and more products have been used for overseas projects.

“We have gradually entered overseas markets. Our technical specifications and technical requirements for overseas markets have gradually begun to adapt. The coverage of our products has continued to expand. Last year, we had more than 10% of our product exports. I think, as time goes by, This proportion will continue to increase.” Huang Quan said that he is very optimistic about the export business.

This is one of the development strategies of Beijing ABB High Voltage Company. Facing the fierce domestic market, it has been actively developing new areas and new demands. Huang Chung said: "We hope to have the best technology, best products, and best services in the market. This is our goal in the Chinese market and other markets in the future."