ABB wins prestigious Supplier of the Year Award

ABB has won the prestigious “Supplier of the Year Award” at the annual Pump Industry Awards 2007, backed by the British Pump Manufacturers Association and held in Coventry in October.

The citation for the category, sponsored by SPX Process Equipment, recognised ABB as a “supplier to the pump industry that has demonstrated consistently high levels of technical innovation and developments, environmental awareness, customer service and satisfaction, market penetration and growth.”

“As the only drive manufacturer present at the awards, this shows our total commitment to this industry,” says Steve Ruddell, general manager for ABB’s drives and motors business. “Pumps and drives just go together and we owe a lot to the pump industry for helping us to establish such a strong relationship.”

ABB has invested heavily in developing drive technology specifically for pump applications. Most recently, the company developed its Intelligent Pump Control (IPC) which is the first software to incorporate all pump automation inside the drive, encompassing six pump control functions – multipump control, level control, anti-jam, flow calculation, pump priority control and sleep boost. Three of these functions are patent-pending. The software eliminates the need for an external PLC, helps save energy and reduces downtime.

Apart from product developments, ABB is investing in dedicated pump segment managers; sponsorship of graduates to research pump techniques; and working closely with several pump manufacturers to develop the next generation of pump and drive technology.

ABB is the world’s largest supplier of drives, with pumps being the single largest application area. About one-quarter of ABB’s drives are used in pumps; the energy savings from these drives amount to an estimated 11 billion kWh per year.

“Every year, enough ABB drives are installed in pump applications to lift the entire flow of the river Nile by an astonishing 40 metres,” enthuses Ruddell. “In the UK we sell over £10 million worth of drives to the pump industry each year. In the water industry, the largest application area for pumps, ABB has about 50% market share in the UK.

“This third party accreditation is testimony that the investment we are making in this extremely important sector has been recognised, most notably by the pump manufacturers themselves,” says Ruddell.

For more information, please contact:

Steve Ruddell
ABB Limited
Daresbury Park
Daresbury
Warrington
Cheshire
WA4 4BT
Tel: 01925 741 111
Fax: 01925 741 212
e-mail: energy@gb.abb.com
Web: www.abb.co.uk/energy