Race to Make Robots for China Spurs ABB to Double Capacity
- ABB wants to be global No.1 in robotics, CEO says in interview
- Swiss company will push electric-vehicle chargers in China
ABB Ltd. robotic arms weld the aluminum panels of an SUV automobile body shell as it travels along the production line at Jaguar Land Rover Plc's assembly plant, a unit of Tata Motors Ltd., in Halewood, U.K., on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013. Carmakers from Ford Motor Co. to Audi AG and Jaguar Land Rover Plc are using record amounts of aluminium to replace heavier steel, providing relief to producers of the metal confronting excess supplies and depressed prices.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergABB Ltd. is accelerating expansion in China with a plan to double robot production capacity as part of a bid to become the biggest provider worldwide of the industrial-automation equipment, said Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer.
The blueprint includes doubling the number of robotics research employees in China, where a close rival Kuka AG -- backed by Chinese appliances-maker Midea Group Co. -- is seeking to unseat ABB’s lead in the $11 billion industry in the nation. ABB also plans to seize on a growing industry in China for electric vehicles by supplying more charging facilities, Spiesshofer said.