Innovation for competitive advantage

We have been thinking in terms of the Internet of Things, Services and People for many years, we just didn’t talk about it.

When my friends ask me what I ‘actually do’ there are two possible answers. I can tell them that I ‘run one of ABB’s businesses for low-voltage protection and connection’ or my preferred answer – ‘I innovate to save the planet’.

The key word here is innovation. Looking from the outside, everyone would expect a technology pioneer like ABB to be innovating in the areas of renewable power, grid automation or robotics. But what gets me out of bed in the morning is the fact that in the area of low-voltage protection and connection – that’s contactors, switches and circuit breakers – we are introducing game-changing innovations that help protect people, machines and the environment.

We have been thinking in terms of the Internet of Things, Services and People for many years, we just didn’t talk about it.

It is now about four years ago when one of my team had the brilliant idea of adding intelligence into a circuit breaker so it can manage power. For me this is the same breakthrough as adding a camera to a phone. I am proud that we are renowned for having the best portfolio of breakers in the world. People may not get as excited about these products as a cute robot, but in terms of their place in the electrical system we can make a huge difference.

When I get to Hannover I will be really proud to see our latest innovation – Ekip SmartVision – which takes Emax 2 to the next level of intelligence by adding cloud-based analytics. We will be at the heart of ABB’s display on the Internet of Things, Services and People. A place where I believe the humble, but incredible breaker, with its brains and heart, belongs.