ABB kicks off Automation and Power World in Mexico city

Deep knowledge of electrical infrastructure and industrial automation ideally positions ABB to drive Mexico’s transformation.

ABB Mexico Managing Director Pierre Comptdaer kicked off and hosted ABB’s second Automation and Power World customer event in Mexico City’s Expo Bancomer today, with approximately 3000 Mexican customers and partners attending the event.

Speaking to a standing-room only auditorium, ABB CEO, Ulrich Spiesshofer, spoke of the company’s historical commitment to Mexico, “We have been in Mexico for 116 years. ABB has a clear track record of innovation in Mexico and we are hosting Automation and Power World as a further demonstration our support and commitment”. Today, ABB is providing Mexico with smart solutions for sustainable growth. An example is the electrification of the new car manufacturing factory of Renault-Nissan and Daimler’s strategic joint venture located in Aguascalientes, Mexico, where ABB is improving energy efficiency by up to 20 percent. Spiesshofer added that 90 percent of the vehicles produced in Mexico are manufactured using ABB equipment.

Mexico has set itself ambitious goals to transform its energy supply by introducing more competition in the power sector to reduce the cost of electricity and increase the share of renewables in the energy mix.

With the electricity value chain going through a big shift, renewable sources of energy like solar power have increased the volatility and ultimately the complexity of the grid. A solar-panel equipped home could be an energy producer in the morning, but an energy consumer in the afternoon. Utilities and the grid would have to deal with that variability. Microgrids could help balance this out, as well as provide power to remote areas while high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology is able to provide stronger and greener grids worldwide.

Spiesshofer also spoke about how ABB is driving digitalization in power and automation, and how the fourth industrial revolution is changing the game for all industries. The Internet of Things, Services and People will lead to revolutionary man-machine collaboration.  As an example of ABB’s leadership in industrial robotics, he demonstrated the abilities of ABB’s state-of-the-art and versatile robot, Yumi, which was formally launched in Mexico today. In addition, he talked about the possibilities of ABB’s ground-breaking smart sensor for low-voltage motors, which was developed in Switzerland and showcased to President Obama and Chancellor Merkel at the Hannover Fair last April.

Special guests Louis-Jose Touron, Swiss Ambassador to Mexico, Jaime Hernández, Chief Financial Officer of Commission Federal de Electricidad, Mexico’s main electrical utility and Héctor Márquez Solís, top energy official within the Mexican Ministry of Commerce, attended the opening ceremony. Joining them on a guided tour of ABB’s 5,400 square meter power and automation technology exhibition were several members of ABB Executive Committee, including Greg Scheu, President of the Americas region, Peter Terwiesch, President of Process Automation, Tarak Mehta, President of Electrification Products and the newly appointed President of the Discrete Automation and Motion division, Sami Atiya.

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