Ohio Facility Identified as First Factory Authorized ABB Repair Center in U.S.; Europe and Asia to Follow
5 June 2000
Ohio Facility Identified as First Factory Authorized ABB Repair Center in U.S.; Europe and Asia to Follow
Plans three global repair centers to support ABB customers, regardless of OEM
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 5 ABB Automation has opened the first
of three global factory certified centers of excellence for industrial repair
services.
Beyond its existing factory repair facilities, ABB Automation is
consolidating its testing, repair, and reconditioning centers into three
strategic locations to better serve a worldwide customer base. The new
centers will be located in North America, Europe, and Asia respectively.
The grand opening took place on the 23rd of May at ABB's Ackerman Road
location in Columbus, Ohio. The event marked the first repair center of its
kind to be identified as a factory authorized repair center. With more than
18,000 square feet, the new facility has twice the space of the previous
repair center.
Products repaired at the facility include Automation Power Products such
as drives and motors; Instrumentation and Control Products such as field
devices for sensing, controlling, and actuating; analyzers; metering
equipment; and control and information systems.
"Our Columbus, Ohio facility was chosen as the repair center for the
Americas because the location places the operation within 500 miles of
58 percent of the populations of both the U.S. and Canada," said Dane Maisel,
vice president, Logistics and Repair Services, ABB Automation. "The breadth
of our repair capabilities spans the full range of ABB Automation products as
well as numerous third party equipment repairs."
"The consolidation effort is part of ABB's overall strategy to provide
both the quality and responsiveness that is paramount to automation
customers." According to Maisel, "ABB has achieved a 75-percent reduction in
cycle-time over the last two years, while processing an average of 1,200
repairs per month."
To ensure the highest level of quality, ABB has developed rigorous testing
to help customers eliminate the high cost of field failures and production
downtime. Every repair undergoes a four-stage testing process, which includes
testing the repair at both the component level and at the complete board
functional level. The board is then tested in an operational system that
simulates the customer's environment. Lastly, each repair is environmentally
stress-tested to duplicate harsh industrial production environments.
"Our customers are looking for a return on their capital investment, which
in many cases is substantial. Consolidating our repair facilities makes us
more responsive and enables the customer to achieve a financial return in two
ways. Through the ABB Global Logistics Network, we are able to deliver spares
within a matter of hours to keep their system up and running to maximize
uptime. With our repair centers, they are able to send a malfunctioning
component to a resource that has the processes, intelligence, and systems to
complete the repair in one of the shortest cycle times in the industry," said
Gary Pearsons, president, ABB Automation Service Group, U.S.
ABB is currently repairing a broad range of technology that spans from up-
to-the-minute technology that has emerged within the last month, to technology
that was introduced 20 years ago. "Since we repair current generation
products, we are key feeders of information to our manufacturing units because
we are in the unique position to spot same or next generation problems," said
Mr. Maisel.
"Our strategy ensures the highest possible quality through a certification
system for both the processes and the technicians. The opening of this
repair facility represents our commitment to provide ABB customers with the
long-term and high quality support they are requesting," said Jan Ehrengren,
vice president, Global Logistics and Service Parts, ABB Automation Services.
ABB Automation provides service for more than 14,000 different products in
more than 100 countries. The ABB Repair Network has more than 30 years of
experience in multiple industries including electrical and water utilities;
petrochemical; metals and mining; pulp and paper; food and beverage; and
marine. U.S. customers can call the ABB 24-hour call center at 1-800-HELP-365
(800-435-7365) for expert support regarding any automation product that is
provided within ABB's logistics network.
The ABB Group serves customers in power transmission and distribution;
automation; oil, gas, and petrochemicals; building technologies; and in
financial services. With novel IT applications, tailored software solutions,
growing eBusiness and a fast expanding knowledge and service base, ABB is
building links to the new economy. The ABB Group employs about 165,000 people
in more than 100 countries.