Summary

ABB has opened its new global innovation and training campus at B&R headquarters in Eggelsberg, Austria, its global center for machine and factory automation. The new campus will create up to 1,000 additional high-tech jobs and includes world-class research and development laboratories, as well as global training facilities that can accommodate up to 4,000 people per year in collaboration with universities. ABB has invested 100 million euros in the expansion of the B&R headquarters.

Campus innovations around artificial intelligence and machine and factory automation will play a key role in unlocking the potential of future industrial production – in sectors such as electronics, electric mobility, food and beverages, recycling, logistics or agriculture. They will increase productivity and flexibility, helping customers become more sustainable and produce closer to their end markets.

ABB CEO Björn Rosengren said: “Innovation has been in ABB’s DNA for more than 130 years and our division, B&R, is a true innovation hub for the transformation towards more automated manufacturing. . The official opening of this campus is a proud moment for our ABB as we create highly skilled jobs while shaping the machines and factories of the future together with our customers.

An integrated production, research and training center in Central Europe

The new campus extends the total area of ​​B&R’s headquarters to over 100,000 m², making B&R one of the largest integrated production, research and training sites in Central Europe, with currently around 2,400 employees. The expansion will also free up space that will serve as additional production capacity to meet the growing demand for B&R products.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer thanked ABB for an important initiative: “Investments in our business location are always also investments in Austria’s future. The corona pandemic, disruptions to global supply chains and now the war in Ukraine are clear reminders that we need to become more independent if we want to be better prepared for future challenges. I am therefore delighted that ABB is taking an important step in bringing manufacturing back to the home with the opening of its new innovation and training campus. The new campus will not only drive digitalization and automation, it will also create jobs and contribute to prosperity in Austria.

In a rapidly changing world, facilities such as ABB’s new global campus are of utmost importance to Austria’s role in the global economy and drive growth as a center of innovation and investment. The increasing digitization and automation of our industries will be essential for the reindustrialisation of Europe and also for bringing manufacturing back to Austria. Through the homehoring industry, we are creating new jobs, securing the European supply chain and seizing opportunities for a more sustainable future.

Sami Atiya, president of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business area, added: “This is a decade of transformation towards robotics and automation as our customers respond to global labor shortages and supply chain, accelerating consumer demand for personalized products and the need to operate more sustainably. . ABB’s new campus will serve as a customer collaboration center where we will work with customers around the world, helping them respond to these trends and helping B&R become the partner of choice for the world’s most ambitious industrial automation projects. .

According to ABB research, 8 out of 10 companies in Europe and the US plan to automate more and 7 out of 10 to move closer or relocate their production. The global addressable market volume for machine and factory automation is currently estimated at $20 billion per year and is expected to reach $31 billion per year by 2030.

With the acquisition of B&R in 2017, ABB is the only company to offer industrial automation customers the full range of integrated hardware and software solutions around control, actuation, robotics, sensing as well as analysis and electrification.

Open innovation and education center to develop and train together

ABB’s Innovation and Training Campus will serve as an open innovation hub, where B&R will work closely with international customers, companies and start-ups across the region, as well as research and development institutes. education to co-develop automation solutions and train the talents needed for the factories of the future.

“We are currently experiencing a record number of vacancies in Austria. At the same time, more people are currently employed than ever before. It is therefore all the more important to counter the skills gap that can be felt in Europe to keep pace with digital transformation and seize the opportunities it offers. B&R’s new campus with its work-study program is an important example of how to bring European manufacturing companies to the global forefront with skills and innovation initiatives in order to successfully respond to economic and societal challenges,” said Austrian Labor Minister Martin Kocher.

Jörg Theis, President of B&R, said: “Education will have the highest priority on campus. Each year, our Automation Academy will provide inspiration and training opportunities to up to 4,000 students, apprentices, customer experts and employees around the world. Theis added that B&R plans to offer work-study training at the university level in collaboration with higher education institutions.

B&R unveils its new brand identity

Along with the new campus, B&R also unveiled a new brand identity creating a visual connection between B&R and ABB. “Our new visual design underlines ABB’s strong commitment to B&R as a category brand and shows the strength of B&R and ABB as we grow and work together. Being part of this big family creates many new opportunities for every employee to proactively shape their career,” said Theis.

Sustainable campus with one of Austria’s largest self-consumption photovoltaic systems

As part of its 2030 sustainability strategy, ABB plans to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations by the end of the decade. At B&R, ABB installed one of the largest self-consumption photovoltaic (PV) systems in Austria. Additional photovoltaic modules on campus will now increase total generation to 1.8 MW. The self-consumption rate is approximately 98%.

Over 110 years of history in Austrian industry

B&R, founded in 1979 by Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer, is headquartered in Eggelsberg, Upper Austria. Today, B&R is one of the world’s leading providers of machine and factory automation solutions and the global ABB Machine Automation division of the ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation business area. Overall, the ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation business area employs more than 11,000 people at more than 100 locations in more than 53 countries.

ABB has been present in Austria for more than 110 years and is proud of its history in Austrian industry, from electrification and railways, to powering ski lifts, robotics and process automation. The acquisition of B&R in 2017 made ABB the largest supplier of industrial automation in Austria.

About ABB

ABB is a leading global technology company driving the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive and sustainable future. By connecting software to its portfolio of electrification, robotics, automation and motion, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to take performance to new levels. With a history of excellence dating back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by approximately 105,000 talented employees in more than 100 countries.