Thomson Reuters recognises ABB as one of 2014's Top 100 Global Innovators

ABB has been recognised by Thomson Reuters as one of the world’s top 100 innovators for a third year. This award acknowledges companies around the world for their outstanding commitment to global innovation, the protection of ideas and the commercialisation of inventions.

“This recognition is a strong endorsement. Innovation is ingrained in the DNA of ABB and a pillar of our Next Level strategy,” said ABB Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer. “New technologies are at the core of driving profitable growth through our strategic focus on market penetration, innovation and expansion.” ABB announced its Next Level strategy in September 2014. The company said it will drive profitable growth through focused initiatives on market penetration, innovation and expansion (PIE).

In 2014, ABB announced technology breakthroughs including the development of YuMi, the world’s first robot for full collaboration with humans. YuMi is designed for a new era of automation where people and robots work side by side and where safety is built into the robot’s functionality. The YuMi robot will expand the market for robots built specifically to assemble products for the consumer electronics, computer and communications industries.

Additional ABB innovations include a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable that more than doubles power capacity to about 2600 MW. It can span distances of up to 1500 km in sub-sea and underground applications, making the cable suitable for efficient power delivery through densely populated or environmentally sensitive areas.

The company also announced a project using the world’s first high-voltage switchgear technology that deploys a new insulation gas mixture as a substitute for sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). This breakthrough reduces the technology’s environmental footprint due to its extremely low potential to contribute to greenhouse gas releases.

ABB invests about $1.5 billion annually in research and development. The company employs some 8500 technologists in more than 20 countries.