ABB signs US$50 million agreement

ABB has signed a full service maintenance agreement with Carter Holt Harvey, an Australian-Asian forest products company. The five-year contract, worth US$10 million annually, covers all maintenance services for the Kinleith mill in Tokoroa, New Zealand.

ABB expects to increase productivity and reduce costs for Carter Holt Harvey by streamlining maintenance functions and increasing plant efficiency. Peter Springford, CEO of Carter Holt Harvey, said: "This contract will play an important role in giving the mill a sustainable future."

The agreement will cover all electrical maintenance services, including power and transmission distribution, and devices such as motors and drives at the mill, as well as management of spare parts and inventory. The contract starts this month.

Carter Holt Harvey, which is majority owned by the world's largest paper company, International Paper, is Australasia's leading forest products company producing wood products, pulp and paper, tissue and packaging. Its Kinleith mill produces about 300,000 tonnes of paper and 270,000 tonnes of pulp annually.