ABB has marked the start of construction at its new facility in San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy, which will serve as a global Center of Excellence and production site for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The company says the 16,000 square meter facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2021.
As a global market leader in e-mobility solutions, the $30 million investment in this new facility is further evidence of ABB’s continued commitment to driving innovation in this fast-growing sector.
It follows a $10 million investment in a new fully sustainable, global e-mobility headquarters and research and development center built on the TU Delft Campus, Heertjeslaan, Netherlands which is set to officially launch later this year.
The new plant will produce ABB’s entire portfolio of direct current electric vehicle battery chargers, from domestic systems to systems for installation in public areas and those dedicated to urban public transport.
ABB says it will also help to further support the company’s growth and innovation in the e-mobility sector.
Giampiero Frisio, head of ABB’s smart power division, says: “Today represents a significant milestone in our e-mobility business.
“At ABB we have been driving progress in the sector for more than a decade and this new state of the art facility will contribute significantly to further advancing the global move towards zero-emission electric mobility.”
The new facility will be characterized by the integration of ABB AbilityTM digital solutions.
They will allow complete visibility and optimization of the production of every individual product and interconnect automated warehouse management systems with factory departments.
Automated equipment for the assembly of printed circuit boards and monitoring and testing systems will be connected to the factory information system.
R&D activities will take place in a dedicated 3,200 square meter space for development and prototyping.
They will focus on the implementation of innovative solutions, new software and product life cycle management tools to fully integrate R&D activities with manufacturing activities, both internally and with external electronic manufacturing services.
Meanwhile, the integration of renewable energy sources such as solar panels on the roof, an optimized heating and cooling system and the introduction of an electric fleet of vehicles for employees, logistics, sales and service teams will help to reduce the environmental impact of the facility.
Frank Muehlon, head of ABB’s global business for e-mobility infrastructure solutions, says: “As global demand for sustainable transport continues to increase this new facility will ensure that ABB can meet that demand and remains the go to provider for our end to end e-mobility solutions.”
ABB has unrivalled expertise in developing sustainable transport solutions. Since entering the EV-charging market a decade ago, ABB has sold more than 14,000 ABB DC fast chargers across more than 80 countries.
ABB recently received the Global E-mobility Leader 2019 award for its role in supporting the international adoption of sustainable transport solutions.
ABB recently announced that it will provide the charging technology for the Gen3 cars in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – the first all-electric global race series.
Main image: Artist’s impression of the planned facility
