ABB South Africa has reported year-end results to December 2013. Highlights include:
* Revenue up 66% to R5,9 billion – South Africa 90% of revenue and cross-border 10%.
* Orders up 22% to R5.3 billion.
* Order book backlog of R3,7 billion.
The current results were mainly achieved through the increased demand for renewable energy with future business expected from the southern African region. Since the successful integration of various sites in Johannesburg (Longmeadow), the company now also hosts a new capacitor factory, a Turbo Charger service site in Walvis Bay and premises in Cape Town.
More than R200 million will be invested into extending and upgrading the motor facility in Alrode, which will improve capability and increase capacity, while reducing lead times and maintaining high on-time delivery and quality. The investment, which will bring about significant enhancement in the offering particularly to the region’s growing rail industry, was supported by a contribution from the Department of Trade and Industry as part of its Manufacturing Competitiveness Enhancement Programme.
ABB Southern Africa CEO, Leon Viljoen, is particularly optimistic about opportunities arising from a potential integrated transport system for the sub-continent. “The knock-on effect of an inter-regional rail network for the region’s economic development is immense. Besides the fact that it will allow Africa to be more competitive in the global economy, it will also be a major source of employment,” said Viljoen.
He remains positive about prospects based on South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which projects a significant portion of future energy generation emanating from renewable energy projects. “The predictions from the IRP correlate with the feedback we have received from our customers and business partners, all looking at investing into renewable energy over the next few years,” explained Viljoen.
Globally, ABB acquired Power-One, a leading provider of renewable energy and of energy-efficient power conversion and power management solutions, positioning it as a leading global supplier and manufacturer of solar inverters.
To support its growing business in southern Africa, ABB will be investing heavily into skills development. Its School of Maintenance promotes high levels of knowledge and skills among practitioners across all disciplines. The school applies generic principles using recognised maintenance experts to provide quality training that is innovative, combines theory, research and practice. In this way it develops trainees who have a broad range of generic skills that will not only equip them to contribute to the economic development of an organisation, but also to compete successfully in the international market.
Additionally, ABB is launching an integrated learning training centre in Longmeadow, which will deliver learning solutions to employees and customers as an holistic endeavour, integrating sophisticated training aids such as simulators, product cut-outs and demonstration units.
“We have further selected 20 graduates from various tertiary institutions in the areas of project management, controlling, and engineering for our 2014 Internship Programme, who will be put through a career development plan consisting of a combination of intensive theoretical training and practical experience,” said Viljoen.
ABB’s orders from southern Africa have already increased and are expected to increase even further over the next five years as a result of the continent’s need for accelerated transport, communication, water and power infrastructure development. “We are optimistic about the future business opportunities in the 12 African countries in which we currently operate. By growing and improving our own skills base, while simultaneously investing into more efficient and innovative infrastructure, we are gearing up to service our current and future customers even better,” concluded Viljoen.
For more information contact Jacolize Goosen, ABB South Africa, +27 (0)10 202 5000, [email protected], www.abb.com/za
| Tel: | +27 10 202 5000 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.abb.com/za |
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