Powering Progress: ABB’s Trailblazing Journey at CTPark Brno

When ABB—a global leader in power and automation technologies—needed new, larger and more modern space to accommodate its growing Power Products business in Brno, they turned to their long-term partner CTP for the solution. CTP responded with a tailormade facility delivered to ABB within eight months during 2013.

“Whenever there is a situation in Brno that needs to be solved, and the people in Brno say: ‘don’t worry, we will solve it,’ the people at ABB HQ know it will be done,” explains Karel Endlicher, General manager of High Voltage Products at the Brno facility.“This says a lot about the level of people we have and we can hire in Brno.”

ABB’s production at CTPark Brno focuses on High Voltage (HV) gas-insulated bus ducts, which are major components of HV switchgears in electric power products. ABB provides testing up to 850 kV at CTPark Brno. Demand for ABB’s market-leading technology is increasing globally, and currently 100% of output from CTPark Brno is exported worldwide. In addition to expanded production, ABB has also relocated significant parts of its global bus duct R&D team to CTPark Brno.

R&D and Ecological Innovations

The team is responsible for improving and innovating product performance as well as the ecological footprint of the manufacturing process. One innovation has been the switch from wet to powder coating on bus duct components, which leads to up to 30% more efficiency and dramatic reduction of environmental impact. ABB is also a leader in the field of high-voltage gas-insulated bus ducts and has developed technology that can reduce power loss during transmission by up to 10 times. Based on ABB’s success in production and increased local compentencies in the Czech Republic, the company also operates a field service team from CTPark Brno.

The team, trained in Switzerland and Germany, is responsible for onsite installations for ABB clients internationally. All together, ABB currently employs around 150 people at CTPark Brno, with plans to double this in the near term as new production is brought on line.