ABB Switzerland Ltd Combines Its Analyzer and Software Businesses
ABB combines its Expert Optimizer, Knowledge Manager and SpectraFlow solutions into a single Collaborative Production Management operational unit.
Baden, Switzerland, March 5, 2008 - ABB Switzerland Ltd has announced that it has merged with immediate effect its analyzer and software businesses for cement and minerals industries. The Collaborative Production Management unit now comprises Expert Optimizer, Knowledge Manager and SpectraFlow in one group headed by Dr. Hans-Helmuth Jung. The merger took place to ensure that a full client service can be supplied from one ABB team.
The Expert Optimizer (formerly known as LINKman) and Knowledge Manager solutions have a long and successful history of bringing benefits to cement and minerals customers. Expert Optimizer includes solutions for Raw Mix Preparation (RMP) and for Economic Process Optimization (EPO). Knowledge Manager includes the Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) module and the Production Information Management Solution (PIMS). There are over 500 installations worldwide. SpectraFlow was launched to the market in the middle of 2007 and already there are installations providing safe, online, real time analysis for three major cement manufacturers. One of the factors that drove the development of the non-nuclear online SpectraFlow bulk material analyzer was to be able to provide EO and KM with good quality chemical composition data.
Merging Expert Optimizer, Knowledge Manager and SpectraFlow means that ABB's CPM team will provide turn key solutions across the entire cement and minerals manufacturing process, from Mine to Market. The sales team, headed by Thomas Marx, operations team headed by Mario Drinovac, and service team headed by Marie O'Grady have already been aligned to support this new structure.
Dr Leopold Blahous, Head of Research and Development for minerals optimization, said "Combining the analyzer and software teams and providing total solutions makes much more sense for us and the clients as it allows us to have everything in one group, covering the whole process from start to finish. Combining these two aspects of the business allows us to focus on the clients needs and to provide the best solution available in the market".
ABB's suite of Collaborative Production Management (www.abb.com/cpm and www.abb.com/cement or www.abb.com/minerals) products, which includes SpectraFlow, Expert Optimizer and Knowledge Manager, provide productivity improvements to process automation companies.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs more than 112,000 people.
