ABB Ltd is a technology group headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Active in industrial robotics, it also operates in electrification, electric motors and drives, and process automation. Its equipment and software serve factories, infrastructure and buildings, among other applications. In robotics, its offering combines machines, their control systems, programming tools, and integration and maintenance services. Its corporate website is abb.com.
A European history of electrical engineering
ABB was founded in 1988 through the merger of Sweden’s ASEA and Switzerland’s Brown, Boveri & Cie. Both companies brought extensive experience in electrical equipment and industrial systems. The group’s robotics heritage can be traced in particular to ASEA, which introduced the IRB 6 in 1974, an all-electric industrial robot controlled by a microprocessor.
As it developed, ABB expanded its portfolio beyond stationary robots. The acquisition of B&R in 2017 strengthened its expertise in machine automation. Its acquisition of ASTI Mobile Robotics in 2021 added mobile robotics solutions for transporting goods within industrial and logistics sites.
From robots to production software
ABB’s robotics offering covers parts handling, welding, painting, assembly, packaging and palletizing. The automotive industry is a long-standing market, alongside electronics, metalworking, food processing and logistics. Requirements vary by application: movement precision, payload, production rate or adaptation to constrained environments.
The portfolio includes industrial arms and collaborative robots, notably the YuMi and GoFa families. The latter are designed to facilitate certain forms of work in close proximity to operators. Their installation nevertheless requires a risk assessment tailored to each application: safety also depends on the tool, the workpiece being handled and the workstation layout.
Software plays an important role. With RobotStudio, users can program and simulate installations in a virtual environment before their physical deployment. This approach aims to plan motion paths, check a cell’s layout and minimize production interruptions. Maintenance, training and support services then help users operate the equipment.
What next?
The prospects for ABB’s robotics lie at the intersection of industrial flexibility, simpler programming, and the integration of vision and artificial intelligence. A key challenge is to automate shorter production runs and less repetitive tasks without making integration excessively complex. For customers, evaluation remains practical: total cost of ownership, equipment availability, safety and compatibility with existing installations. The ability to make these technologies accessible to businesses with few specialists will be another factor driving adoption.