Stmt reProducts Certification

ABB Ltd
2 July 2002


ABB certifies 10,000 products to new standard

Industrial IT deployment project on target to reach 40,000 by year-end

Zurich, Switzerland, July 02, 2002 - ABB, the power and automation technology
group, said today it has certified 10,000 products to a new industrial
information technology standard, taking the company one step closer to its
year-end goal of certifying all 40,000 relevant ABB products and product groups.

'Bringing all our power and automation products and services into a single
information framework is key to helping make our customers more competitive,'
said Jorgen Centerman, ABB president and CEO. 'At the same time, it allows us to
sharpen our portfolio, improve the integration of our products and services into
solutions, and to strengthen the ABB brand.'

Industrial IT is ABB's patented concept for linking products and services
together with the information needed to run, service, and maintain them. Open
standard software allows production line operators or energy systems managers to
immediately access the information needed to make crucial decisions. ABB had
'Industrial IT Enabled' some 900 products at year-end 2001 and 3,000 products in
February 2002.

Each Industrial IT Enabled product offers uniform electronic tools for
documentation, configuration and connectivity. The tools are bundled in a piece
of software called an 'Aspect Object.' When this software is copied and pasted
into a customer's power or automation system, a virtual version of the real
product is enabled for use. Basically, this means an operator of an electrical
grid, power plant or factory can click on the virtual product and get
instructions, remote control and diagnostics, maintenance records and other
asset management information.

ABB's 10,000th certified product, the Control IT Remote (Input/Output) System
S900, manages signals between plant control systems, sensors and actuators. It
can now be installed near plant devices to reduce wiring costs, and ensure quick
access to all the aforementioned information. To date, more than 100 large
customers have purchased ABB's Industrial IT products and services.

Industrial IT certification is mandatory for all ABB products. A number of
third-party products have also been certified in cooperation with the company.
For example, Bosch Rexroth, a German supplier of drive and motion control
solutions, last week announced an agreement to certify its full line of
pneumatic components. The company will certify more than 1,200 product types to
Industrial IT standards to improve product information and make it more
consistent.

For more information, please see the accompanying 'frequently asked questions'
document about Industrial IT on www.abb.com.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a global leader in power and automation technologies that
enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering
environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies employs 152,000 and operates in
more than 100 countries worldwide.



                      This information is provided by RNS
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