Re Contract

ABB Ltd
04 March 2003


ABB wins US$ 82 million service contract in Italy

Four-year maintenance agreement is first for Italy's petrochemical industry

Zurich, Switzerland, March 4, 2003 - ABB, the leading power and automation
technology group, said today it has signed a four-year, US$ 82 million service
contract with ENI Group's Enichem and Nuova Polimeri Europa to assume all
maintenance activities at their petrochemical plants in Ferrara, Italy.

It is the first large full service maintenance contract of its kind awarded in
the Italian petrochemical industry, and covers all maintenance activities in the
petrochemical complex, which includes a rubber plant, a polyethylene plant and
two power plants.

'In today's business climate, our customers want to squeeze more out of their
existing assets,' said Dinesh Paliwal, head of ABB's Automation Technologies
division. 'We bring many years of product and process knowledge to our
customers, increasing the effectiveness of their plant assets and reducing
maintenance costs and losses from downtime. This award confirms ABB's position
as a leading player in Europe's growing asset management market.'

The contract calls for ABB to improve operational performance at the plants, as
well as provide maintenance services. Long-term partnership agreements of this
kind allow ABB to design, execute and manage a customer's entire asset base,
including maintenance labor, repair and operating, indirect maintenance and
subcontracting, for improved productivity and reduced costs.

ABB has negotiated asset management services agreements with customers in many
industries, including metals, pulp and paper, chemicals, petroleum, and
pharmaceuticals.

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 more than 100
countries and employs about 139,000 people.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange