ABB has unveiled a state-of-the-art innovation and training center at its B&R headquarters in Eggelsberg, Austria, marking a significant EUR 100 million investment in industrial automation. This facility will generate up to 1,000 high-tech jobs, featuring cutting-edge research and development laboratories and global training amenities designed to educate up to 4,000 individuals annually in partnership with universities.
The facility will focus on advancements in artificial intelligence and machine and factory automation. These innovations are posed to elevate productivity and flexibility, catering to industries such as electronics, e-mobility, food and beverage, recycling, logistics, and agriculture and aiming to enhance sustainability by bringing production closer to consumer markets.
ABB CEO Björn Rosengren emphasizes the company's historical commitment to innovation, stating, "Innovation has been in ABB’s DNA for more than 130 years and our division, B&R, is a true innovation hot spot for the transformation towards more automated manufacturing." The expansion enlarges B&R's headquarters to over 100,000 square meters, providing additional production capacity to fulfill the growing demand for B&R solutions.
Acknowledging ABB’s initiative, Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer noted, "Investments in our business location are always also investments in the future of Austria." He highlighted the importance of becoming more independent amidst global challenges, with the new campus enhancing automation and digitalization, creating jobs, and contributing to Austria's prosperity.
According to Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business area, the campus will function as a global collaboration hub, reflecting a "decade of transformation towards robotics and automation." This aligns with industry trends responding to global labor shortages and the necessity for sustainable operations.
The establishment serves as an open innovation hub for B&R, fostering collaboration with businesses, startups, and educational institutions, thus promoting skill development essential for future factories. Austria's Minister of Labor, Martin Kocher, underscored the importance of addressing skill gaps to keep pace with digital transformation.
B&R President Jörg Theis emphasized that top priority will be given to education, with the Automation Academy offering extensive training to thousands annually, alongside dual education programs with higher education institutions. Furthermore, ABB's sustainability goals include operating one of Austria's largest self-consumption photovoltaic systems at the campus, contributing to a targeted carbon-neutral footprint by 2030.
The completion of the new campus coincides with B&R's unveiling of a new brand identity, strengthening visual ties to ABB. "Our new visual design underscores ABB’s strong commitment to B&R as a category brand," remarked Theis. With more than 110 years of history in Austria, B&R continues to be a pivotal part of ABB's industrial automation leadership, particularly since the 2017 acquisition.
ABB opened its new global innovation and training campus at the headquarters of B&R in Eggelsberg, Austria, its global center for machine and factory automation.
The new campus will create up to 1,000 additional high-tech jobs and includes world-class research and development laboratories, as well as global training facilities for up to 4,000 people per year in collaboration with universities. ABB invested EUR 100 million in the expansion of the B&R headquarters.
Productivity and flexibility
Campus innovations around artificial intelligence and machine and factory automation will play an essential role in unlocking the potential of future industrial production in sectors such as electronics, e-mobility, food and beverage, recycling, logistics, and agriculture.
They will increase productivity and flexibility, helping customers become more sustainable and produce closer to their end markets.
Automated manufacturing
ABB CEO Björn Rosengren said, "Innovation has been in ABB’s DNA for more than 130 years and our division, B&R, is a true innovation hot spot for the transformation towards more automated manufacturing."
"The official opening of this campus is a proud moment for our ABB as we create highly-skilled jobs while shaping the machines and factories of the future together with our customers.”
A hub for integrated production, research, and training
The expansion will free up space which will serve as additional production capacity to meet the demand
The new campus expands the total area of B&R's headquarters to more than 100,000 m2, making B&R one of the largest sites for integrated production, research, and training in central Europe, with currently around 2,400 employees.
The expansion will also free up space which will serve as additional production capacity to meet increasing demand for B&R products.
Innovation and training campus
Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer thanked ABB for an important initiative, “Investments in our business location are always also investments in the future of Austria. The coronavirus pandemic, disruptions in global supply chains, and now the war in Ukraine remind us that we need to become more independent if we want to be better prepared for future challenges."
"I am therefore pleased that ABB is taking an important step in bringing manufacturing back home with the opening of its innovation and training campus. The new campus will not only be a driver for digitalization and automation but also will create jobs and contribute to prosperity in Austria.”
ABB global campus
"In a rapidly changing world, facilities such as the new ABB global campus are of utmost importance to Austria’s role in the global economy and generate growth as a center for innovation and investment."
"The ever-growing digitalization and automation of our industries will be key for the re-industrialization of Europe and also for bringing manufacturing back to Austria. By homeshoring industry, we are creating new jobs, securing Europe's supply chain, and seizing the opportunities for a more sustainable future.”
Customer collaborationcentere
Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business area, added, “This is a decade of transformation towards robotics and automation as our customers respond to global labor and supply shortages, accelerating consumer demand for personalized products and the need to operate more sustainably."
"ABB’s new campus will serve as a customer collaboration center where we work with customers around the globe, helping them to respond to these trends and supporting B&R in becoming the partner of choice for the world’s most ambitious industrial automation projects.”
Global addressable market volume
ABB is the only company offering industrial automation customers the entire range of integrated hardware and software
According to ABB research, 8 out of 10 companies in Europe and the U.S. are planning to further automate and 7 out of 10 are to near- or restore their production. The global addressable market volume for machine and factory automation is currently estimated at $20 billion p.a. and is expected to increase to $31 billion p.a. by the year 2030.
With the acquisition of B&R in 2017, ABB is the only company offering industrial automation customers the entire range of integrated hardware and software solutions around control, actuation, robotics, sensing as well as analytics and electrification.
Open innovation and education hub
The ABB innovation and training campus will serve as an open innovation hub, where B&R will closely collaborate with international customers, companies, and start-ups from across the region, as well as research and educational institutions to co-develop automation solutions and train the talents needed for the factories of the future.
"We are currently experiencing a record number of job vacancies in Austria," said Austria's Minister of Labor Martin Kocher.
Addressing skills gap
"At the same time, more people are currently employed than ever before. This makes it all the more important to counteract the skills gap that can be felt in Europe to keep pace with the digital transformation and seize the chances it provides."
"B&R's new campus with its dual training program is an important example of how to bring European manufacturing companies to the forefront of the world with skilling initiatives and innovation to successfully meet current economic and societal challenges."
Automation Academy
Jörg Theis, President of B&R, said, “Education will be given the highest priority at the campus. Our Automation Academy will offer inspiration and training opportunities for up to 4,000 students, apprentices, customers’ experts, and employees from all around the world every year.”
This added that B&R plans to offer dual education at the university level in collaboration with higher education institutions.
B&R unveils new brand identity
B&R has unveiled a new brand identity creating a visual connection between B&R and ABB
With the new campus, B&R has also unveiled a new brand identity creating a visual connection between B&R and ABB.
“Our new visual design underscores ABB’s strong commitment to B&R as a category brand and shows the strength of B&R and ABB as we grow together and work together. Being part of that bigger family creates many new possibilities for every employee to proactively shape their career,” said Theis.
One of the largest self-consumption PV systems in Austria
As part of its sustainability strategy for 2030, ABB expects to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations by the end of the decade. At B&R, ABB has installed one of the largest self-consumption photovoltaic (PV) systems in Austria.
Additional PV modules on the campus will increase the total output to 1.8 MW. The self-consumption rate is approximately 98 percent.
More than 110 years of history in the Austrian industry
B&R, founded in 1979 by Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer, is headquartered in Eggelsberg, Upper Austria. B&R is a world-pioneering solution provider in the automation of machines and factories and the global ABB Machine Automation division of ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation business area. Overall, the ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation business area employs more than 11,000 people at over 100 locations in more than 53 countries.
ABB has operated in Austria for more than 110 years and has a proud history in the Austrian industry from electrification to railways and powering ski-lifts to robotics and process automation. The acquisition of B&R in 2017 made ABB the largest supplier of industrial automation in Austria.
