To expand research and development and production of its Furse® earthing and lightning solutions, ABB has opened a new manufacturing and R&D facility in Nottingham, U.K. The $35 million (£27 million) investment will enable ABB to meet growing demand from customers who want to protect data centres, buildings, renewable energy systems, and communications and transportation hubs.
The new 8,800m2 (~95,000 sq. ft.) manufacturing and R&D facility is over 35% larger than the previous local ABB office and factory, which operated for over 130 years. The R&D, lab and testing centre, along with a collaboration area and dedicated section for ABB’s Furse Surge Protection Device (SPD) product range, will become a global centre of excellence for lightning protection technologies, developing new solutions as safety and performance requirements continue to evolve.
“The increased frequency and intensity of severe weather events with lightning strikes, along with urbanization, and more stringent building and data center safety requirements, are driving demand for advanced earthing, lightning and surge protection solutions,” said Andrea Castella, Europe Region Leader, ABB Installation Products. “The investment in our new Nottingham facility is part of ABB’s broader strategy to drive innovation and sustainability, expand manufacturing, and shorten supply chains to bring production and R&D closer to customers.”
More than 100 existing employees have relocated to the new purpose-built facility at Fairham Business Park, which produces and distributes millions of Furse components annually to more than 60 countries across Europe, the Middle East and APAC. The site integrates the latest technologies for sustainable operations, bringing together ABB’s digital and renewable energy solutions to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions.
For further information, please visit www.abb.com
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