Supporting China’s sustainable growth with leading technologies

On the western bank of the Bund waterfront in Shanghai, historic buildings line the Huangpu river, nodding to the city’s 19th- and 20th-century past as a hub for Chinese finance and trade. Due east, a river’s width away, is the skyscraper-filled Pudong district – a monument to China’s more recent ascent to a position as the world’s second-largest economy.

Since China’s opening up in the 1980s, ABB has collaborated with the country’s industries across multiple sectors, supplying technologies and solutions to help our partners operate with greater efficiency and sustainability.

By enabling them to run smoothly and become more productive, we are making an important contribution to China’s energy transition, the development of its infrastructure and the upgrading of its industries. 

Since delivering China’s first steam boiler in 1907, our activities in the country have grown to encompass:

• More than 14,000 employees
• The full range of business activities covering R&D, manufacturing, sales and service
• A presence in more than 100 cities, with 10 main manufacturing facilities and hubs
• Around 30 local companies, six of which are ranked among China top 100 electrical companies
• Eight factories certified as national “Green Factory” and four as national “Green Supply Chain”

Across the decades, we have also participated in the construction of many of China’s key infrastructure projects to expand access to electricity, water, transport and the internet. 

And as ABB Formula E returns to China this weekend, for the second Shanghai E-Prix, we’re highlighting some of the ways in which ABB is helping Chinese industry to outrun – leaner and cleaner.

More than $1bn invested over the past 10 years

China is our second-largest market: we had revenues of $4.3bn in 2024 and around 85 percent of those revenues came from locally made products, solutions and services, in line with our ‘local for local’ strategy.

Over the past 10 years we have invested more than $1bn in China. These are some of the most notable investments. 

Mission to Zero factory in Xiamen

One of ABB’s major manufacturing sites in China has become a model for decarbonization through the integration of smart digital technology.

The site at Xiamen, which makes low and medium voltage switchgear and circuit breakers on state-of-the-art production lines, has reduced its annual CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) emissions by an estimated 13,400 tons, measured against a 2022 baseline, as a part of ABB's global Mission to Zero  program. 100,000m² of solar panels generate 50 percent of its annual electricity needs.

Robotics mega-factory in Shanghai

The 67,000m2 production and research facility represents a $150 million (1.1 billion RMB) investment by ABB and deploys the company’s digital and automation technologies to manufacture next-generation robots.

ABB’s intelligent robotics solutions support businesses by increasing productivity, reducing waste and maximizing efficiency. 

Factories serving Chinese industries across multiple sectors

Beyond these two facilities, our China footprint includes:

• Recent acquisition of Siemens’ wiring accessories business in China 
• Our Shanghai Azipod propulsion factory 
• ABB Xinhui, which is progressing towards Mission to Zero status 
• Drive and low voltage switchgear factories in Beijing 
• High-voltage machine and low-voltage motor factories in Shanghai 

For a closer look at how ABB is helping key Chinese industries and partners, click on the links below.

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