ABB India Expands Gujarat Factory to Meet Digital Substation Products and Digital Systems’ Demand

Vadodara, Gujarat – ABB India recently announced the inauguration of its expanded Digital Substation Products and Digital Systems factory in Vadodara, Gujarat. This new factory, located within ABB India’s largest manufacturing campus, will meet the growing demand for a diverse range of digital substation products and digital solutions in India and more than 50 other countries, demonstrating the company's commitment to ‘Make in India’. The manufacturing portfolio includes products like relays, and the solutions range includes centralized protection and control systems, distribution automation, bus transfer systems, and arc protection for the electrical distribution network. These products are used by OEMs in a variety of industries, including cement, steel, oil and gas, utilities (power distribution companies), and renewable energy projects.

This facility manufactures four variants or series of relays, which account for a sizable portion of ABB’s portfolio of this product. Relays are manufactured using a complex testing sequence that includes high voltage test, functional test, and heat run test. ABB is one of the first companies in the industry to automate the entire testing process. A special packaging software has been installed, which allows the products to be placed in the packaging bay only after the correct sequence of testing has been verified. Remote monitoring and control of relays is also possible with Distribution Automation systems.

High-quality power protection technology will help India meet its goal of increasing renewable energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030. Relays, centralized protection and control systems will play a critical role in India's renewable energy and carbon reduction targets by ensuring the safe continuity of electrical networks and reliable power distribution. By establishing dedicated manufacturing zones in the country, the Indian government hopes to increase local manufacturing of electrical and electronic equipment, thereby making India a global hub.

Mentioning that India is expected to be among the top three energy consumers in the world by 2030, and that it is currently the fifth largest consumer, Sanjeev Sharma, Country Head and Managing Director, ABB India, stated, “This exponential increase in demand, followed by the mix of diversified and distributed energy sources, has increased the requirement for quality power equipment manufacturing in India. ABB’s wide portfolio and future-proof technology has a significant role to play in supporting this growing demand. We have been consistently investing in Gujarat, making it one of our largest manufacturing campuses. The inauguration of this facility demonstrates our commitment to partner India’s grid expansion and clean energy targets.”

Asserting that the electrification of energy grids around the world has increased the emphasis on reliable energy distribution, with connected, digital technologies serving as a key enabler for transforming power distribution networks, Ganesh Kothawade, Senior Vice President, Electrification Business, ABB India, added, “Digitalization can offer new levels of safety, real-time control and monitoring of power flow, seamless communication, self-diagnosis, and data processing. The wide range of digital substation products and digital system solutions manufactured in our new facility will help meet growing demand from our customers to improve the reliability, speed, accuracy, and efficiency of their electrical equipment and networks.”

Image Source: ABB Ltd

---

---