ABB adds News Zealand power quality firm to its fold
ABB has bought a New Zealand company that specialises in technologies to improve power supply quality in industrial installations. Napier-based Vectek Electronics employs 73 people. It will become part of ABB’s Automation Products division and its former chief executive, John Penny, will continue to run the business. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
"Vectek is an ideal addition to our portfolio of technologies that help customers to increase power reliability, productivity and energy efficiency," says Tom Sjoekvist, head of the Automation Products division. "ABB’s global scope will enable customers on every continent to benefit from this new technology."
Vectek’s high-power electronic converters use AVC (active voltage conditioning) technology to mitigate the effects of voltage surges and sags. These variations in power quality can result in costly production shutdowns and in variations in the quality of goods produced. By creating more stable and continuous supplies, the Vectek equipment is designed to help cut downtime and to boost productivity.
The company’s product portfolio includes uninterruptible power supplies from 500VA–300kVA, power conditioners from 300VA–10MVA, and power factor correction systems with ratings extending beyond 1,000kVAr. Vectek’s equipment, which is suitable for commercial and marine applications as well as industrial, is already used in installations in the US and Asia.
