ABB is reinforcing its commitment to the US market and utility industry with the addition of a new manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Particularly, the facility will be for its Installation Products Division, formerly Thomas & Betts.

Planning and construction of the new 90,000 square-foot facility is underway. Moreover, the new facility construction will represent an investment of US$40 million. The greenfield facility will create 55 new jobs in the area and produce cable products used by electric utility providers in grid hardening and resiliency initiatives.

Advances Production Capabilities

With over 75,000 miles of underground cabling estimated to be in place by 2040 across the United States, ABB’s new facility will meet increased demand for its leading Elastimold® solutions essential to wildfire mitigation, as well as underground and grid hardening projects that power homes, businesses and communities in a safe and reliable way.

Moreover, when completed in 2024, the Albuquerque facility will include ABB Robotics technology and digital automation to produce more than 1 million additional units annually. The vast majority will be supplied to US customers.

“…ABB’s latest investment in Albuquerque will advance our production capabilities and significantly boost capacity to meet the needs of utilities for safe, reliable and innovative solutions that are easier to install and maintain,” said Matthias Heilmann, President of ABB Electrification’s Installation Products division.

In addition, Heilmann said, “Continuing to grow our US manufacturing operations and distribution network accelerates our ability to deliver high-demand electrical products.”

On the other hand, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said, “This is a company making strides in energy infrastructure and climate solutions, and the state looks forward to working with ABB to identify economic development tools to support this exciting expansion.”

Drives Innovations

The new manufacturing facility will be located on ABB’s 40-acre site in Albuquerque, in addition to its existing Installation Products manufacturing facility, which opened in 1973. That adjacent plant already employs nearly 450 production, engineering and quality specialists who develop, test, and make standard utility solutions. This newest investment will make ABB one of the top ten manufacturing employers in New Mexico. Furthermore, it adds to over US$100 million in Installation Products expansions and improvements made in the US over the past few years to increase capacity and drive innovation. It also builds on the US$14 billion ABB has already invested in the US since 2010.

Part of ABB’s Electrification business area, the Installation Products Division is a global leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of products used to manage the connection, protection and distribution of electrical power in industrial, construction and utility applications. With more than 200,000 products across more than 38 premium brand names, ABB Installation Products solutions can be found wherever electricity is used.