While the evening was set aside for relaxing, Joe Maloni, vice president of sales and marketing for ABB, took the time to point out some of the new products the company introduced the first day of the three-day International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Expo (AHR Expo).
"We pooled our worldwide expertise, resources and technology to make drives simple," said Maloni, in describing the company's introduction of its all-new ACH550 Drive Low Voltage AC Drive family. For drives users, he noted, "It is sophisticated technology made simple."
According to Maloni, the new drives were created from scratch, based on "listening very closely to the needs of our customers – and they are the easiest motor drives to install, start, and use, bar none."
Maloni noted the ACH550 is the first ABB drive developed jointly between the U.S. and Finland. It was built utilizing three-dimensional design tools, with research and development and manufacturing engineers from ABB's facilities sharing resources in a design effort "that combines simplicity, convenience, fieldbus connectivity, harmonic mitigation, and programmability to a degree we've not seen in drives before," said Maloni.
He noted the drives' 1- to 500-horsepower range and multiple modes of motor control provides users wide flexibility across the full range of HVAC applications. He added that everything that is needed in an AC drive is inside the ACH550 drives – or can be mounted there. There is no need to mount and wire auxiliary devices externally – saving substantial time, space, and money, said Maloni.
"We continue to work very hard to see these drives through the eyes and needs of our customers and users," he said. "The goal is to make drives simple – provide a common technology to drive motors across a wide range of application, small to large."
In other news, Turner Logistics LLC, a division and procurement arm of Turner Construction, and Premier Inc. have signed vendor partner agreements with the company. ABB, as part of Turner's retrofit and new construction services program, will provide adjustable-speed drives. It will do the same for the group purchasing division of the healthcare alliance Premier.
"It's a win for us," said Ron Ball, national accounts manager for ABB, Automation Technologies, Drives. "The agreement expands the base contacts/end users for our 65 exclusive HVAC sales partners throughout the U.S."
The post-expo party included refreshments and hors d'oeuvres. Complimentary entertainment was available after the event concluded at 9 p.m.
Publication date: 01/26/2004
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