Global Power Demand a Plus For ABB

Article Excerpt

ABB LTD. ADRs, $24 (New York symbol ABB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 2.3 billion; Market cap: $55.2 billion; WSSF Rating: Above average) is a major Swiss-based provider of power technologies for utilities. These include transformers, transmission systems and other power industry apparatus such as voltage switch gears and circuit breakers. ABB also makes automation systems and robotics that help increase plant productivity in a wide variety of industries. Europe is ABB’s largest market. It accounts for about 46% of revenues, followed by Asia (26%), the Americas (18%) and Other (10%). Long history of success ABB took its present form in 1988 through the merger of Sweden’s Asea AB and Switzerland’s BBC Brown Boveri AG. Asea (formed in 1883) introduced electricity into Sweden, and developed its railway network. Brown Boveri (formed in 1891) specialized in power generation and turbines. ABB’s revenue rose from $19.5 billion in 2002 to $24.4 billion in 2006. Losses from continuing operations grew from $0.11 per…