Archived Content

International Engagement: How American Workers and Businesses Succeed in the Worldwide Economy

Company Statements

ABB

“Globalization for us means appreciating the fluidity of markets around the world. Today’s manufacturing center is tomorrow’s engineering center, and we must be able to see the full potential of regions like China both as market and supplier. At the same time, we are firmly committed to growing our presence in the United States, which has the largest installed base of power and automation equipment in the world.”

— Enrique Santacana, President and CEO, ABB North America 

ABB Is Both American and International

  • ABB operates 30 manufacturing sites in the United States and is based in Zurich, Switzerland.
  • ABB exports $500 million through its U.S. operations and is a critical part of the ABB Group’s financial success around the world. International markets are an important part of ABB’s growth in the United States.
  • ABB employs nearly 9,000 workers in the United States, and it is making significant investments to expand the size of its employee base there.
  • ABB benefits the U.S. economy through its powerful presence in the United States, its investments in the employee base and payroll, and its ability to export from the United States.

Access to Non-U.S. Markets Is Critical to the Company’s Success

  • ABB Group’s U.S. operation accounts for $500 million in exports. The majority of ABB’s exports come from outside the company’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. ABB operates in more than 100 countries.
  • ABB Group reported on February 14, 2007, that orders in Asia more than doubled in the fourth quarter of 2007 compared to the same period a year earlier, due in large measure to an order for a 2,000-kilometer ultra-high-voltage power link in China.
  • ABB is seeing strong growth in all its markets, particularly in the United States and Europe, where there is a large installed industry base, and in emerging markets such as Brazil, India, China and the Middle East.
  • China is the single largest market in terms of revenue, followed by the United States.
  • The company’s strong presence overseas combined with its global resources have helped ABB maintain strong market positions in its five core businesses — Power Products, Power Systems, Automation Products, Process Automation and Robotics.

Living Up to International Responsibilities

  • One of ABB’s key activities in North America is its expansion in México in San Luis Potosí. The number of personnel at that facility will go from zero to approximately 1,000 during the next two years. Employees have been hired and trained, production processes and product certifications have begun, and the transition toward full production mode is under way. The first products are expected to begin shipping later this quarter.
  • ABB is committed to economic and social development, a healthy environment, and a stable society. The company is focused on ethics, compliance and sustainability. One hundred percent of employees in the United States have completed mandatory Code of Conduct certification training as well as e-learning courses on ethics, antitrust and business practices.
  • Through its variable speed drives, large ship propulsion systems, turbochargers and electric power systems, ABB is helping customers reduce energy usage and, subsequently, greenhouse gas emissions.
  • ABB has established the ABB Foundation to channel employee contributions to worthy causes in the communities where ABB employees work and live in the United States. The company matches employee contributions on a one-to-one basis and has given away more than $500,000.

 

Abbot

“There’s one fundamental fact that everyone at Abbott understands: The purpose of our company is to improve lives. That’s abundantly clear when your business is creating new and better medical technologies. And that knowledge is a source of pride and responsibility to all of us around the world.”

— Miles D. White, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Abbott

Abbott Is a Global Health Care Company “Turning Science into Caring”

  • Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to discovering new medicines, new technologies and new ways to manage health. The company’s products span the continuum of care, from nutritional products and laboratory diagnostics to medical devices and pharmaceutical therapies.
  • Throughout our 120-year history, Abbott people have been driven by a constant goal: to advance medical science to help people live healthier lives. It’s part of our heritage, and it continues to drive our work. Today, more than 68,000 Abbott employees around the world share the passion for “Turning Science into Caring.” Abbott Serves Customers around the World
  • Abbott has sales, manufacturing, research and development, and distribution facilities in the United States and around the world, close to where our customers need us to be.
  • Abbott expanded beyond the United States as early as 1910, opening branches and operations in Canada, Europe and India. Today, Abbott has more than 100 facilities worldwide and markets products in more than 130 countries.
  • In 2007, for the first time, Abbott revenues outside the United States exceeded national sales. U.S. sales were $12.9 billion, while international sales reached $13 billion.
  • While Abbott expects the United States to remain an important market for many years to come, we also recognize that, with the rise of major new market economies, such as China, India, Russia and Latin America, the rest of the world will play a much larger role than ever before in the company’s future growth.

Abbott Businesses Are Expanding in China

  • China presents a tremendous growth opportunity for all of Abbott international businesses. With 1.3 billion people — or one-fifth of the world’s total population — China has a consumer middle class that annually grows faster than the total population of most other countries.
  • Abbott opened its first office in Beijing in 1986. Today, Abbott has offices in the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen and has more than 840 employees. The company’s largest business in China is nutrition, with sales representatives in more than 90 cities. A key advantage in this market is Abbott’s superior reputation in science and quality.
  • The pharmaceutical market in China is predicted to be the seventh largest in the world by 2010. Abbott’s aggressive growth plan includes significantly increasing our presence with salesforce expansion and new product launches.

Global Citizenship Is Part of Who We Are

  • Through Abbott Global AIDS Care programs, Abbott and the Abbott Fund have invested more than $100 million to advance HIV testing, treatment and support services to improve the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS in developing countries.
  • In 2007, Abbott was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North American Indexes for the third consecutive year. Abbott remains a leader in economic, social and environmental performance — with the company and the Abbott Fund contributing more than $385 million in grants and products to help improve the lives of millions of people around the world.
  • Abbott became the first Fortune 500 company to go carbon neutral with its fleet of sales vehicles. Abbott also improved operations to help protect the environment, including reducing carbon dioxide emissions with plans to reduce total emissions by 30 percent by 2011. Abbott continues to work toward 2010 goals to reduce water usage, waste, employee injuries and commercial vehicle fleet accidents to help generate the greatest environmental, health and safety benefits.

To learn more about Abbott, please visit www.abbott.com.

 

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