ABB has opened a new production facility in Cibitung, West Java, that will double the company’s production capacity for miniature circuit breakers (MCB) within the region, thereby allowing it to meet growing market demand driven by rapid urbanisation and the growing industrial sector.

The move is in line with the company’s PIE strategy (market penetration, innovation, expansion). The new facility will employ more than 200 people.

Tarak Mehta, head of ABB’s Low Voltage Products division globally, said: “We see substantial growth opportunities for the low-voltage business in Indonesia. The country’s strong economic growth prospects, coupled with a young population, are expected to increase demand in the residential, industrial and commercial construction sectors. Electricity demand grew by 10% last year. The new factory is equipped with ‘state of the art’ assembly automation and product-testing equipment.”

Miniature circuit breakers are electro-mechanical devices that protect circuits from over-voltage. It is 90 years since ABB patented this technology in Germany. It has manufactured almost one billion MCBs globally to date.