ABB opens technology centre at University of Sydney

ABB and the University of Sydney’s School of Electrical and Information Engineering have officially opened the ABB Technology Centre at the university campus.

“The opening of the ABB Technology Centre marks a major step forward in an Australian-first project to close the gap between academia and industry,” said John Gaskell, CEO of ABB Australia. “The centre integrates many professional functions to facilitate learning, industry training and continuous interaction between students, academia and industry.”

Vassilios Agelidis, Professor and EnergyAustralia Chair of Power Engineering, championed the vision of this integrated teaching approach. “The ABB Technology Centre was a concept born to highlight the breadth of talent of Australia’s young engineers and act as a beacon for the way in which electrical engineering will be taught. We have now seen this dream come to reality with the opening of the centre,” said Professor Agelidis.

Special guest Heather Ridout, CEO of the Australian Industry Group, spoke about the impact the centre would have on the wider community. “The investment that ABB has made in the technology centre will bring benefits way beyond the company itself. The technology centre will bring benefit to the university, the industry as a whole, the economy and the broader community.”

The ABB Technology Centre houses a wide range of ABB products and solutions - 15 different technology demonstrations in total. These include low- and medium-voltage switchgear, an AC and DC variable speed drive system, substation automation systems, instrument and distribution transformers, a process control system and an industrial robot.

“Engineers of tomorrow will now not only have the finest theoretical instruction, they will also be able to gain first-hand experience on state-of-the-art equipment as used in the industries that they will work in on completion of their studies,” concluded John.