Formidable collaboration will shape future automation around the world SINGAPORE, March 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, is to fund and partner with a highly respected team at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Engineering to better understand the cost and benefits of integrating control and schedule in today's complex manufacturing environment. (Photo:http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2013/03/20/20130320152319907579.html ) The project is one of 40 research projects selected for funding by ABB globally, after academic and research institutes around the world were invited to submit proposals for grants that will shape the future of power and automation. Associate Professor Srinivasan and Professor Karimi of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department will receive US$80,000 worth of funding to look beyond models, algorithms and academic exercises. They will develop a test-bed to capture the dynamics of a multi-product specialty chemical enterprise over a long time horizon. "In today's fast changing business environment, manufacturers face challenges to sustain their profitability," said Srinivasan, who will take the project lead. "This research will show the real, long-term strategic impacts, implications and possibilities of integrating scheduling and production control, thus enabling manufacturers to develop processes that are even more efficient, productive and flexible." "Our aim is to establish a truly collaborative innovation environment with world-class institutes such as NUS," said Haider Rashid, head of ABB in South East Asia and Oceania. "In particular we were looking for projects that support our strategy, which is to develop power and automation technologies that save energy and improve people's lives." The ABB Research Grant program is intended to support promising graduate students and senior researchers who are researching projects with industrial applications in the power and automation area. In total, 40 projects were chosen from more than 500 proposals submitted by more than 250 universities in 46 countries. Funding will start as soon as the contractual formalities have been concluded. For a full list of the universities, click here. ABB in the region has revenues of over US$2.5 billion and employs over 8,000 employees. ABB ( www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 145,000 people. For help with any technical terms in this release, please go to: www.abb.com/glossary For more information please contact: ABB Singapore Media Relations: Piera Man Tel: +65-6515-4180[email protected]
Source ABB