£27 million investment sets ABB to support growing lightning protection demand
Lightning strikes and electrical surges disrupt critical operations, causing billions of dollars in damage to structures and equipment each year. With growing reliance on electronics and data centres, ABB is investing more than £27 million in a greenfield facility in Nottingham, United Kingdom, to meet increased demand for Furse® earthing and lightning protection solutions. The new state-of-the-art site is expected to open in early 2025 and will integrate advanced technology, flexible automation, R&D and testing, and digital processes to boost production capacity and enhance efficiency and sustainability.
In addition to an expanded footprint, the site will be constructed in line with the BREEAM Excellent rating for sustainable building standards and include efficient equipment and technology, photovoltaic rooftop cells, electric vehicle charging stations, and processes centred on reducing waste and energy. The space will be designed to support collaboration and training, accelerate R&D, and drive automation to serve European customers and increase available inventory globally.
A growing issue
Worldwide, an estimated 1.4 billion lightning flashes occur annually, equal to over 42 strikes each second. There are several ways that lightning strikes proves damaging to industry. Structural damage aside, lightning strikes can induce transient currents and high-frequency harmonics in electrical systems, resulting in voltage spikes that overwhelm and damage electronic circuits. This can result in sudden shutdowns, either as a consequence of component damage or erratic voltages triggering electronic safeguards.
Systems featuring integrated circuits are particularly vulnerable to voltage spikes, which can melt microscopic pathways within the chips and cause device malfunctions or failure. Even indirect lightning strikes up to a kilometre away can create transient overvoltages and have devastating consequences such as fire, shock hazards, equipment damage and costly outages, resulting in downtime and financial losses.
Furse solutions from ABB Installation Products are engineered to provide reliable earthing, lightning risk, and electronic systems and surge protection, helping safeguard structures and the electrical systems within. The products are used in more than 20 countries across a broad range of applications and environments, from data centres and medical facilities to essential infrastructure, utilities and renewable energy.
Continued investment
“This important investment builds on 130 years of Furse technology, enabling us to remain at the forefront of earthing and lightning protection and deliver solutions that improve safety and reliability for our customers. As part of our global growth strategy, we continue to expand our capabilities and capacity, further strengthening ABB’s manufacturing footprint and supply chain and regionalising production of high-demand electrical solutions customers, installers and distribution partners need,” said Khalid Mandri, President, ABB Installation Products Division.
The UK investment adds to more than $165 million in ABB Installation Products global expansions and improvements since 2020 to increase manufacturing capacity, drive innovation and sustainability, and bring needed products closer to customers. It also continues ABB’s investment into the Nottinghamshire area, which has been a home for the Furse brand for over 130 years. More than 100 employees will relocate to the new 9,500m2 facility from the existing 6,300m2 ABB Installation Products Nottingham foundry, which has continually operated for over a century in the area where Furse originated in 1893.
Mandri concluded: “Building this site in Nottinghamshire further reinforces our commitment to the industries we serve and to the community where we have operated for more than a century and want to continue to be a leading employer.”
ABB Installation Products currently has six locations in Europe in Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland and the UK where it employs more than 100 associates in Nottingham who develop, test and produce a broad range of Furse solutions. The new campus will occupy nearly five acres in Fairham Business Park, within close proximity of ABB’s existing Wilford Road site and is accessible for employees, customers, suppliers and distribution partners.
“We are continually advancing solutions across electrification, and the earthing and lightning protection lifecycle. Our new facility is a leap forward in design and technology, positioning us for the future while enabling us to preserve resources and reduce energy and water consumption aligned with circularity and sustainability priorities across ABB’s operations,” stated Andrea Castella, Europe Region Leader, ABB Installation Products.
