Knowledge

Management
at ABB
 Introduction
• ABB is a global leader in power and
automation technologies that
enable utility and industry
customers to improve their
performance while lowering
environmental impact.
•
•
 History
• Formed – 1988
•
• Swiss BBC brown boverimerged under the name of ABB
•
• Asea’s history dates back to 1883
•
• BBC Brown Boweri was founded in 1891


• 120 years of technological leadership



• operate - 100 countries

•
• Employee – 135000
•
• HQ - Zurich
•

 Products
• Power Products are the key components to transmit and
distribute electricity. The division incorporates ABB's
manufacturing network for transformers, switchgear,
circuit breakers, cables and associated equipment.
• Power Systems offers turnkey systems and services for
power transmission and distribution grids, and for power
plants.
• This division provides products, solutions and related
services that increase industrial productivity and energy
efficiency.
• The Low Voltage Products division manufactures low-
voltage circuit breakers, switches, control products,
wiring accessories, enclosures and cable systems to
protect people, installations and electronic equipment
from electrical overload.
• The main focus of this ABB business is to provide customers
with products and solutions for instrumentation,
 ABB technologies that changed
the world


ABB has a long history and a rich heritage of



technology innovation.
• HVDC
• Variable speed drives
• Industrial robots
• Substations
• Extended automation
• Marine propulsion Part
• FACTS Part
• Network management
• Crane systems
• Transformers
 Mission 2011
• Improve performance: ABB helps customers
improve their operating performance, grid
reliability and productivity whilst saving
energy and lowering environmental impact.
•
• Drive innovation: Innovation and quality are
key characteristics of our product, systems
and service offering.


• Attract talent: ABB is committed to attracting

and retaining dedicated and skilled people
and offering employees an attractive, global
work environment.


• Act responsibly: Sustainability, lowering

 Vision 2011

• As one of the world’s leading

engineering companies, we help our
customers to use electrical power
efficiently, to increase industrial
productivity and to lower
environmental impact in a sustainable
way. Power and productivity for a
better world

 Business principles

• To build value, performance and

leadership into ABB, responsibility,
respect and determination are key .
• The key to success lies in how well all
of us understand and apply the
business principles – demonstrating
personal, professional and
corporate responsibility, showing
respect for the views and needs of
others and applying our shared
determination to win.
 Achievements
• ABB commissions the longest (580 km)
and most powerful submarine cable link
in the world, based on HVDC technology,
with a transmission capacity of 700
megawatts, interconnecting Norway and
the Netherlands.


• ABB's System 800xA achieves SIL3

certification, the highest level of safety
accreditation typically found in the
process industry.

 Milestones

• ABB launched a series of sustainability

objectives covering the next two
years, designed to strengthen the
company’s environmental, health and
safety, social, human rights and
security performance; further
specialized training in health and
safety was rolled out for the
substations and the transformer
businesses.
 Sustainability Objectives
2010-2011
• All sites to reduce use of energy by
2.5% annually .
• Extend social, environmental, human
rights, and health, safety and
security risk assessment in merger
and acquisition processes.
• Monitor and reduce environmental
impact from business air travel.
• Ensure that environmental and
health and safety aspects are
considered in product development.
 IBM Lotus Sametime
Developer(s): IBM
Operating system: Cross-platform
Type: Instant messaging, web conferencing, unified communications
Website: ibm.com/sametime
•
• IBM Lotus Sametime is a client–server application and middleware platform that provides
real-time, unified communications and collaboration for enterprises. Those capabilities
include presence information, enterprise instant messaging, web conferencing, community
collaboration, and telephony capabilities and integration. It is sold by the Lotus Software
division of IBM.
• Features
 Lotus Sametime Entry provides basic presence and instant messaging.
 Lotus Sametime Standard provides additional functionality to Lotus Sametime Entry,
 Lotus Sametime Advanced provides additional real-time community collaboration and
social networking functionality to Lotus SametimeStandard, including: (persistent chat
rooms, instant screen sharing )
 Lotus Sametime Unified Telephony provides additional telephony functionality to Lotus
Sametime Standard or Lotus Sametime Advanced,
 Lotus Sametime Gateway provides server-to-server interoperability between disparate
communities with conversion services for different protocols, presence information awareness,
and instant messaging.
 The Lotus Sametime Gateway platform is based on IBM WebSphere Application Server,
•
enterprise instant messaging.

Quick text chats can answer simple questions outright or can be escalated
to multiway voice or video chats or an online meeting.

rich presence awareness

Rich presence-awareness information lets you know whether now is a good time to
initiate a real-time conversation via instant messaging or a phone/conference call.

online meetings.

Collaborate with online meetings that enable high-

quality document-, application- and screen sharing.
 mobility.

Extend many of the desktop Sametime

client to a range of mobile devices

telephony.
Integrate telephony and provide telephony
features.

voice and video

Provide high-quality integrated desktop voice

and video—ours or yours—to help cut telephony
costs:

community collaboration

Community collaboration tools help people find, reach

and collaborate with communities of users who may not
be in their contact list:
 Benefits
• Knowledge Benefits - these are those derived from more efficient
processing of information and knowledge, for example by eliminating
duplication of effort or saving valuable time. For example, a survey
carried out by the AMS knowledge centre showed that information
management professionals at a knowledge centre could find relevant
information 8 times faster than non-IM professionals.
• Intermediate Benefits - these are how the knowledge benefits could be
translated into benefits that can be expressed in terms of efficiency or
effectiveness. A common example is that best practices databases helps
to eliminate less efficient operations through transferring knowledge
from the best practitioners.
• Organizational Benefits - this class of benefits are those that impact some
of the organization's key goals, such as productivity and customer
service.
•
 Knowledge Management helps:

• Global sharing and teamwork

• Continuous improvement of service delivery
• Capture of knowledge as assets of the company
• The re-learning of ongoing service skills and competencies
• Foster innovation
ABB’s knowledge management system is known as APSwebs
Cross-referencing people, sites and skills for ABB professionals
 SUCCESS STORY-A
Same time meeting on the DOW
chemical ABB alliance
• AUGUST 27,2002, meeting between
Arnold Allemang,Andy Berg,John
Yost,and Dinesh Paliwal.
• Arnold allemang, Dow executive vice
president, member of DOW’s
executive committee, corporate
operating board and board of
director .

• Andy berg, DOW process automation
program manager.
•
• John yost,ABB group vice president and
account manager for dow chemical.
•
• Dinesh paliwal, executive vice president,
head of automation technologies
divisions



 STORY B
REAL-TIME COMMUNICATIONS HELPS STOPS
VIRUS OUTBREAK
• Same time once again demonstrated
the benefits of instant real-time
communication and collaboration
with in ABB during the “goner
"virus outbreak.
• The whole process from the first
same time message from the user
to the to the successfully
completion of the patch
installation was a mere 15 minutes.
 Conclusion
• Same time was proven to enhance
the ability of people to do their jobs
more quickly and effectively.
• It allowed administrators around the
globe to communicate and assist
each other effeciently, saving time
and money.
 STOPS VIRUS OUTBREAK
• Real-time communication helps in
stopping virus (Goner) outbreak.
• Sametime took only 15 minutes for
patch installation.
• Works 24X7 …..made it possible.
• UK e-mail system is protected.
•
•
•
 Better communication, lower
travel costs
• Since ABB’s activities were steadily
becoming global ,usage of real time
technologies becomes highly
essential.
• By 2004 sametime users rate have
increased twice.
• Sametime enable Its users to have
virtual meeting, instant online
messaging.
• Helps to provide e-learning and
training sessions to employees.
• Sametimeis user friendly and it
holds its own guide tutorials and
tips .
• Monitored 24x7 by 4 virtual team.
•
•
 IBM Lotus team workplace
• A new tool to enhance the existing
practice.
• It is to be integrated with existing
applications.
• Self service application.
• Changes over appearance and
functionality can be customized
with template design.
•
•
 What the eMeeting center
offers to ABB employees ?
• Managing projects and supporting
internal processes.
• Intensifying relationship
• Exchange of knowledge
• Teams across boundaries
• Quick place (QP) by GWM
• Screensharing,document
attachment,messaging and polling
 ABB meeting centre web
room
• RHS – meeting participants and their
status
• Bottom left – interaction tab
• Whiteboard
• meeting moderator-controls the
meeting
•
 Purpose and targets
• Project teams, task forces,acccount
teams.
• Revised docs ,presentation and work
progress need to be shared among
customers,consultancies,ext
agencies,vendors and suppliers.
• QP – one common place without
affecting the ABB standards
 Benefits delivered for
collabarative activities
Activity Name Description benefits
Project Sitra Three teams Latest and
Collaboration located in reliable
germany,on site info,reduced
and in dubai handling of tech
Online Baan docs,reduced
Europe,australia Reduction in
conference conference , workload for
travelling costs
china and latin back office
america
Team ABB Academy Project ABB
collabaration workplace for participants to
the international communicate
management and collaborate
program with ext tutors
and experts
Lessons Learnt at ABB
• Technology  A business need is an
absolute must and requisite
•
• Key Success Factors People and
Interaction
•
• ABB went for “ System on Demand”
instead of “ System on Supply
approach”
•
Lessons Learnt at ABB

 ABB focused on creating conditions

instead of organizing  Knowledge
Sharing

 KM needs brains and teams and shared
context

 Human Interface Technical Contact

Recommendations for KM
Practitioners
• A strong link to business imperative
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• Compelling vision and architecture
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• Knowledge Leadership
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• Knowledge creating and sharing culture
Recommendations for KM
Practitioners
• Continuous learning
•
• Well Developed ICT infrastructure
•
• Systematic knowledge processes
Conclusion
• Knowledge does not behave the same
way
•
• Knowledge replicates endlessly
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• Knowledge expands with use
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• Multiplier Effect
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• Ethics for knowledge sharing
 Thank You