Around thirty robots of all shapes and sizes beep and hum as they work in ABB Robotics’ capacious training center in Friedberg, centrally located between the city of Frankfurt and the university town of Giessen. Visitors are amazed to learn of the many different uses to which the tireless high-tech devices in front of them are put: the complex tasks include high-precision vehicle painting, rigorous ultrasound checks of weld spots or, to demonstrate their fine motor skills, arranging thin plastic coffee cups. More than 3,500 customers and additional external training participants come to the center every year. They learn about the innovative solutions from the Swiss-Swedish leading provider, but this afternoon its experts are hosting a special delegation at the suggestion of Hessen Trade & Invest (HTAI): Swiss Consul General Dr Eric Jakob and HTAI’s CEO Dr Rainer Waldschmidt, along with other representatives of Hessen's Economic Development Network, are visiting the centerpiece of ABB’s German Robotics division.

“Friedberg is our central service and sales location for the Germany, Austria, and Switzerland region. We also focus heavily on developing innovative technologies such as collaborative robotics applications, in flexible production, for example in the automotive industry, as well as in the use of sensors, 3D cameras and AI,” explains Martin Kullmann, Head of the Robotics Division in Germany and the DACH region. “Here in Friedberg, we make an important contribution to the further development of several of our globally available products and solutions — including the PixelPaint technology, which can also be seen in the Maybach commercial. The fact that we can supply customers with such a highly precise industrial robot equipped with a print head for personalized designs in the luxury segment has enabled us to establish an entirely new market field”.

Just half an hour by car or train from the city of Frankfurt, Friedberg has long been the most important location for ABB’s German Robotics division. Its presence there goes back to 1964 and ABB’s predecessor company, ASEA. The Technology Center, which covers roughly 1,000 sqm, also includes a technical center for painting solutions, incorporating the innovative PixelPaint technology. Additionally, an extensive repair, service and training center, is well positioned. The primary target groups are customers from the automotive sector and the manufacturing industry. Yet further industries with a lower level of automation – including logistics, construction and healthcare, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises – are increasingly coming into focus.

In 2023, ABB subsidiary B&R Industrial Automation also moved to the location, ensuring seamless integration of the Factory Automation Division. “This move is only natural, since closeness to key customers and markets is a key strength of Hessen in general and of the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region in particular,” Kullmann explains.

ABB is just one example of a global player from Switzerland with a strong presence in Hessen. The close links between HTAI and the Swiss Consulate General in Frankfurt help ensure that companies from Germany’s southern neighbor can rapidly access Hessen’s ecosystem in the way they need. Additionally, Consul General Dr Eric Jakob, who was previously responsible for economic development at the Ministry of Economics in Bern for many years, contributes an expert perspective to the visit in Friedberg. “The Frankfurt Consulate General is also responsible for the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Rhineland-Palatinate, and the Saarland. Despite the very broad area that we cover, our focus is on Hessen with its strong economy: the state’s central location and excellent transportation links, and the numerous Swiss and international companies located here combine to offer exceptional opportunities for development,” he says.

The extensive support provided by Hessen's Economic Development Network is especially valuable. “Not only do we offer a way of finding the right people to talk to and make personal contacts easily, but we are also more than happy to visit companies on the ground, to gain deeper insights into their needs and so provide targeted support for additional innovations. In this way, everyone benefits at the end of the day from a strong economy in Hessen,” says Dr. Rainer Waldschmidt. HTAI’s CEO is tasked with state-level business development by the Hessen state government, helping international companies set up here and offering long-term support for their development.

ABB’s continuous investment in its locations is also reflected in the jobs it provides: the technology group employs roughly 105,000 people worldwide, with more than 8,600 of them working for ABB Germany, where they generate annual sales of EUR 3 billion. “Approximately 500 colleagues are employed in the Robotics & Discrete Automation unit, most of them in Friedberg,” explains Thomas Schweren, Head of the Works Council for the Robotics Division in Germany. In line with this, many young people receive special cross-enterprise training at the long-established company. “At ABB Germany, we work together closely with more than 200 partner companies and have a total of roughly 1,400 vocational trainees and sandwich students. In other words, our policy is to grow our own in-house specialists, but at the same time we also definitely depend on highly qualified graduates from public universities,” adds Daniela Rothbart, HR Business Partner at ABB Robotics Germany.

The technology company finds that Hessen offers optimum conditions for long-term success and maintains close contacts with Technical University of Central Hessen (THM), which has a campus in the middle of Friedberg. The universities in Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Giessen, and Marburg are also easy to reach and offer an attractive resource for joint projects. Equally, contacts with companies in the immediate area focus on partnerships and access to highly qualified staff.

A direct discussion with Bernd-Uwe Domes and Klaus Karger, the managing directors of the Wetterau district’s Association for Business and Regional Development, and Friedberg’s mayor Kjetil Dahlhaus during a tour of the Technology Center revealed additional opportunities for support here: their local expertise is a valuable aid for the global enterprise when it comes to finding suitable partners in the region and solving day-to-day challenges on the ground.

“As Hessen's Economic Development Network, we have gained a lot of concrete ideas from this exciting visit on how to continue ensuring attractive conditions for ABB Robotics in Friedberg, now and in the long term,” emphasizes Dr Rainer Waldschmidt at the end of the visit. “Personal discussions are vital for this – and the short distances in Hessen make close contacts between everyone involved so much easier.”