ABB is accelerating its scheme to simplify the use and integration of its entire range of products by certifying them as being "Industrial IT-compatible". It has already certified more than 3,000 of its products, and hopes to have all "relevant" products certified by the end of this year.

ABB has also recently approved the first third-party products to be Industrial IT-compatible - a range of asset optimisation and maintenance software packages produced by IFS Applications.

Industrial IT-certified products - including motors, sensors and robots, as well as software packages - can communicate with each other, making them easier to configure, install, operate and maintain in real time, according to ABB.

Chief executive Jörgen Centreman says that the company`s technologies are "rapidly evolving into an integrated system of compatible building blocks". He adds that more than 140 of ABB`s "key" customers - including Dow Chemical, DuPont, Kimberly-Clark and Alcoa - have signed agreements of up to ten years, committing themselves to adopting Industrial IT.

• ABB has opened a research and development centre in Bangalore, India, to work on Industrial IT software. The centre will initially employ 30-50 programmers and engineers. Centreman says the facility is central to ABB`s plan to develop Asia as a growth market. The company already has 11% of its employees in the region, which last year generated sales worth $2.7bn. ABB plans to open another r&d centre in China later this year.