Hammad Amjad is Vice President, Commercial Operation for ABB’s electrification business for the Middle East and Africa Region. In recent times, ABB has played an instrumental role in turning around the electrification business in Pakistan. ABB Electrification is a global technology leader in electrical products and solutions, operating in more than 100 countries with over 50,000 employees globally. By combining ABB’s deep domain expertise with connectivity and software innovation, ABB Ability™ solutions future-proof infrastructure and transform key business processes for safer, smarter operations that contribute to a low-carbon future.
The market has gone from being a couple million dollars to going into the tens of millions. This significant growth has been achieved through a complete and dedicated focus to maintaining a strategy of profitable growth across various sectors. In this interview, Amjad explains the potential, prospects, and promise of the electrification sector in Pakistan and the strategies that ABB has for the future.
Profit: How do you see the potential of the electrification sector in Pakistan?
Hammad Amjad: Pakistan is a high potential country in terms of electrification outlook. However, there is much room for improvement and growth with a surplus generation and weak distribution network. Moreover, we have many instances of loss of human lives due to broken conductors, oil spillages of transformers. So safe distribution of power is an important area to focus upon.
E-Mobility is another growth area, and ABB is the pioneer in EV charging solutions globally. We are helping our customers seamlessly make this transition by offering the latest EV charging technology and round-the-clock services.
Profit: What strategies is ABB opting for to enjoy a maximum market share in Pakistan?
Hammad Amjad: Understanding the market’s needs and acknowledging that the local consumers are price conscious has helped us optimize our supply chain to provide the best quality European products at competitive prices with local partners to ensure product availability.
Our approach has led to a complete paradigm shift and helped our customers move to high-quality solutions that comply with global IEC standards. Furthermore, this also helped to bring down the market prices and gave rise to healthy competition, which allowed the industries to opt for these solutions.
Furthermore, we are leading the EV revolution globally with more than 75000 chargers already sold. In Pakistan as well, ABB installed the 1st DC fast charger, and we are working with all the major Oil marketing companies to create a network of DC chargers.
Profit: Please share some landmark projects won by ABB in the near past.
Hammad Amjad: ABB has its products and solutions today installed across all sectors, including Infrastructure, Industries, and Utilities. From the most significant infrastructure projects in Pakistan like DHA, Emaar, Bahria Town to major Industrial groups like Nestle, Engro, Nishat, Fouji, Tata, Lucky, Artistic, we have a large installed base.
From renowned hospitals like SIUT, Aga Khan, Indus Hospital, PKLI to Utilities like NTDC, K-Electric, WAPDA, DISCOs, we are helping our customers by providing the best solutions and products.
Profit: Please elaborate on your long term and short-term plans.
Hammad Amjad: At ABB, we are completely committed to writing a future that has safe, smart, and sustainable electrification for everything – from industry and power plants to infrastructure and transportation.
Our vision is to achieve a zero-emission reality not only for the future but the immediate future. As pioneers in electricity and automation, we help to address the world’s energy challenges. Our solutions make homes, offices, factories, and transportation more energy-efficient and safer.
Our people make the difference. Their expertise is why customers come to us with their biggest challenges. Together, we push the boundaries of technology to drive performance, shape new business models, and find new ways of working that benefit our customers, partners, and society.
In alignment with ABB global we have re-emphasized two straightforward goals in 2018 in the local market. The first is to make available the best-in-class technology at market-driven to promote healthy competition. The second is to achieve double-digit growth, enabling us to provide these solutions to a maximum number of customers. Having already achieved these goals, we are now on the way to create a safe and sustainable electrification for our customers and in turn, the people of Pakistan.
Profi: How is ABB handling the competition in the local market?
Hammad Amjad: As previously outlined, we strongly believe in healthy competition because it brings out the best for the customers in all aspects. With our leading technology, best-in-class solutions, vital product availability through our distributors and partners, preferred services to all – we serve our customers.
Profit: What are some major challenges in the local market and how iss ABB trying to overcome them?
Hammad Amjad: The biggest challenges we face in the market are unethical business practices and counterfeit products. We at ABB operate with the highest ethical standards hence the reason our customers trust us. ABB offers the authenticity of its products by a network of distributors and partners and by providing barcode / QR code-based authentication.
Profit: Experts are of the view that the post-pandemic world will be highly encouraging for the business in the local market. Will ABB be able to take the advantage and how?
Hammad Amjad:The industrial sector has already come out of the COVID challenges, and there is significant growth in every sector with favorable government policies. With the accessible financing facilities to large-scale manufacturing units and infrastructure, the industry, especially textile and housing, is expanding.
We are fully aligned with the growing momentum at ABB by increasing resources and strengthening our partner network to fulfill the increasing market requirements. Having double-digit growth for the past four years and even higher growth anticipated this year, we have availability of products and solutions to serve the market’s growing needs.
Profit Do you think that positive macroeconomic indicators will help ABB in Pakistan?
Hammad Amjad: We appreciate the proactive approach taken by the Government of Pakistan due to which our country came out of the situation, and the effects of COVID were minimal. The growth trajectory, restored at the end of 2020, helped our business growth, and we are working with customers in all sectors across Pakistan for collaborative value creation.
Profit: What are the targets of ABB Pakistan for the next 5-10 years?
Hammad Amjad: In the next ten years, we aspire to become a technological leader in electrification by writing a safe and sustainable future for our customers in Pakistan.
Profit: EV charging stations are the need of the time. How is ABB planning to take charge of the situation?
Hammad Amjad: ABB is the world leader in EV charging solutions globally, with more than 75,000 chargers sold and more than 18,000 chargers already installed.
We installed the first DC fast charger in Pakistan and already have multiple charging sites across the country. We are working with major OMCs like PSO, APL, Shell, GO, Total PARCO, and private stakeholders to further extend the charging infrastructure for the ease of the EV owners. In addition, we have put in place a network of partners for product availability and after-sales services to serve our customers.
Profit: Your suggestions for the overall market improvement based on your past experience.
Hammad Amjad: We are currently in the fourth industrial revolution globally, building on millions of digital devices. Our Digitalization initiative, ABB Ability, helps customers in utilities, industry, transport, and infrastructure develop new processes and advances existing ones by providing insights and optimizing planning and controls for real-time operations. It will leverage the power of the digital revolution by enabling reduced maintenance costs, longer asset life, more efficient operations, reduced environmental impacts, and improved worker safety.
In Pakistan, we see a slower adaptation of digitalization. Based on my experience, we need to increase the pace of digital transformation to help the industry assess, automate, optimize and collaborate.
Profit: Is there anything you would like to talk about that you feel is important to this conversation surrounding electrification?
Hammad Amjad: ABB understands and takes full responsibility for the reduction in carbon emissions and climate change. ABB has a long history of sustainable and responsible business practices. In 2020 ABB exceeded many of its sustainability targets, including reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 58 percent compared with a 2013 baseline. With the introduction of the company’s 2030 sustainability strategy, even more ambitious targets have been set, focusing on enabling a low-carbon society by reducing emissions, preserving resources, and promoting social progress. ABB’s 2030 low-carbon commitment includes achieving carbon neutrality in its operations and helping its customers reduce their CO2 emissions. ABB’s sustainability targets contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, of which ABB has always been a strong advocate.
Over the past seven years, ABB has focused on reducing its carbon footprint. Our work to reduce ABB’s carbon footprint during the current reporting cycle has been highly successful. This achievement forms the foundation for our ongoing ambition to make even more significant contributions to the global effort to realize the climate goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement, which is fundamental to limiting global warming. That is why, despite achieving our climate action target a year ahead of schedule, in 2020, we pushed to achieve further reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in ABB’s operations.
This content is produced in paid collaboration with ABB.
