With China accelerating industrial upgrading and green transformation under the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), Swiss technology company ABB Group sees significant opportunities to deepen its presence in the Chinese market while supporting the country's transition toward intelligent and low-carbon development, a senior executive said.

According to the outline of the five-year plan, China will upgrade traditional sectors to the mid- to high-end of the value chain, nurture emerging industries and make forward-looking plans for industries of the future.

Lars Eckerlein, general manager of ABB (China) Ltd, said the company's solutions in electrification, motion and automation are closely aligned with China's priorities in green development and intelligent manufacturing.

"China is our second-largest market globally, and innovation is central to our long-term strategy here," Eckerlein said. "We have built a strong research and development footprint in China, with about 2,000 engineers working on new technologies, more than half focusing on software, digitalization and artificial intelligence."

He said these capabilities enable ABB to develop solutions that help customers improve efficiency, reduce emissions and accelerate digital transformation.

For example, smart energy management systems are increasingly used in large industrial facilities to integrate renewable power generation, grid electricity and plant-level energy distribution. By optimizing energy use across factories, these systems can significantly cut energy consumption while supporting smarter manufacturing.

ABB is also applying advanced digital technologies in traditional industries. In sectors such as steel manufacturing, distributed control systems and big data analytics enable centralized monitoring and predictive maintenance, allowing plants to operate with a single control room while minimizing downtime and improving efficiency.

"Beyond technology deployment, we have been strengthening our local innovation ecosystem in China through partnerships with universities, research institutions and industry players," Eckerlein said.

One example is the ABB Cup Innovation Contest, which has been held for more than two decades. The competition provides a platform for students, researchers and industry partners to collaborate and transform creative ideas into practical industrial solutions.

With this year's contest kicked off last week, the competition sets two practical challenge tracks targeting key industrial pain points, encouraging participants to explore new ideas and pursue innovation.