ABB looks to acquire Siemens’ low voltage NEMA motor business

ABB says it has signed an agreement to purchase Siemens’ low voltage NEMA motor business in a move that could see NEMA’s mining customers in North America benefit from improved support.

With manufacturing operations in Guadalajara, Mexico, this acquisition provides a well-regarded product portfolio, a longstanding North American customer base, and an experienced operations, sales and management team, ABB says. The business employs around 600 people and generated revenues of approximately $63 million in 2021.

This transaction is part of the ABB Motion business area’s profitable growth strategy, allow the NEMA motors division to enhance its product offering, expand its supply chain relationships and improve support to its North American customer base, ABB said. It also offers the opportunity to better support the customers in Mexico with local manufacturing and sales.

ABB expects to benefit from identified synergies and to use the R&D expertise, supply chain relationships and market access to bring the combined portfolio to its full potential.

“This bolt-on acquisition creates strong value for ABB’s NEMA motors division,” Tarak Mehta, President ABB Motion, said. “Investing in the business and opening up sales opportunities in North America and especially Mexico will allow this business to be margin accretive to the ABB Motion business within 24 months.”

Jesse Henson, President of ABB’s NEMA motors division, added: “We have long appreciated the quality and design of these motors. Now that we have met the leadership team behind them, I am even more confident that, together, we can grow our combined businesses faster than either of us could alone. We look forward to adding the Siemens low voltage NEMA motor portfolio to our existing offering of ABB and Baldor-Reliance® industrial electric motors.”

The global NEMA motor industry, roughly $2.7 billion in size, ABB estimates, comprises industrial electric motors primarily used within North America. NEMA motors are essential components used to run equipment in industries such as food and beverage, oil and gas, mining & aggregates, and water & wastewater and in applications like those which move air, liquids and units.