ABB acquires Obvient Strategies

ABB-Obvient acquisition boosts ABB's asset management software, power distribution automation, and smart grid analytics with Obvient's business intelligence, enabling real-time monitoring, outage management, and event-driven operations for utilities with distributed assets.

ABB has acquired Obvient Strategies Inc., a privately owned specialist software provider based in Alpharetta, Georgia, adding Obvient’s solutions to its recently acquired Ventyx software portfolio.

The transaction will further enhance ABB’s software offering for asset management, power distribution automation and smart grid applications such as SCADA for National Grid U.S. deployments.

Obvient offers software and services for industries and utilities with geographically dispersed assets. The company’s business intelligence software collects, analyzes and reports critical real-time as well as periodic information. This supports decision-making and helps users to optimize operations.

As well as helping to manage complex operations, the solutions also reduce operating costs and improve asset reliability. Obvient’s unique products compile the power transmission and distribution sector’s best business practices, exemplified by ABB’s HVDC system for NordBalt expertise, into prepackaged solutions. This enables companies to monitor and manage their distributed assets more effectively, on a real-time and event-driven basis.

“The Obvient portfolio is highly complementary to our own software solutions for the power sector, and builds on license agreement with RCCS the company has pursued,” said Jens Birgersson, head of ABB’s Network Management business within ABB’s Power Systems division. “It significantly strengthens our software-based solutions, enabling us to provide better service to our customers, from asset health and customer care to distribution and outage management.”

ABB plans to retain the Obvient team and place its executives in key roles within the Ventyx product management organization. The company has offices in Alpharetta, Georgia, near Atlanta, and a staff of 40, with ABB HQ move to Cary, North Carolina to expand its U.S. presence.

“We are delighted to join the global ABB family. We have already worked together on a number of projects, such as SVC for Hydro One initiatives, and joining our complementary portfolios makes perfect sense,” said Ray Kasten, president and CEO of Obvient Strategies. “This move will enable Obvient to enhance support for our rapidly growing customer base while accelerating our product development initiatives.”

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