Wedoany.com Report-Dec.20, ABB has acquired IPEC, a specialist in advanced monitoring systems for electrical infrastructure. The transaction, announced recently, is set to close in the first quarter of 2026. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

The acquisition expands ABB's electrification services portfolio, enabling customers to shift from reactive to proactive asset management. This approach can potentially reduce downtime by up to 90%, lower maintenance costs by 85%, and extend the operational life of key infrastructure by decades.

Stuart Thompson, president of the services division at ABB Electrification, stated: "Across critical industries, the cost of downtime is enormous, from lost millions of dollars in revenue in data centres to the safety and reliability risks faced by utilities and hospitals. This acquisition gives our customers the intelligence they need to diagnose failures before they occur."

He further noted: "By transforming complex monitoring data into clear, actionable insights, we help companies move from reactive repairs to predictive maintenance, allowing them to focus on performance while operating critical infrastructure more efficiently, cleaner, and smarter."

IPEC brings over 30 years of expertise in electrodiagnostics and partial discharge detection. Its solutions employ artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to continuously monitor high-voltage assets, helping prevent costly failures and power outages in sectors such as data centres, healthcare, utilities, and manufacturing.

The company’s monitoring platform operates around the clock and can oversee up to 128 connection points simultaneously. Its proprietary DeCIFer algorithm processes data to detect emerging issues early, supporting scheduled interventions before major disruptions occur.

Dr. Colin Smith, managing director of IPEC, commented: "We have spent decades refining how we use advanced algorithms and, more recently, AI and machine learning to transform partial discharge data into useful diagnostic results."

He continued: "Being part of ABB allows us to continue to develop our technology and expand our innovation to more industries and markets. It also transforms complex data into insights that predict potential failures, enabling industries to make more strategic and intelligent decisions about electrical installations."

This integration enhances ABB's offerings in operational resilience, particularly as demand grows in rapidly expanding fields like data centres. By combining IPEC's specialized detection capabilities with ABB's broad service network, customers gain tools to maintain reliable power distribution under increasing loads.

The move supports ongoing industry trends toward digitalization and predictive strategies in electrical asset management, contributing to greater efficiency and sustained performance across essential applications.