ABB marks 100 years of MCB innovation, leading global electrical safety standards

A century of pioneering MCB technology revolutionises global electrical safety standards and practices.

Since 1924, ABB has been manufacturing MCBs, marking a century of innovation in global electrical safety. ABB’s MCBs continue to set industry standards for performance, boasting compact, flexible, and time-saving designs that facilitate easy installation. Deployed across residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation infrastructure, these MCBs are essential for safety and reliability.

ABB’s pioneering Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) celebrates its 100-year milestone in safeguarding electrical circuits while adapting to meet future sustainability requirements. MCBs have significantly impacted daily life by ensuring the safety of both commercial and residential buildings, reducing the risk of unforeseen incidents. Their implementation has revolutionised home safety and extended electrical safety throughout society. Applied across all sectors, ABB’s MCBs play a crucial role in protecting vulnerable spaces such as factories, data centres, homes, commercial premises and transport infrastructure. The company has manufactured these MCBs in India since 2001 at their Industry 4.0 Nelamangala factory.

MCBs detect electrical faults such as over currents (short circuits and overloads) and disconnect the circuit within ten milliseconds, ten times faster than the blink of an eye. The electrical system can then be reset quickly and easily without needing replacement. Increasing electrification and integrating more diversified, renewable energy sources are essential as we move towards a net-zero future. This implies that protection devices like ABB’s MCBs must manage larger electrical loads and power supply and demand variations. ABB provides electrical safety to everything from solar panels and heat pumps to electric vehicles, offering additional protection against faults such as residual currents, surges, earth fault currents or arc faults.

“We at ABB India are proud to be part of this 100-year-old legacy of MCBs enhancing electrical safety in India and worldwide. Our future-focused portfolio centres on achieving energy efficiency and transparent, sustainable practices. Our designs are compact, modular, and flexible, enabling buildings to be retrofitted and to integrate renewable energy sources quickly and safely. These products are ‘Made in India’ at our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, equipped with automation technology for utmost precision and quality. These play a key role in ensuring the safe development of sustainable and modern communities, cities, and urban landscapes for our future,” says Kiran Dutt, President of Electrification, ABB India.

Today’s protection devices enhance the safety, intelligence, and sustainability of new and historic buildings worldwide. Their compact designs allow for retrofitting even in limited-space historical buildings. ABB has played a significant role in safeguarding and modernising electrical systems with its MCBs and auxiliary products across various key infrastructure projects, landmarks, and commercial and residential spaces globally, not just in India. With various ranges available for diverse applications and additional features offered by auxiliary products, ABB’s MCBs demonstrate versatility and adaptability. Nowadays, comprehensive protection, including Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs), Residual-Current Devices (RCDs), Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs), and Surge Protection Devices (SPDs), delivers increasingly superior performance, reduces carbon footprint and enhances connectivity to promote energy efficiency and decarbonisation.