ABB’s First-In-Canada Drive Service Workshop Supports Performance and Sustainability
May 19, 2026
By Krystie Johnston
ABB recently announced the opening of their first Drive Service Workshop (DSW) in Canada. The largest investment ABB’s Drives and Motors Services division has made in Canada over the last decade, this CAD $1.65M facility will strengthen local service capabilities for the industry and support sustainability by helping customers run leaner and cleaner.
As a leading world supplier of motors and drives, ABB Motion brings their commitment to performance and sustainability closer to their local customers with their new DSW in Milton, Ontario. Hugues Therrien, Vice-President & General Director, Drives and Motors Services, ABB, Canada, says he is excited about these commitments and what this local-for-local strategy will bring to Canadian customers.
A commitment to customers
“I did not always lead this division; I joined ABB 18 years ago as a field service engineer, so I have a deep understanding of our customer’s on-the-ground reality and what the DSW can mean for them.” Therrien adds, “On a personal level, I am proud to work for a company that cares about sustainability. At home, I am a strong advocate of local purchasing and responsible resource use, so ABB’s local-for-local strategy and circularity objectives really resonate with me.”
ABB has drive service workshops in other countries, like Europe and the United States, but Therrien says that bringing one to Canada demonstrates their commitment to investing in local servicing and supporting the Canadian industry with local expertise. The new DSW is in Milton, Ontario (6790 Fifth Line), where it offers strategic benefits. “In Milton, we have direct access to a quality workforce – the region is home to a young, educated, and growing talent pool. And in terms of logistics, Milton is in a strategic industrial corridor.”
For those who do not know, Milton sits between the Greater Toronto Area (or GTA) and the Kitchener-Waterloo regions. These areas are home to a large manufacturing base and are close to rail ports, the 401 highway, and air transportation, ensuring customers from key industries like mining and automotive can reach ABB’s new DSW from any part of Ontario – or Canada for that matter. Therrien says that from the Milton location, they can ship and receive drives efficiently across the country. Although not a standard service, this can be done in as little as 24 hours in critical cases thanks in part to this strategic location.
Taking a proactive approach instead of run-to-failure
Before the opening of ABB’s new DSW in Milton, Canadian customers had the choice of shipping their drive to the United States, or Europe, for repair, or purchasing a new one entirely. The costs of whichever decision – both financial and environmental – were significant. Now, with the DSW in Milton, Canadian customers have another option.
What kind of services does ABB offer at this location? Therrien says the Milton DSW provides high-quality, factory level services for low-voltage drives, including:
- Inspection and diagnostics
- Standard repairs
- Premium repairs
- Reconditioning
- Preventative maintenance
- Drive exchange
Customers can access these services through ABB-certified channel partners across Canada (here is a list where you can find the one closest to you – think VFD Solutions, Moteurs Électriques Laval (MEL), HSL Automation, for example), or directly through ABB’s dedicated service and sales teams that support end users.
For 24/7 support, customers can call 1-800-365-HELP and get help with all ABB products – including services delivered through the DSW. Therrien says this new facility also supports project management capabilities, ensuring smooth execution for complex or time-critical service needs.
Saving time, money, and energy
ABB’s new DSW is an exciting development for the company and the customers they support. As mentioned earlier, before this facility in Miton opened, a customer in need of drive service might try using one of ABB’s DSWs in the United States, or Europe – but this added weeks of lead time and higher logistics costs that too often could not be justified. Therrien says that there were cases, in the past, where customers chose to replace repairable drives with a new drive. The cost of downtime was too much. But not anymore.
“With the Milton DSW now open, our goal is to offer a local, faster, and more economical alternative.” Therrien explains what they do at the facility, “Drives are inspected, repaired using genuine ABB spare parts, fully load-tested, and returned with a new warranty, depending on the service option selected. We are also offering customers additional services, such as preventative maintenance, so they can choose to avoid the run-to-failure scenario.”
“Most importantly, repairing drives locally can cut repair lead times by up to four weeks,” Therrien adds. “And finally, the Milton facility is also ABB’s new campus in the region. This presented a unique opportunity to build a state-of-the-art, purpose-designed service facility that meets global ABB standards.”
Even more from ABB
The Milton DSW and state-of-the-art campus are new this year, but ABB is well-established in this area. The company has served the region for decades and is now expanding operations at this new Milton facility. From here, ABB also provides comprehensive electrification services including installation, commissioning, maintenance, repairs, retrofits, upgrades, and advisory solutions for electrical equipment and systems. This ensures customers have a single, trusted partner for all their electrification and asset lifecycle needs.
For more than 140 years, ABB’s extensive portfolio has been focusing on decarbonization and performance, and they support their customers with innovative products and solutions to reach their goals. Therrien says the opening of their latest DSW in Milton is another step forward on that journey toward energy efficiency and sustainability. “The DSW is a very concrete example of industrial circularity in action. Repairing or reconditioning a drive instead of replacing it can save up to 80% of CO2 emissions – while being mindful of waste reduction.”
Therrien adds, “Just as importantly, having this capability in Canada means customers no longer feel forced to buy new due to distance or time constraints.” By making repair and reconditioning fast and local, he believes they are enabling more sustainable choices without compromising reliability or performance.
And preventative maintenance or reconditioned drives have another advantage: “When they are restored to factory condition, this maintains the optimal efficiency, so it runs like a new product in addition to extending its asset life. That means energy use is further optimized.”
The benefits that ABB’s new DSW in Milton will bring to Canada are sure to add up to a sum larger than their parts. Therrien says the DSW creates a solid foundation for expanding service agreements. “We are investigating the ability to offer a drive exchange program, and over time, add modernization and retrofit solutions directly from the workshop.”
Closing thoughts
ABB’s purpose is to enable the world to run leaner and cleaner. This translates into a clear goal of helping customers extend the life of their assets, increase their uptime, and improve performance – all while reducing environmental footprint. This is being put into practice today, at their latest investment, the DSW in Milton.
More Information
Interested in learning more? Reach out to ABB today!
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ABB Opens First Drive Service Workshop in Canada
ABB announced the opening of Canada’s first Drive Service Workshop (DSW) on February 3, 2026. Backed by a $1.65 million investment and creation of new skilled jobs, the state-of-the-art facility reinforces ABB’s position as a trusted partner to local industries.
