China
June 3, 2026
Innovation Improvement Award from ABB
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Technology group ABB has presented TDK in China with its “Innovation Improvement Award.” The company is recognizing the further development of varistor product design, which replaces silver with copper and tin with nickel in response to fluctuating raw material prices and rising cost pressures.
The varistors are manufactured at the Zhuhai FTZ site in China and are used in ABB's surge protection devices, primarily in metering systems and in data and telecommunications technology.
In response to rising cost pressures across the industry, TDK revised the product design of its varistors and the corresponding manufacturing processes last year. In doing so, the company replaced expensive materials such as silver and tin with more affordable alternatives like copper and nickel, while maintaining the same product performance. This allowed the company to offset rising material costs and create competitive products for ABB.
Eric Ruan, Product Marketing Manager for Varistors at the Zhuhai FTZ site, emphasizes: “This award from ABB is a high recognition of our technological expertise in R&D as well as our capabilities in quality control. ABB thereby underscores the profound cooperation between both parties, working together to overcome challenges and create added value.”
ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) is a leading technology company in the fields of electrification and automation, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The group employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide.
About TDK Corporation
TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) is a global technology company and innovation leader in the electronics industry, based in Tokyo, Japan. With the tagline “In Everything, Better” TDK aims to realize a better future across all aspects of life, industry, and society. For over 90 years, TDK has shaped the world from within; from the pioneering ferrite cores to cassette tapes that defined an era, to powering the digital age with advanced components, sensors, and batteries, leading the way towards a more sustainable future. United by TDK Venture Spirit, a start-up mentality built on visions, courage and mutual trust, TDK’s passionate team members around the globe pursue better—for ourselves, customers, partners, and the world. Today, the state-of-the-art technologies of TDK are in everything, from industrial applications, energy systems, electric vehicles, to smartphones and gaming, at the core of modern life. TDK’s comprehensive, innovative-driven portfolio includes cutting-edge passive components, sensors and sensor systems, power supplies, lithium-ion and solid-state batteries, magnetic heads, AI and enterprise software solutions, and more—featuring numerous market-leading products. These are marketed under the product brands TDK, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics, TDK-Lambda, TDK SensEI, and ATL. Positioning the AI ecosystem as a key strategic area, TDK leverages its global network across the automotive, information and communication technology, and industrial equipment sectors to expand its business in a wide range of fields. In fiscal 2026, TDK posted total sales of USD 16.6 billion and employed about 107,000 people worldwide.