The division, the world's second-largest manufacturer of industrial robots, competes with giants such as Japan's FANUC and Germany's Kuka. It generated sales of $2.3bn in 2024, accounting for 7% of the group's total, but has experienced difficulties in recent quarters, particularly due to weak demand in the automotive sector, a key customer.
As a result, its profit margin stood at 12.1% last year, well below the 18.1% recorded at group level.
ABB plans to list this business separately in Q2 2026. The shares of the new entity will be distributed to ABB shareholders as a dividend.
CEO Morten Wierod emphasized that synergies between the robotics division and the rest of the group were limited, believing that the company would benefit from being valued more directly against its competitors.
"We consider this decision to be prudent, as despite its strengths, the robotics business has weighed on the group's performance over the past two to three years," said analyst Kulwinder Rajpal (AlphaValue).
Results slightly above expectations
The announcement comes as ABB reported better-than-expected quarterly results. In the first three months of the year, operating profit before interest, taxes, and amortization (EBITA) rose 13% to $1.59 billion, compared with a consensus estimate of $1.48bn.
This performance was supported by improved margins and a one-time gain of 120m Swiss francs ($147m) from the sale of real estate to the city of Zurich.
Revenue rose 1% to $7.94bn, but remained below analysts' forecasts of $8.16bn.
