ABB Secures First Latin American Contracts for New Megaflex UPS Line, Targets Larger Data Center Market Share
May 14, 2026
ABB Secures First Latin American Contracts for New Megaflex UPS Line, Targets Larger Data Center Market Share
Swiss industrial giant ABB has secured its first contracts in Latin America for its new universal voltage Megaflex uninterruptible power supply (UPS) line, marking a strategic push to capture a larger share of the region’s rapidly growing data center market. The company has already installed three units this year, with the third going live in April at a major colocation facility in Brazil, and has additional machines in transit for delivery.
The expansion comes as ABB invests heavily in the region. The company plans to inject US$45 million into portfolio expansion and operational improvements at its Sorocaba plant in São Paulo state, Brazil, with a specific focus on the data center segment. Brazil, which is among ABB’s top 10 global markets, posted 9% growth last year, driven largely by electrification and energy efficiency. The data center segment already accounts for approximately 10% of the orders for ABB’s electrification division in the country, a division that generates about half of the company’s global revenue.
In an interview with BNamericas, Leander Moia, senior product coordinator at ABB Brazil, detailed the company’s strategy for the new Megaflex line. The product, which ranges from 500kVA to 2,000kVA, was originally launched in 2020 for the IEC-certified market. However, the newly released universal voltage version now holds both IEC and UL certifications, allowing the same machine to serve both North American and global markets. “When I have a product certified for both UL and IEC, I can reduce the number of items kept in stock,” Moia explained. “It is the same module that I ship to the US, Italy, France, Brazil or Chile. This creates greater agility in production and delivery.”
Moia emphasized that the Megaflex is currently the only machine on the market offering up to 2,000kVA in a single frame, with an industry-leading 97.6% efficiency. “A 1% efficiency difference can represent thousands of reais saved on electricity bills over 15 or 20 years of operation,” he noted. The product’s modularity and compact design are key differentiators, saving valuable space in the data center’s gray area and freeing up more room for IT racks.
While ABB is not manufacturing the Megaflex locally in Brazil—production remains concentrated in Switzerland, with some expansion planned for a US factory in the second half of this year—the company is building a strong after-sales support structure in Sorocaba. “Data centers require very strong support throughout the product lifecycle, which can last between 15 and 20 years,” Moia said. “Today we have stock in Sorocaba dedicated to serving this demand, especially spare parts and power modules.”
The market entry comes with challenges, including competition from established players like Schneider Electric and Vertiv. However, Moia argued that ABB’s strengths lie in its brand reputation and product robustness, a result of acquiring companies such as GE Industrial Solutions and Newave. “Megaflex combines these two characteristics: modularity and robustness,” he said. “With the new universal version, we can gain scale because it is the same product sold to different markets. This helps reduce production costs and increase our competitiveness.”
Looking beyond Brazil, Moia highlighted strong data center demand in Mexico, Colombia, and Chile. While the product is primarily aimed at data centers, its application extends to industrial environments, including Chile’s mining sector. The company is also closely monitoring global supply chain risks, given that its Swiss factory is operating at full capacity with added shifts to meet high demand. “If growth accelerates even further, this risk could emerge,” Moia cautioned.
Source: bnamericas
