ABB Awarded Highest Certification for Industrial Safety Management
October 30, 2025
- TÜV Rheinland awards ABB’s Safety Execution Centers in Germany, Italy, Norway and Singapore Maturity Level 5 (ML5) certification for Functional Safety Management System
- ML5 is the highest level in the Capability Maturity Model Integration framework, confirming the company’s leadership in functional safety management
- ABB’s Safety Execution Centers provide local expertise and lifecycle support to help customers manage process hazards, enhance reliability and strengthen cyber security
ABB has been awarded Maturity Level 5 (ML5) certification for their Functional Safety Management System (FSMS) by TÜV Rheinland, an independent global certification institute in functional safety and cyber security. ML5 is an approach and concept applied by TÜV Rheinland considering and auditing high-level KPI performances. The TÜV Rheinland FSMS Certificate ML 5 is granted to the ABB Energy Industries division Safety Execution Centers (SEC) in Germany, Italy, Norway and Singapore, which provide safety support to high hazard industrial sectors.
Functional safety consists of the systems and processes that automatically protect people, assets and the environment if a facility or operation moves outside safe limits. In industrial settings, this is managed through Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), which are designed, engineered and maintained to bring operations to a safe state if risks are elevated.
The company’s approach to functional safety follows international standards IEC 61508 and IEC 61511, ensuring that safety systems are fit for purpose, rigorously tested and maintained to perform reliably when needed.
Achieving FSMS certification based on ML5 by TÜV Rheinland means that the company applies optimized processes and structures documenting compliance with the requirements of the related standard IEC 61511.
“ABB has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to functional safety,” said Wolf Rückwart, Area Business Field Manager for Functional Safety and Cybersecurity at TÜV Rheinland. “Through more than a decade, ABB has continually advanced its functional safety management systems in line with the related standard’s requirements. Achieving Maturity Level 5 for their Functional Safety Management System reflects ABB’s robust application and implementation of defined processes and structures.”
ABB’s SECs provide customers with local, competent functional safety resources for SIS projects and lifecycle needs, including operation and maintenance, design, engineering and retrofit work. The company aligns its functional safety objectives with customer business goals, through an approach that uses performance data to deliver reliable outcomes and goes beyond compliance to anticipate future industrial safety and cyber security requirements.
“Safety is fundamental to the operational excellence of industrial operations, at a time of growing energy demand,” said Rinol Pereira, Head of Product & Technology at ABB’s Energy Industries division. “At ABB, our role is to help customers operate with confidence by combining automation, electrification and digitalization to reduce risk, enhance reliability and protect people and assets. This ML5 certification, achieved following rigorous assessment by TÜV Rheinland, demonstrates our leadership in functional safety today and our commitment to advancing the standards of the future.”
ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, they call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide.
ABB’s Process Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs – from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~20,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, ABB Process Automation helps process, hybrid and maritime industries outrun – leaner and cleaner.
TÜV Rheinland is one of the world’s leading providers of testing and inspection services. Its highly qualified experts test technical systems and products according to worldwide applicable technical standards. They train professionals across numerous fields and certify management systems to international standards.
Related Story
ABB Named as One of the Top 10 Gen AI-Powered Industrial Copilot Vendors
ABB has been recognized by independent research firm Verdantix as a world-leading innovative Gen AI-powered industrial copilot vendor. The global technology business has been named as one of the top 10 vendors to watch in 2025 for Gen AI, solidifying its position at the forefront of industrial digital transformation.
