07/27/2026
ABB has achieved another significant milestone by becoming the first manufacturer to obtain product-level certification for variable frequency drives (VFDs) under the NEMA Make It American® domestic content certification program. This achievement for ABB Drives, manufactured at the company's New Berlin, WI, facility, reinforces its commitment to domestic manufacturing excellence and American supply chain resilience, extending the product certification into a new category heavily used in federally funded critical infrastructure.
The NEMA Make It American Program helps manufacturers confidently offer Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act-compliant products to the market. The certification validates that companies meet stringent domestic content requirements for products destined for federally funded infrastructure projects. For ABB Drives, this certification demonstrates its commitment to American-made components, advanced technology and supply chain transparency.
“Being the first manufacturer to achieve product-level certification under NEMA’s Make It American Program for variable frequency drives is an important milestone for ABB and for the industry,” said Petri Sullstrom, Local Division Manager, Drive Products Division, U.S., ABB. “This certification reflects the strength of our manufacturing operations in New Berlin, WI, and underscores our commitment to delivering high-quality, BABA-compliant solutions that help customers move critical infrastructure projects forward with confidence.”
Variable frequency drives are critical components in modern industrial and infrastructure applications, optimizing energy efficiency and motor performance across diverse sectors including water treatment, HVACR systems, data centers and industrial manufacturing. By maintaining robust domestic VFD manufacturing capabilities at the New Berlin facility, the company not only supports American jobs and strengthens the domestic industrial base but also ensures critical U.S. infrastructure systems have reliable access to American-made components.
“ABB’s VFD certification is an important step forward for the Make It American program and the broader goal of strengthening America’s manufacturing base,” said Alexa Burr, SVP of Strategic Growth and Membership, NEMA. “This milestone certification for VFDs manufactured in New Berlin, WI, shows ABB is raising the bar, giving customers, channel partners and procurement officials added confidence these drives meet rigorous domestic content standards through an independent third-party audit process. It is a strong example of how manufacturers can demonstrate compliance, strengthen supply chain transparency and help ensure critical infrastructure is powered by products that are not only made in America, but independently certified to verify it.”
The BABA Act was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with the intent of ensuring American tax dollars support America's workers, communities and businesses. BABA sets stringent domestic content requirements for manufactured products in all infrastructure projects receiving federal funding.
The NEMA Make It American Program provides a third-party audit and certification process helping manufacturers demonstrate compliance with BABA requirements. Participating organizations undergo expert-led audits of their manufacturing facilities and products to assess conformance with the supply chain evaluation process standard (NEMA 70901-2024) and verify application of specific criteria to designated products. If manufacturing facilities and products pass audits, they are added to the NEMA Make It American® BABA registry.
The company’s VFDs achieving the NEMA Make It American® product-level certification gives customers, contractors and procurement officials confidence these products meet the most rigorous domestic content standards. Whether powering water treatment facilities, enabling more efficient industrial manufacturing or supporting critical infrastructure, customers can trust the company’s VFDs are not only built in America – but certified to prove it.
By becoming the first VFD manufacturer to earn product-level certification under the NEMA Make It American® Program, ABB reaffirms its position as a trusted partner for infrastructure and industrial customers, delivering sophisticated, efficiency-driven solutions American communities depend on.
About ABB
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. The company has over 140 years of history and more than 105,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit https://www.abb.com.
