How ABB Robotics built an enablement engine for 700 sellers in 43 countries

THE CHALLENGE

When your reps spend more time searching than selling

Every time a robotic arm welds a car frame, seals a package, or places a chip on a circuit board, there’s a good chance ABB technology is behind it. The company’s automation solutions power factory floors across the globe, quietly driving the production of goods we use every day.

Efficiency isn’t just what they sell — it’s the standard they’ve built their reputation on.

But behind the scenes, ABB’s sales organization faced a costly problem: sellers were spending hours each week tracking down the right content to use with buyers. Even when reps found what they needed, they couldn’t be certain they had the latest version.

This uncertainty created friction, slowing sales cycles and challenging confidence across a global operation spanning dozens of countries. Those in the field faced the toughest test: unreliable connectivity on factory floors and at job sites when trying to present collateral to prospects.

“Materials were scattered across more than 50 platforms, and salespeople had trouble finding them,” says Tonje Sandberg, Global Enablement Coordinator at ABB Robotics. “We needed a solution that could solve our content struggle.”

But ABB didn’t want to stop at a repository. They set out to build the ultimate single source of truth that could support both global strategies and local market needs. To bring this to life, they teamed up with Showpad.

THE SOLUTION

Building a one-stop shop that lives in every seller’s pocket

ABB deployed Showpad to more than 700 reps across 43 countries. The implementation was methodical, with Tonje appointing a platform admin in each country to serve as the Showpad champion. She and the Showpad team onboarded each admin first, then rolled out country by country until every market was live.

Today, ABB’s global admins maintain foundational English-language assets that power consistency across all markets — while local ones act as curators, keeping regional-specific content current in their home languages. Together, they solved the version-control problem that had burdened the organization for years.

“We wanted one place for everything, one tool in the sellers’ pocket,” Sandberg explains. “And Showpad had everything — one place to host content and one place to teach.”

With the power of the Showpad platform, ABB also deployed more than 100 training courses, so sellers can proactively upskill on demand. In practice, that looks like this: A seller is five minutes from a high-stakes customer meeting. A few taps on their phone, and they’re brushing up on the latest product course — walking in sharper and more confident.

THE IMPACT

Equipped to learn, prepared to sell — across every market

This mindset shift at ABB centers on a simple but powerful change: sellers now spend less time searching for content and more time building skills on demand.

For the mobile salesforce dealing with unreliable WiFi, Showpad’s offline capabilities also became an essential support system, ensuring deals never lose momentum. Sellers capture meeting notes through voice commands while driving, then review AI-generated conversation summaries back at the office. Additionally, the platform identifies next steps automatically, drafts follow-up emails quickly, and syncs everything to the CRM without manual data entry.

What’s more, with Showpad’s Search AI each seller has a built-in teammate, getting instant content synopses that help them pinpoint the right document in seconds — reclaiming valuable time they’d otherwise spend scrolling through lengthy presentations.

“You have this deck with maybe 20 slides; here’s a clear summary of it,” Sandberg explains. “If it’s not relevant, on to the next one.”

Improved visibility has been equally significant for the ABB marketers supporting the sales team. By assembling content creators in one place, rather than across disconnected hubs, Showpad took marketing teams out of their silos. Now they’re coordinating to ensure sellers have access to the materials they need — and trust that those materials are always current.

WHAT’S NEXT

Deepening the shift from traditional sales to digitally enabled selling

ABB Robotics isn’t done building. The team is exploring deeper use of Showpad’s GenieAI capabilities, looking for every opportunity to reduce busywork burdens and keep sellers focused on what matters most — their customers.

At the same time, ABB is working to make its vast product portfolio even easier to navigate within Showpad, while driving adoption deeper into the organization. The goal: deepen the cultural shift from traditional sales processes to more digitally enabled selling.

The platform supports ABB’s vision of sellers who can “Find, upskill, prepare, present, share, and track” all within a single tool. And for Tonje, the mission remains personal.

“Showpad is one of the best things we’ve ever done for our salespeople,” she says. “They have everything in their pocket — one place to find content, one place to learn, and one place to engage customers. That’s what we set out to build.”