ZURICH, July 17 (Reuters) - ABB brushed off concerns about market uncertainties linked to rising tariffs on Thursday to post its highest ever quarterly order intake, as the Swiss engineering company reported earnings ahead of forecasts.
The maker of industrial robots and electrification systems increased orders by 16% to $9.79 billion during the second quarter, helped by strong demand from data centres, utilities and the shipping industry.
The demand put ABB in a good position for the rest of the year, said CEO Morten Wierod.
"ABB delivered an all-time-high order intake and improved operational performance," he said in a statement, adding that the current market environment was "robust."
"We are on a good path towards a new record year, amidst geopolitical uncertainties," he added, pointing towards higher sales and profitability at the company.
For the three months to the end of June, ABB reported core operating income rising 9% to $1.71 billion, beating analyst forecasts of $1.65 billion.
Net income of $1.15 billion was better than the $1.12 billion expected by analysts in a company-supplied consensus. Revenue rose 8% to $8.90 billion, ahead of forecasts for $8.72 billion.
Reporting by John Revill, Editing by Friederike Heine
Source: Reuters