ABB Said to Mull Sale of Robotics Arm as Spinoff Alternative (1)

ABB Ltd. is exploring a potential sale of the robotics unit, which could be worth more than $3.5 billion, as an alternative to the main spinoff plan, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Swiss industrial giant is close to appointing advisers for a sale as well as the listing, which it announced last month, the people said, asking not to be identified because the talks are private.

The business could be worth about $3.5 billion, in line with analyst estimates, or as much as $5 billion, some of the people said. If ABB pursues a sale instead of ...