Schneider Electric SE is a French multinational company that specializes in digital automation and energy management.[3][4] It addresses homes,[5] buildings,[6] data centers,[7] infrastructure and industries,[8] by combining energy technologies, real-time automation, software, and services.[9]
In 1836, brothers Adolphe and Joseph-Eugene Schneider took over an iron foundry in Le Creusot, France.[12] Two years later, they founded Schneider-Creusot, the company that would eventually become Schneider Electric. Initially, Schneider-Creusot specialized in the production of steel, heavy machinery, and transportation equipment.[13][14] In 1871, following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the company significantly developed its capacity for weapons manufacturing.[15] Over the first half of the 20th century, Schneider-Creusot continued to grow, establishing manufacturing sites in France and abroad, including in pre-Soviet Russia and Czechoslovakia.[15][16]
In the 1960s, following the death of Charles Schneider, Schneider-Creusot was absorbed by Belgium's Empain group, which merged Schneider-Creusot with its own corporate structures to form Empain-Schneider.[17][18] In 1981, the Empain family sold its controlling stake to Paribas.[18] In the 1980s and 1990s, the company, once again operating under the Schneider name, divested from steel and shipbuilding and, through strategic acquisitions, began to focus on the electricity sector.[14][19] These acquisitions included Télémécanique in 1988,[14] Square D in 1991,[20] and Merlin Gerin [fr] in 1992.[21]
1999–present
In January of 1999, Schneider acquired the Scandinavian switch-maker Lexel.[22][23] Later that year, the company renamed itself Schneider Electric, to reflect its focus on the electricity sector.[24]
In October 2006, Schneider Electric announced that it would acquire the data center equipment manufacturer American Power Conversion for $6.1 billion.[25][26] The following February, the move was finalized following its approval by the European Commission.[27] In June of 2010, Schneider and the rolling stock manufacturer Alstom jointly purchased Areva's transmission and distribution businesses in a transaction totaling $2.73 billion.[28][29]
In 2016, Schneider acquired Tower Electric, a British company that manufactured fixings and fastenings for construction and electrical firms.[citation needed] In 2017, Schneider Electric became the majority shareholder of Aveva, a provider of engineering and industrial software based in the UK.[30][31] The next year, it acquired the Indian multinational Larsen & Toubro's electrical and automatic business in a cash deal for ₹140 billion (US$1.8 billion).[32]
In February 2020, Schneider made a €1.4 billion takeover bid for German company RIB Software,[33] closing the deal in July 2020.[34] Also in 2020, Schneider Electric acquired ProLeiT AG, a supplier of industrial control and MES software.[35]
In April 2021, Schneider introduced 'The Zero Carbon Project'. Since then, it has shown its commitment to minimize 'operational carbon emissions' by 2025.[36]
In January 2023, Schneider Electric's acquisition of Aveva was finalized.[37]
1838: "La Gironde", the first French locomotive
The Schneider logo in the 1950s
One of the first brochures for Telemecanique industrial control products. Telemecanique was acquired by Schneider Electric in 1988.
Since 2019, Schneider Electric has been operating business units: Energy Management, Industrial Automation, and Services.[74]
Energy Management
The Energy Management business provides products for the management of energy in medium voltage and grid automation, low voltage and building automation, secure power and cooling applications.
Services
The Services business includes three divisions: Global Field Services, Energy and Sustainability Services, and Smart grid Services.[75]
EcoStruxure
In 2016 Schneider Electric launched the next generation of EcoStruxure – an IoT-enabled architecture.[76] The EcoStruxure platform uses Microsoft Azure. In 2021, the EcoStruxure solutions introduced by Schneider helped customers lessen 'carbon emissions' by 84 million tonnes.[36]
In April 2019, the company launched Schneider Electric Exchange, an open business platform.[77] In June 2022, Schneider Electric introduced its EcoStruxure Machine Expert Twin, an adaptable digital shadow software solution that aims to handle the machine's 'lifecycle'.[78]
Operations
Research and development investment
In its Innovation Summit North America, Schneider Electric expressed its aim to assess emerging technologies, support and subsidize startups through guiding them.[79] In FY2021, Schneider Electric announced that its research and development expenses were around 855 million euros.[citation needed]
Operational technology
In January 2023, Schneider Electric's interest to develop the area of Operational Technology was concretized through its partnership with BitSight, a specialist in the field of cybersecurity.[80] In fact, their collaboration seeks to realize a unique 'global Operational Technology (OT) Risk Identification and Threat Intelligence capability' that aims to detect the threats to Operational Technology [81] and consolidate 'industrial security'.[80]
Head office
Schneider Electric has had its head office in Rueil-Malmaison, France since 2000.[82] The company uses an international operations model[83] wherein its key personnel and large numbers of its staff are spread across main offices in Reuil-Malmaison,[84]Hong Kong,[85]Noida,[86] and Boston.[87]
Merten of Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric acquired in June 2006 Merten GmbH, a German manufacturer of electrical wiring material and EIB products. In 2021, the company generated around 118 million euros and, according to its own statements, employed 385 people.
In 1906, the brothers Ernst, August and Emil Merten founded the company Gebrüder Merten in Windhagen. They started with the production of electrical installation parts. In 1926, the company also started manufacturing plugs and connectors.
In the decades that followed, Merten expanded its production capacities and gradually added new areas and products.
The company operates a plant in Wiehl-Bomig and also operated a plant in Drolshagen until 2013.
Competitor in the field of Electrical wiring in Germany and Austria are Berker (Hager), Busch-Jaeger (ABB), Jung and the nearby Gira in Radevormwald. The traditional tool company Knipex (C. Gustav Putsch KG) is located in the nearby Wuppertal.
€34.17 billion[1] (2022)
€26.09 billion[1] (2022)
