How a French Electrical Company Became a Digital Energy Leader
Schneider Electric is providing digital solutions to help customers become more energy efficient, the company's energy management expert, Philippe Delorme, tells Energy Monitor.
Originally published on Energy Monitor website
More than 20 years ago I was a recent graduate shlepping out to the suburbs of Paris to teach English to a variety of businesses. One of which was Schneider Electric. Headquartered in the wealthy suburb of Rueil-Malmaison, the company felt very much a French enterprise. Back then, Schneider had already moved a long way from its mining origins. Today, the company has taken another leap forward, from being a provider of 20th-century electrical solutions to a smart company leading the clean energy transition with efficiency and sustainability at its core.
The company was born in 1836, when the Schneider brothers acquired mines and forges at Le Creusot in eastern France. Quickly the potential of the electricity market was grasped and less than 60 years later, the company launched itself into this emerging sector.
