Schneider Electric invest £7.2m into sustainability strategy

Recognised as the most sustainable company in the world, Schneider Electric is certainly a powerhouse that’s leading the way in sustainability strategy and action. 

The company states that its purpose  is to empower all to make the most of energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all — it refers to this as Life Is On.

Through integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centres, infrastructure and industries, Schneider Electric is driving digital transformation.

UK expansion to boost decarbonisation and green economy

Schneider Electric is investing £7.2m (US$8.75m) into its Leeds facility and creating 110 new jobs over the next five years. 

The UK manufacturing base is being upgraded to champion sustainable development, meet growth in demand and line up with Schneider Electric’s growth trajectory due to rising demand from the energy transition and the electric vehicle (EV) market. 

“Our continued growth and investment are set in the context of a huge opportunity to drive decarbonisation, boost infrastructure to meet the demands of EV charging, and design, build, operate and maintain our buildings in the face of the energy efficiency challenge,” says Kelly Becker, Zone President UK&I at Schneider Electric.

This significant investment, which is being carried out with cooperation and support from Leeds City Council, reinforces Schneider Electric’s long-term commitment to supporting the UK's move to decarbonisation and represents a boost to the local green economy. 

"It is heartening to see our robust manufacturing base continuing to be recognised and fuelled by rising demand in emerging markets such as electric vehicles,” comments James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council.

“This new investment not only helps to supercharge the local economy but also speaks volumes about our region's expertise and the skills and competency of our workforce and what can be achieved through businesses and the council working hand in hand."

Positively impacting the data centre industry

When Data Centre Magazine met with Schneider Electric in September 2023, it was clear that sustainability and efficiency have been consistent priorities for the company, particularly in recent years. Its dedicated teams been working to supply products that handle the changing scale and velocity of deployments for customers – including data centre operators – providing unique and built-to-measure solutions. 

Despite the wider data centre industry historically contributing to carbon emissions, Scheider Electric have made it very clear that they believe viewpoints on sustainability and availability of power needs to shift. 

More than a tenth of the company’s workforce in the UK is based at the Leeds side, which specialises in designing and manufacturing medium and low-voltage switchgear solutions to protect and distribute electricity in public, commercial and industrial installations. The new investment will aim to radically enhance the Leeds facility's efficiency to support growing demand for these solutions.

A key feature of the expanding solutions is its portfolio of green and digital switchgear, which replaces the greenhouse gas that is traditionally used in electrical equipment for insulation, with pure air to reduce environmental impact and optimise maintenance and operations.

The upgrade will feature a 3,380 sqm extension to an existing assembly and test hall, and a centralised Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) area. 

“This multi-million pound investment in Leeds reflects our commitment to investing in the UK's burgeoning green economy,”  Becker concludes. 

“I’m proud that through this project, we plan to create local jobs in Yorkshire, which has been part of our operational presence in the UK for years.”

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