Schneider Electric

1836–1963

In 1836, brothers Adolphe and Joseph-Eugene Schneider took over an iron foundry in Le Creusot, France.^[11] 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.^[12][13] In 1871, following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the company significantly developed its capacity for weapons manufacturing.^[14] 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.^[14][15]

1963–1999

Logo as of 1996

In the 1960s, following the death of Charles Schneider, Schneider-Creusot was absorbed by Belgium's Empain group, which merged Schneider-Creusot with its corporate structures to form Empain-Schneider.^[16][17] In 1981, the Empain family sold its controlling stake to Paribas.^[17] 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.^[13][18] These acquisitions included Télémécanique in 1988,^[13] Square D in 1991,^[19] and Merlin Gerin [fr] in 1992.^[20] In 1996, the company created the holding company Schneider Electric (China) Investment Company Ltd.^[21]

1999–present

In January 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.^[22] In 2000, Schneider Electric acquired the French controls-maker Crouzet Automatismes from Thomson-CSF and the Swiss motion control specialist SIG Positec from SIG Group.^[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 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$1.7 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 January 2023, Schneider Electric's acquisition of Aveva was finalized.^[36]

In November 2023, Schneider Electric finalized its acquisition of EcoAct, a company devoted to climate consulting and net-zero solutions.^[37][38][39]

After 18 months in office, CEO Peter Herweck was removed by the board of directors and replaced with Olivier Blum in early November 2024.^[40][41]

In October 2024, Schneider Electric signed an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Motivair Corporation, a company specialized in liquid cooling and advanced thermal management solutions for data centers.^[42]

In December 2024, the company announced a partnership with Nvidia to design data center cooling systems.^[43]

In March 2025, Schneider Electric announced plans to invest more than US$700 million in its United States operations through 2027, marking the company's largest single capital expenditure in the country.^[44]

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  1838: "La Gironde", the first French locomotive
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  The Schneider logo in the 1950s
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  One of the first brochures for Telemecanique industrial control products. Telemecanique was acquired by Schneider Electric in 1988.