Schneider Electric Opening New R&D Facility Near Boston

schneider-andover

An artist's illustration of the planned Schneider Electric R&D center in Andover, Mass.

Schneider Electric does plenty of research, and a new R&D facility is part of its commitment to advancing the energy efficiency and management market. The company announced today that it plans to build a new high-tech R&D Innovation Center in Andover, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston.

The 235,000 square foot property will serve as the company’s North American R&D hub, accommodating more than 850 Schneider Electric employees. Out of the gate, the facility promises to be one of the most energy efficient buildings in the world, with LEED certification at the time of its opening. The Andover site is scheduled to be fully occupied by fall of 2013.

"The vibrant ecosystem of innovation in the Greater Boston area is the ideal backdrop for Schneider Electric’s Global Innovation and Technology Center," said Chris Curtis, president and CEO, North America, Schneider Electric. "The center will be a rich resource for customers, and it will bring together cutting edge innovators in the region with researchers from around the world, allowing for a cross-pollination of ideas essential for transformative and disruptive innovation."

The facility will combine all of Schneider Electric’s business segments, including Buildings, IT, Industry, Power and Corporate, under one roof. It will operate an R&D laboratory at the facility to develop and test new classes of technologies, ranging from data center management, to home and small business automation, to commercial business automation. It will also include a StruxureLab - a cross-discipline technology integration laboratory where Schneider Electric tests and validates its solutions, as well as a customer innovation center, a training facility, and a state-of-the-art conference facility.

"We are bringing together top talent to collaborate across several disciplines, with the expectation that we will deliver breakthroughs in energy efficiency that will change the industry forever," said Barry Coflan, senior vice president, Buildings Business, Schneider Electric, and member of Schneider Electric’s Global Innovation and Technology Council. "In addition, the new facility will be a fertile place for innovation, attracting new employees, students, researchers and customers to the Boston area, driving business and community development."

The facility will leverage the company’s portfolio of technologies, including StruxureWare energy management software applications and suites. It will leverage critical power and cooling, power distribution and control, and video surveillance and lighting, all from Schneider Electric. The facility will leverage the SmartStruxure Building Management solution and a highly efficient chilled beam HVAC system that will reduce costs, as well as operation and maintenance requirements.

Schneider Electric is headquartered in Rueil-Malmaison (Paris), France, and the new Global Innovation and Technology Center in Andover joins four existing Schneider Electric Global R&D centers located in North America, Europe and Asia.