Schneider Electric
Realizing the Immediate IoT Value

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a fairly new concept that is guaranteeing agility through connectivity and increased efficiency in organizations. “During the 90’s, we were among the first few players to use web and connectivity tools to enhance the communication quality on factory floors,” reflects Cyril Perducat, EVP of IoT and Digital Transformation at Schneider Electric. Today, even with numerous firms on the IoT bandwagon, Schneider Electric has maintained its expertise in providing computing and networking services for automation, plant management, building management systems, real-time data center management, and smart grid realization.

Schneider is reaping the benefits of mobility, cloud, and data analytics to provide IoT services that are in congruence with the industry demands. “Integrating IoT domain with mobile devices enables engineers to collaborate easily on the floor and leverage information prudently,” says Perducat. This combination is a ‘high-yielding performance pipeline’ for companies that harbor siloed IT systems and perpetual manufacturing processes.

Cloud, on the other hand, gives a jumpstart to organizations that are looking to leverage centralized applications for increasing connectivity between ‘factory floor and top floor’, incorporating unique data content and supporting business processes. “By having mobile and cloud-based applications and smart devices under one roof, companies can generate viable data to extract actionable insights through analytics engine,” adds Perducat.

With the evolving trends, the threat of cyber attacks in IoT is becoming one of the biggest concerns for companies. According to Perducat, “Whenever we take a project, we train our customers on the risks involved in the IoT implementation.” He further adds, “Vigilance and due diligence mixed with disciplined maintenance of the connected systems is what an organization needs in order to avoid any breaches.” For instance, a healthcare firm looking to improve the reliability factor of its electricity grids chose Schneider to regulate its power management systems. “Our dashboards, smart sensors, and data analytic tools allowed the hospital to enhance the uptime and minimize the operational risks involved.”

Integrating IoT domain with mobile devices enables engineers to collaborate easily on the floor and leverage information prudently

Schneider has joined hands with corporate giants like Microsoft to lay a reliable connected system for organizations. The firm integrates Azure IoT technology across multiple energy management offerings for smart solutions that scale from single-family home thermostats to business-critical weather forecasting for aviation and utility facilities. Schneider has also collaborated with Smart City Council to build connected cities across the globe, which holds the promise to enhance livability, workability, and energy and power consumptions. Using its IoT solutions, Schneider improves operational efficiency of water and waste water industry, inspiring the city municipalities to pursue sustainability goals. The company’s power fleet generation management solution is helping it fulfill this objective by minimizing carbon footprint and costs while observing regulatory requirements.

In recent years, Schneider has accelerated its growth rate through the acquisition of Invensys, a multinational engineering and information technology. “Wonderware, Invensys’s open industrial software has an installed base footprint in over two-thirds of the world’s manufacturing plants and facilities, which helped us expand our expertise across industrial IoT and process automation industry,” says Perducat.

From short steps in factory floors to taking giant leaps in connecting cities and serving countless organizations, Schneider Electric aspires to connect ‘everything’ on a global scale. This includes bringing IoT portfolio across global markets and cities at an affordable cost, integrated with reliable security features, and data generation capabilities.