MANILA, PHILIPPINES — With energy resilience now a national imperative, Schneider Electric, global leader in energy management and industrial automation, marks 30 years of powering sustainable progress in the Philippines through innovation, inclusion, and strong local partnerships.
As the country grows amidst climate risks, so do its energy demands, making operational resilience critical to economic success. For three decades, Schneider Electric has steadily reshaped how Filipino businesses consume, conserve, and manage energy. Now at this milestone, a clearer narrative emerges — one of global technology integrated with local expertise, transforming the nation’s energy future.
30 Years of Reshaping How Filipino Industries Operate
The First Decade: Powering Through Crisis
Established in 1995, Schneider Electric Philippines entered a market on the brink of an energy crisis—rapid industrial growth strained an aging grid and frequent outages disrupted critical operations.
Schneider Electric helped stabilize power systems with circuit breakers, panels, and safety gear that kept businesses running. As energy demands grew, it introduced integrated solutions to optimize usage, boost efficiency, and reduce waste, turning energy from a cost center into a strategic asset for national resilience.
The Second Decade: From Back-up Power to Business Backbone
By the mid-2000s, the digital revolution was in full swing. When servers, telecom towers, call centers, and banks became reliant on 24/7 power and data, the limits of traditional infrastructure became evident.
Schneider Electric equipped businesses to stay ahead by making systems smarter: starting with efficiency audits, followed by digitization through data integration, and decarbonization using smart tools to cut emissions and monitor impact.
Alongside this model, Schneider Electric scaled its capabilities through strategic acquisitions. In 2007, it acquired American Power Conversion (APC) for its globally trusted uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, followed by ASCO Power, known for its century-long expertise in specialized power solutions.
With these acquisitions, Schneider Electric penetrated the most energy-sensitive environments: data centers, critical IT infrastructure, hospitals, and even government services. Since then, the company has evolved from a behind-the-scenes provider into a key enabler of the Philippines’ digital transformation— delivering real impact by strengthening power, data continuity, and security nationwide.
The Third Decade: The Nation’s Global Hub
As artificial intelligence (AI) and complex supply chains reshaped industry demands, Schneider Electric expanded its role in the Philippines and the globe to deliver smarter, more resilient operations.
Schneider Electric transformed its Cavite plant into a Smart Factory from 2017 to 2019, enhancing quality, cutting energy costs, and improving efficiency. Powered by its EcoStruxure platform, the upgrade integrated energy management, automation, and sustainability to optimize performance and reduce environmental impact.
In the years that followed, the company expanded into new domains: RIB Software in 2020 for smart building and construction digitization, ETAP in 2021 to enhance electric power system management, and Aveva in 2023 to strengthen its industrial software portfolio. Most recently in 2024, Schneider Electric partnered with NVIDIA to develop AI-driven data center designs and acquired Motivair to advance its liquid cooling technologies for high-performance computing.
Today, the Smart Distribution Center in Cavite exports these solutions across Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and South America. What began as a local facility has now grown into a global center of innovation and supply.
As part of this expansion, Schneider Electric’s Services Business unit in the Philippines delivers 24/7 functions such as sales, finance, analytics, technical support, and supply chain to regions like North America and East Asia, making the country one of the few with territory-wide operations that support every market where Schneider Electric is present—connecting the Philippines with the rest of the world.
Innovation that works for people and the planet
As an IMPACT company, innovation at Schneider Electric has always moved in more than one direction. The same roadmap that built smart factories and distribution hubs now guides efforts to empower local communities and safeguard the environment.
Building a Climate-Positive World
Schneider Electric’s products and solutions are designed with climate impact in mind. This means making eco-conscious choices from design to delivery like engineering efficient systems and removing single-use plastics in packaging.
The company also continues to invest in technologies that enable immediate and lasting decarbonization, helping customers avoid over 600 million tonnes of CO₂ so far, toward a 2025 goal of 800 million. Through its Zero Carbon Project, it partners with 1,000 top suppliers to cut their emissions by half, aiming for Net-Zero across its value chain by 2050. This future, however, depends on the people driving it.
Investing in the Filipino Future
Behind Schneider Electric Philippines’ innovative solutions is a dedicated team serving 1,000 clients nationwide. Over 30 years, its workforce has grown to over 3,000—with women comprising almost half across engineering, manufacturing, logistics, and leadership. This intentional investment in people reflects the company’s belief that innovation should begin from the ground up.
Such a people-first approach has been recognized on a global scale. Twice named World’s Most Sustainable Corporation by Corporate Knights (2023-2024) and awarded the Most Gender-Inclusive Workplace in the Philippines by the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, the company integrates sustainability into its operations, culture, and talent.
Recently, Schneider Electric aligned with the priority programs of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Education (DepEd), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its Youth Education and Entrepreneurship (YEE) program. To date, over 2,000 students have been trained in industrial automation, renewable energy, and electrical installation. By 2028, Schneider Electric aims to reach 11,000 Filipino youth, equipping schools with modern tools and curricula. It is also launching coaching and mentoring programs to help underserved communities enter the energy transition.
“Schneider Electric is committed to using innovation to deliver meaningful impact and create more equitable and future-ready communities in the country,” says Ireen Catane, Country President of Schneider Electric Philippines. “We believe in the potential of every community and are dedicated to ensuring progress reaches all industries, regions, and generations.”
Towards a smarter, sustainable nation
For over three decades, Schneider Electric has created lasting impact that digitized the Philippines’ energy landscape. But as AI and data infrastructure evolve, the demand for smarter, more efficient systems grows. Schneider Electric rises to the challenge starting with Innovation Day Philippines 2025 happening on May 20, a platform uniting public and private sectors to shape the nation’s energy future.
In the next 30 years and beyond, Schneider Electric will continue adapting its solutions to create a more inclusive, sustainable future for both the energy ecosystem and the lives and communities it powers.
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