Driving digital transformation technology forward

Schneider Electric leads the world in digital transformation technology for advanced energy management and automation systems. Philip Yorke reports on a remarkable, broad-based company that excels in providing integrated solutions that combine energy, automation and advanced innovative software.

Schneider Electric is a French multinational corporation headquartered in Rueil-Malmaison, France. It is also located at the World Trade Centre in Grenoble. The company was founded in 1836 as Schneider & Cie. It was ultimately renamed Schneider Electric in May 1999. In 2018 the company employed over 155,000 people and recorded revenues of almost 26 billion euros.

Ten times faster

Today Schneider Electric’s online tool makes product selection ten-times faster and helps panel builders save considerable time and effort as well as avoiding errors when configuring circuit breakers. The global leader in energy management and automation, has launched MyPact, a web-based product selector and ordering tool

for low voltage (LV) circuit breakers. Accessible by desktop, tablet or smartphone, MyPact is compatible with the latest Schneider Electric products, including its Compact and Masterpact LV circuit breakers.

When assembling a panel or board, panel builders can lose precious time by accidently selecting incompatible products. Often the mistake is realised too late, and contractors suffer delays as they remove and rewire their panel components.

MyPact recoups lost time, offering fault-free product selection and a faster ordering process. It allows panel builders to start projects and populate them with error-free, compatible components entirely in-platform. The unique digital tool notifies the user when they have chosen an incompatible product and can offer recommendations to ensure they choose a device with the right voltage for their setup.

In addition, MyPact helps deliver an up to ten-fold decrease in the time taken to choose the correct panel components. It provides comprehensive product information through free PDF downloads and allows users to order directly from Schneider Electric straight from the platform.

Users can even save projects in progress within the tool’s secured cloud storage, helping them put down and pick up their work anytime and anywhere.

Gary Buckingham, product and segment marketing manager at Schneider Electric, said “We see technology as a powerful aid to help

make the lives of our customers easier. We hope MyPact becomes an essential tool for our panel-building partners, helping them win back lost time and increase their productivity. It’s the fastest, easiest, least-hassle way to make a bill-of-materials that’s ready to go.”

Boosting facility management efficiency

Schneider Electric helps facility managers take greater control with its new Network Automation Controller. The all new controller helps managers monitor and control key processes from a single device, thus saving time and money, as well as reducing waste and significantly boosting energy efficiency.

The company recently launched its latest solution to make operating large commercial buildings and facilities cheaper, easier and much more efficient. The Network Automation Controller (NAC) for the Schneider Electric C-Bus system helps integrate and control the array of vital functions found in today’s buildings.

The NAC provides users with the means to control their entire building from a single, secure system. It integrates and communicates easily with the central building management system, becoming a gateway for managers to monitor and control all of the building’s crucial systems, including power consumption, circuit breaker status, lighting, heating, security and cameras. Thanks to its flexible and customisable user interface, all building functions are controlled and displayed through its web server application on both local and mobile devices. The easy-to-use interface allows managers to stay on top of operations whether they are in the office or working remotely. To help managers retain visibility across operations, the NAC shares automatic notifications in the event of a detected systems failure. These automated alerts ensure that issues can be resolved quickly and before they have an adverse effect on the building or its occupants, such as during a sudden loss of lighting. The NAC device also helps managers play a pro-active role in the energy efficiency of their building. It collects data from across the building’s functions, giving managers easy access to all maintenance, management and energy usage information. It displays gas, water and electricity measurements, and monitors consumption on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis. The NAC then stores and analyses this data before identifying potential energy-savings. Energy billing is possible at a glance and provides managers with enhanced scope to identify efficiencies and cut waste. Unlike other solutions, the NAC is reprogrammable and can be easily mounted to the C-Bus via standard DIN rail mountings. Installations will be faster, and the time saved will translate into lower costs for customers and managers.

Asad Zaidi, category marketing manager for smart space at Schneider Electric, said, “The C-Bus NAC gives building and facility managers the ease and degree of control they need to ensure peak operational and energy efficiency. It makes the integration of multiple, complex systems and the installation of new products faster, saving significant time and costs.” The Network Automation Controller for the Schneider Electric C-Bus system is now available for purchase via Schneider Electric’s EcoXpert channel and its distributor partners. n

For further details of Schneider Electric’s latest energy-saving and innovative automation products visit: www.schneider-electric.com