Energy-management specialist Schneider Electric recently announced the relocation of its North American headquarters from Palatine, Ill., to the company’s new global research-and-development (R&D) center in Andover, Mass.
Built to house approximately 750 employees across all disciplines of Schneider Electric’s business segments, the 240,000-plus-sq-ft, two-building Boston One Campus, located at 800 Federal St., features the fully immersive Discovery Center, which allows visitors to learn about Schneider Electric’s energy-management and innovation story, as well as experiment with several of the company’s solutions through simulated demonstrations via 65-in. interactive panels. A 53,000-sq-ft engineering laboratory includes customer-accessible cross-discipline technology-integration spaces known as StruxureLabs, where Schneider Electric engineers test and validate products for real-world customer deployment.
The Boston One Campus incorporates approximately $8 million of Schneider Electric products and solutions, including SmartStruxure, a fully integrated building-management system; EcoAisle and EcoBreeze data-center cooling systems and data-center and server uninterruptible power supplies; Altivar variable speed for HVAC control; a variety of ultraefficient luminaires; and intelligent Internet Protocol security-management systems.
“As we imagined the design of the new campus, it was important to us to leverage our own technology and create a facility that enhances our customers’ experience while exemplifying Schneider Electric’s core objective of making the most of our energy,” Laurent Vernerey, president and chief executive officer of Schneider Electric’s North America operations, said.
Schneider Electric has four other global R&D centers—in India, China, France, and Mexico.
The Boston One Campus is expected to draw more than 10,000 visitors the first year it is open.