Grand Opening of Schneider Electric in Andover

Governor Deval Patrick joined state and local officials and Schneider Electric North America’s leadership on Wednesday to celebrate the company’s new global Research and Development center in Andover. The Boston One Campus will serve as the company’s new North American headquarters.

“I’m excited to welcome Schneider Electric’s new R&D Center and North American headquarters to Massachusetts,” said Governor Patrick in a news release. “We are committed to making Massachusetts a global hub of technology innovation and companies like Schneider Electric are important to helping the Commonwealth continue its competitive edge.”

Schneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management with approximately 2,000 employees in Massachusetts and 160,000 worldwide. The company offers integrated solutions for energy automation, grid and site optimization across multiple market segments. The facility is one of five research and development centers that Schneider Electric has recently opened around the world. It was built for approximately 750 employees and has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification.

The facility is more than 240,000 square feet across two buildings and includes a Discovery Center where visitors will be able to learn about Schneider Electric’s energy management and innovation history.

“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,” said Laurent Vernerey, President and CEO of Schneider Electric’s North America Operations.

The clean energy industry has seen tremendous growth in Massachusetts, with 11.8 percent job growth in the last year and 24 percent growth in the last two years; nearly 80,000 people are employed in the clean tech industry in the Commonwealth. Clean energy research and engineering jobs grew by 32 percent between 2012 and 2013, the largest growth of any activity tracked by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report. For the past three years, Massachusetts has been ranked as the number one state for energy efficiency policies and programs, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.