With prolonged escalations in oil prices and growing demand for electrical power, the importance of power management is becoming better understood among manufacturers as they seek reliability and savings that can amount to millions of dollars.

      “Companies can do a lot to control their energy destiny when they take the steps necessary to understand the important role that energy plays in the overall success of their enterprise,” said David D. Petratis, president and CEO, Schneider Electric North American Operating Division.  “We’re getting manufacturers’ attention when we explain how they can reduce a million dollar line item for energy by 20 percent.  They soon realize how important power management is to their ability to manage the business for optimum performance by turning a costly expense into a competitive advantage.”

      The company’s power management expertise stems from more than a century of experience in distribution, control and automation of electrical power and a concerted effort in the mid-1990s to reign in energy costs at manufacturing facilities in the United States.

      It selected five plants with the highest utility bills and went to work using its Square D power metering and control products. It rapidly went to an enterprise model to study power usage at more than 20 manufacturing facilities by tapping into a wide area network on its Ethernet, the best solution available in the still pre-Internet age.  The North American Operating Division, best known for its flagship Square D brand, is one of four geographic divisions of Paris-based Schneider Electric, a global supplier of electrical distribution, industrial control and automation products, systems and services.  

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