New Facility, Endorsement, and Award: Schneider Electric Doubles Down on Digital Infrastructure

Schneider Electric has made multiple moves in the industrial digital sector, including opening a new facility for data center integration, contributing to cybersecurity standardization, and integrating flexible communication modules into its motion control systems. 

Schneider Electric has opened a new data center integration facility in Red Oak, Texas, to serve its United States customer base. Image used courtesy of Schneider Electric

New Data Center Integration Facility

In an effort to be competitive in an ever-changing market, Schneider Electric has opened a new facility in Red Oak, Texas, specifically for designing, building, and integrating IT infrastructure. With the growing use of AI, data and mobile data centers are in increasing demand. The new facility offers 105,000 square feet of integration space and will be used to build prefabricated and modular data centers for the IT industry. With this new facility, Schneider Electric will create more than 200 jobs for the surrounding area and hopes to help grow the North Texas region. 

The Schneider Electric EcoStruxure Modular data center is one of the products that will be built at the new facility. The modular design enables customers to scale their IT infrastructure regardless of location or environment. Traditional data centers require extensive analysis to determine the current data load and to predict what the data load might be in the future. This analysis, design, and built time can be extensive. With the launch of a new data center integration facility, Schneider Electric will be able to reduce the time to market for new modular data center infrastructure.

Since 2020, Schneider Electric has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy to strengthen the energy sector. Image used courtesy of Unsplash

Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure

As industrial devices become more cloud-based and connected worldwide, the security of these systems becomes increasingly important. Schneider Electric is a global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation. The company has recently endorsed and contributed to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Supply Chain Cybersecurity Principles. 

For nearly four years now, Schneider Electric has worked closely with the DOE to help strengthen cybersecurity in the energy sector with their cyber testing for resilient industrial control system programs. The recent endorsement is another step to strengthen cybersecurity in the energy ecosystem. 

The Supply Chain Cybersecurity Principles combine manufacturers, end users, and government representatives to develop a standard way of connecting automation devices securely. While the government is involved, the standardization is geared toward end users and manufacturers such as Schneider Electric. It is based on existing ISA/IEC and ISO standards. Developing a standard cybersecurity methodology helps reduce flaws and data leaks within an organization, which is especially important if that organization produces energy for a country.   

Schneider Electric’s Altivar VFDs utilizes a communication interface made in conjunction with HMS Networks. Image used courtesy of HMS Networks

HMS Networks' Anybus Module Award

For over twenty years, Schneider Electric and HMS Networks have held a strategic partnership to provide their customers with a flexible industrial communication option. Recently, HMS Networks awarded Schneider Electric with its Ten Millionth Anybus Module Award. 

Schneider Electric’s product line ranges from industrial switches to high-voltage/high-amperage switchgear. Their motion control catalog is not limited to but includes multiple VFD product families, many of which are integrated with Anybus network connectivity. These modules enable end users to select from a range of industrial protocols, including ProfiNet, Ethernet/IP, EtherCAT, Modbus TCP, and others. Schneider Electric is staying competitive by offering motor drives with HMS Networks’ Anybus communication modules already installed, providing customers with faster integration and shorter time to market.