Electrifying the economy can save 250 billion a year

How is this strategy being realised in practice? "Our technologies, developed in 150 production sites around the world, enable buildings, data centres, industrial plants and energy networks to operate as open and interconnected ecosystems, with better performance and more sustainability," said Gwenaelle Avice Houet, executive vice president industrial automation at Schneider Electric (formerly chief strategy and sustainability officer). "Our strategy integrates intelligent automation, robotics and control components with software-centric architectures, artificial intelligence-based systems, digital services and advanced consulting. We are therefore enablers of the energy and digital transition, advanced automation for manufacturing and the circular economy.

Schneider Electric, in fact, is also working on the circularity frontier. "Industry, and the whole economy in general, should learn to use products better, for longer and to reuse them more (through maintenance and repair)," explained the manager. "We must start from ecodesign: designing goods that can be easily disassembled with a view to recycling and repair, using less impactful raw materials and working to extend the life of goods. We have helped several customers on this front, such as the giant Glencore (for copper recycling) and the company GR3N, which chose our open automation systems for its plastic recycling plants with high final yields.

In this scenario, therefore, software plays an increasingly important role in the continuous innovation process of companies. And thus central to the Schneider Electric universe is the role of Aveva, the global leader in industrial software (whose acquisition was completed in 2023). Caspar Herzberg, CEO of Aveva, spoke at the Innovation summit, emphasising how digitisation and industrial intelligence are key drivers of the energy transition and sustainable innovation. 'Schneider Electric and Aveva help companies achieve industrial excellence and advance the sustainability journey through open technologies and ecosystems in heterogeneous systems,' said Herzberg. 'We combine automation, electrification and digitisation, unlocking industrial intelligence and energy management to increase efficiency, productivity and sustainability. Aveva will hold its 2026 international conference in Milan in May.

Gwenaelle Avice Houet, Executive vicepresident Industrial automation di Schneider Electric

After all, Italy is central to Schneider Electric's strategies. The group, which had a turnover of no less than EUR 38 billion in 2024, is present in Italy with five plants (one in the Stezzano headquarters, near Bergamo), eight sales offices, two innovation hubs, and an integrated logistics centre, in which some three thousand people work. "Eighty per cent of our systems sold in Europe are produced in Italy, and I am not just talking about assembly," said Gwenaelle Avice Houet proudly in Copenhagen, who was present at the re-inauguration last June of the Italian headquarters, whose buildings have been upgraded in terms of energy and digital, to crown the path undertaken to make all the sites in Italy efficient and decarbonised.

Sustainability is also at the heart of Schneider Electric's key products. "The Stezzano plant also produces the new SM AirSeT air-insulated medium-voltage sustainable switchboards, which avoid the use of SF6 gas (one of the most harmful greenhouse gases): this product range represents a concentration of innovations covered by 57 patents," Italian president and CEO Davide Zardo proudly told his guests in Copenhagen, pointing to the display cases containing the made-in-Italy innovations in the huge Schneider Electric solutions exhibition area (which occupied two halls of the gigantic Bella centre at the Innovation summit).