The company stands as one of the largest French investments in Serbia
Schneider Electric has more than 18 years of successful operation in the Serbian market. Together with its Development Center, which gathers energy and computer engineering experts developing the ADMS software, the most advanced solution for energy system management, leads the digital transformation of energy management and automation in homes, facilities, data centers, infrastructure and industrial sectors.
We talked with Ksenija Karić, General Manager of Schneider Electric in Serbia and Montenegro, about the company’s position in the local market, products and future plans.
Schneider Electric is one of the most successful French companies in the country, which, despite challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, has additionally strengthened its positions. What are the foundations of your strategy?
The current circumstances have forced companies to reconsider their business operations, and the pandemic has shown that those with a business model based on new technologies and innovation quickly adapted to the new situation and remained competitive. Schneider Electric develops sophisticated technologies and solutions for energy management and processes in a safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable manner, setting high quality standards, which we constantly upgrade. We work continuously on developing new solutions, because prompt reactions to market needs and projections of its needs are a key feature of the companies such as ours that have been operating for a long time and have many decades of tradition.
Industrial software undergoes transformation that will change rules of the game, and Schneider Electric is one of the pioneers of that transformation. Our solutions enable clients to operate better thanks to the predictive maintenance. It means that a client, based on an analysis of various parameters and data on business operations, receives information about the system status and thus projects potential delays. These solutions provide correct diagnostics, enabling preventive actions and also serving for business performance optimisation, brining huge cost-saving. In a word, Schneider Electric’s strategy is based on strengthening local competitiveness and industrial software solutions, helping clients to attain industry of the future.
City leaders around the globe have been seeking technology-enabled smart city solutions. For existing cities, going ‘smart’ can be difficult. What is your response to that?
Climate change cannot be solved without transforming cities and buildings, because they account for 70% of worldwide emissions. As defined by the Paris Agreement, all buildings must be net zero-carbon by 2050, and this process will be based on several critical patterns – buildings must become ultra-efficient, fully electric and systems will have to be ready to rely on renewable generation and work with flexible residential-owned energy sources, connected to modern and digitalized grids, to increase overall system resiliency.
Additionally, the combination of efficient, fully electric and digitalised distribution networks, distributed generation, energy storage and electric mobility will help smooth and control energy demand, and full digitalisation of power grids will enhance cities’ overall resilience through automation and real-time information.
For example, T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, utilizing Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure throughout the facility created total digital connectivity and continuous 24/7 control. In its first 12 months in operation, the facility saved 18% on their energy costs, representing the model in sustainability we should follow.
The ADMS software, developed and upgraded in the company’s Development Center in Serbia, is perceived as the most advanced solution for power grid management in the world. It largely affects Schneider Electric’s position in the local market.
Schneider Electric Development Center is engaged in research, development and engineering of software in the area of power distribution system management. This center, unique in the world, gathers over 900 experts in power and computer engineering and has a long-term collaboration with universities, power utilities, manufacturers and IT integrators worldwide.
Its main product is ADMS (Advanced Distribution Management System) software, the most advanced solution in the world for managing power distribution systems, as confirmed by US consultancy GARTNER as well, which has rewarded it as the best global software product seven times in a row. The software performs diverse analytical functions for calculating and optimising operations of power distribution companies and provides tools for efficient monitoring, design and optimisation of distribution systems. It significantly reduces operation costs, while increasing safety and sustainability of power systems. It is in operation in over 80 companies and around 170 Dispatching Control Centers worldwide, supplying a total of 400 million customers.
Does the recent relocation of the company confirm its ambitious plans?
Absolutely. Both ambitious and long-term ones. Schneider Electric and the Belgrade office of the Development Center are now under the same roof, at one of the most sophisticated locations in the capital – GTC Green Heart. We implemented our solutions in the area of power distribution and Building Management System in the building, connecting various systems such as power distribution racks, access control, heating, air-conditioning, lighting, etc., into a unique, automated real-time monitoring and management system, accessible via an app when we are out of office as well. Such automated system contributed to the improvement of operation and energy efficiency, with significant overall cost reduction.
We have created a modern concept of work – ‘Workplace of the future’, and provided our employees with a convenient working environment and the most optimal working conditions, upon the highest global standards. We will strive to keep the leadership position we have held for almost two decades, while setting standards and delivering highest-quality products and services.