A land of fish and rice, a place of people. Wuxi, as an important birthplace of the Jiangnan civilization and the southern Jiangsu model, gathers the technology and innovation resources of the Yangtze River Delta, forming landmark industrial clusters such as the Internet of Things, integrated circuits, and biomedicine, attracting many well-known enterprises to take root here. Recently, Schneider Electric China Automation R & D Center was officially opened in Wuxi, becoming the fifth largest R & D center established by Schneider Electric in China after Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi ‘an and Beijing, further strengthening its industrial layout in China, while enhancing the steady development of its own business, providing a new powerful engine for innovation and development in China and even the world. It is understood that Schneider Electric Wuxi R&D center will focus on the development of the next generation of core industrial automation products, establish an innovation system that integrates hardware and software, and inject more business including energy management automation in the future. Among them, the new generation Lexium 18 series servo, which is locally designed and developed by Industrial Automation China Center and will soon be launched, will also achieve large-scale production in Wuxi base.

Hu Xiao, senior vice president of Schneider Electric and head of Industrial Automation China R & D Center, said that Wuxi R & D Center assumes a new role of “local demand, local innovation, local research and development, global empowerment”, and will share platforms and resources with the global R & D center to create products and solutions with international quality at Chinese speed. Continue to build an industrial ecology that integrates research, production, supply, marketing and service.

Why choose Wuxi? Hu explained that Wuxi has a deep industrial base, a sound industrial chain, a superior business environment and a sufficient talent reserve. In recent years, Wuxi’s emphasis on innovation-driven industrial transformation and upgrading has provided fertile ground for local enterprises to develop, which is highly aligned with Schneider Electric’s strategic direction in the industrial automation business.

Hu Xiao also pointed out that Wuxi base, as the first and most important electronic capability manufacturing center of Schneider Electric factory in China, has been in a leading position in the process of lean manufacturing and digital transformation. Wuxi Automation R & D Center will achieve in-depth integration of production and research with Wuxi “end-to-end Lighthouse Factory”, and the factory will be the best test field for R & D center. Create a fast track from the laboratory to the production workshop, and shorten the distance between innovation and marketization.

In addition, the R & D center will also work with the Shanghai R & D Center to “double drive” to further strengthen the industrial chain and supply chain resilience of Schneider Electric in the field of automation.

At present, the Wuxi R & D center has nearly 40 R & D engineers stationed in the first batch, or 100 people by the end of the year, and with the injection of energy management automation business, more talent resources will be deployed in the future. The R&D center is also building a world-leading testing laboratory, covering an area of 900 square meters, and will be officially put into use in June this year, providing solid professional facilities, comprehensive capabilities and talent support for innovation.

Continue to deepen and strengthen the “China center” strategy

Thanks to China’s superior market environment and vigorous industrial vitality, Schneider Electric continues to increase investment in China, unswervingly deepen the Chinese market, and accelerate the digital and green transformation of China’s manufacturing industry.

The dual transformation is inseparable from Schneider Electric’s unique “China center” strategy. Since its roots in China for 36 years, Schneider Electric has continuously strengthened local capabilities, concentrated talents, research and development, industrial chain, sales, service, partners and other advantages, and created an agile mechanism for the integration of research, production and marketing, so as to better meet the needs of China’s industrial upgrading.

Especially at the research and development level, China has become one of Schneider Electric’s four global research and development bases, is an indispensable source of innovation, and Chinese wisdom is constantly going to the world.

The five R&D centers in China will be responsible for the research and development of different products and business markets according to the differences in production bases, industrial support and local needs. At the same time, under the “multi-center” strategic layout, China R & D center and other global R & D center equal division of labor and cooperation, China R & D center in faster and better close to the Chinese market, to meet the needs of local users on the basis of exporting China’s first, China’s original R & D results to the global market, and truly realize the development vision of “in China for China, in China to benefit the world”.

The demand of the Chinese market will become more and more leading and diversified. Hu Xiao said that in the future, Schneider Electric will continue to focus on the direction of digital and green development, make full use of China’s industrial advantages, innovation momentum and talent advantages, continue to lead the industry’s digital and low-carbon transformation with excellent technology, and ultimately drive the industry to a sustainable road to help China accelerate the green future.