SINGAPORE: French multinational company Schneider Electric launched its new East Asia and Japan headquarters in Singapore on Thursday (Mar 29), its first large-scale innovation hub in Asia.
Located at 50 Kallang Avenue, the new headquarters will lead the company’s regional efforts in research and development.
Schneider Electric currently employs more than 30 research scientists and engineers and more than 1,200 people in Singapore.
At the official launch on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam hailed the move as an "an example of how companies are taking the lead in innovation".
Mr Tharman announced that Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) would partner Schneider as part of the EDB's SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative to launch the Energy Generation Programme - X, a management trainee programme for Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore graduates.
The programme will include an overseas assignment at one of Schneider's other global hubs.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe company currently collaborates with 50 local small- and medium-sized enterprises such as Sanwa Group, GP Manufacturing and Microcast, in various operations and digitalisation programmes.
Schneider Electric chose Singapore because the country is a "very efficient platform", said Schneider chairman and chief executive officer Jean-Pascal Tricoire.
“We chose Singapore because it's a very efficient platform for us at Schneider, and because we feel very aligned with the agenda of Smart Nation,” said Mr Tricoire. “We have always had a very strong collaboration with EDB and the Singapore Government.”
“It’s one of the major control towers on the global scale for our supply chain, and it’s our research and development centre for data centres and digitisation, as well as Industry 4.0," he added.
The move has increased the company's research and development head count to more than 100 people, and comes after Schneider Electric recently established a 21-person machine solutions research and development team, one of four such teams globally.
HYBRID ELECTRICITY, SMART BUILDING FEATURES
In line with its goal to be "carbon neutral" by 2030, the new headquarters is powered by a hybrid electricity power source from solar panels.
It is also the first office building to qualify for a Building and Construction Authority Green Mark Platinum Award, under its latest guidelines.
The company also spent S$23 million to retrofit its new headquarters with smart building management facilities.
Its latest investment comes after the company announced in 2015 that it would invest 65 million euros (S$102 million) in Singapore over the next few years and strengthen its presence in the country.
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