Upbeat about the Chinese market, Schneider Electric, the global technology group with expertise in energy management and automation, will allocate more resources to grow electrification and digitization-related businesses in China given the country’s all-round progress towards the national goal of high-quality development, said Chris Leong, Chief Marketing Officer and a member of the group’s executive committee. 
▲Chris Leong, Chief Marketing Officer and a member of the Schneider Electric's executive committee
China's focus on digitization and sustainability with an economic return is complementary to Schneider Electric's strategy. With Schneider Electric’s expertise in energy management and automation, its “electrification plus digitization equals sustainability” formula and solutions can contribute greatly to China’s industry upgrade and dual carbon goals to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, she said. This formula is applied to various industries around the world and has been proven to be effective. One example is the large research and development facility with 5,000 employees that Schneider Electric opened in Grenoble, France last year. The facility named IntenCity, is fully equipped with Schneider Electric’s technologies and solutions covering from planning, building, operation to maintenance. It consumes 37 kilowatt hours per square meter each year - nearly 90% less than the average European building, thanks to rooftop solar panels, onsite wind turbines and digital applications to generate, manage, share and coordinate energy with a neighboring community microgrid.
▲IntenCity, an example of net-zero building equipped with digital technologies
The company has also helped Shanghai’s industrial park in Lingang Special Area Pilot Free Trade Zone, to achieve active energy management, access renewable energy, and improve operation efficiency with lower carbon emission. Supported by advanced solutions, the park today is able to cut 60% of monthly energy costs and expects to save 1.1 million kWh of electricity annually, accelerating its transformation towards a green and low-carbon park.“By strategizing, decarbonizing, digitizing, we believe that current technologies can not only improve efficiency and save costs but also cut carbon emissions. This will generate profits for companies and benefit society at the same time,” she said, adding that more customers are willing to pay for green products that are sustainable since Schneider Electric can already use technology to help reduce carbon emissions by 30 to 90 percent across various industries, from manufacturing, building, and datacenter to grid. 
▲ Engery management system in Schneider Electric's factory in Shanghai
As many users may be concerned about the return on investment, Chris Leong said that the average investment payback period, based on Schneider Electric's experience, is around three to four years.
“When a company has already received a return on its investment, it can continue to save more on energy costs, reduce carbon emissions, and improve its sustainable operations, which can bring green value to users and society,” she noted. Despite the cautious global attitude towards foreign direct investment, China is expected to become more attractive to foreign companies this year due to its wider opening-up policies and anticipated economic rebound, said Wei Jianguo, vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.This sentiment is supported by the latest data, which shows that foreign investment in the Chinese mainland, in terms of actual use, grew by 2.2 percent year-on-year to 499.46 billion yuan ($71.4 billion) in the first four months of this year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed. This is also seen in Schneider Electric’s 36 years growth in China– now the country has become its second-largest market around the world. The multinational company has grown from a joint venture factory to one with 22 plants, 7 distribution centers and 5 innovation centers to date in China, including one “end-to-end lighthouse factory”. This factory represents the top level of manufacturing applying advanced technologies to speed up and spread the smart adoption of fourth industrial revolution technologies – a fusion of artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of things, 3D printing, big data and other technologies. 
▲Schneider Electric's end-to-end lighthouse factory in Wuxi
▲Schneider Electric's end-to-end lighthouse factory in Wuxi
Furthermore, the company’s confidence in supporting Chinese industries’ transformation toward digitization and sustainability comes from the combination of its leading technologies in energy management and industrial automation, long-time self-practice in operation, and especially the “Multi Hub” strategy
. Highlighting China’s massive market, sophisticated industrial systems, strong supply chain competitiveness, and the improved business environment, Chris Leong said the group will continue to increase its expenditure in the country to strengthen its “China Hub” which comprises talents, innovation, supply chains, and ecosystems.
For example, after opening an automation research and development center in Wuxi, Jiangsu province in March of this year, Schneider Electric currently operates 5 innovation centers with over 2,000 engineers across China, one of which being focusing on software development to help the company remain and reinforce its competitiveness. These centers have played a significant role in supporting the company's operations in China, and in other countries by introducing Chinese innovation achievements to the global market. ▲The opening ceremony of Schneider Electric China Automation R&D Center
Reporter: Zhong Nan
