SOME of the challenging projects in Saudi Arabia have brought together the expertise of leaders in their respective fields, who have subsequently established strong partnerships over the years. One such association has been between Schneider Electric France, a global specialist in energy management, and Saudi Oger, a leading contracting firm in the region.

Schneider Electric Saudi Arabia’s partnership with Saudi Oger started in 2005 after a long association between the latter and the France-based parent company. “This association was developed due to challenging projects both companies carried out together in the kingdom,” says Christophe Campagne, country president of Riyadh-based Schneider Electric Saudi Arabia.

Schneider Electric, which achieved record sales and profitability last year, is a solutions provider and a global specialist in energy management offering integrated solutions across multiple market segments. It has leadership positions in energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centres/networks as well as a broad presence in residential applications.

Campagne ... customers are the first priority.

Commenting on the company’s relationship with Saudi Oger, Campagne says: “Schneider Electric has built strong relationships in Saudi Arabia, including good partnerships and collaborations that help it succeed in its global mission. Among such striking associations is that which we have with Saudi Oger, a leading construction company in Saudi Arabia and the region, with a wide line of businesses covering construction, facilities management, real estate development, printing, telecommunication, utilities and IT services.”

Schneider Electric has executed many milestone projects in collaboration with Saudi Oger, where both companies have exchanged expertise in order to deliver the best solutions and services to their customers.

Among these projects is the Princess Nora University in Riyadh, where Schneider Electric provided an optimised power distribution solution extending from the medium voltage systems to the final distribution. “The solution guarantees a high level of reliability, safety and availability, which is so important for an installation of this nature. For the security of the buildings, Schneider has provided CCTV and access control systems that are integrated and of superior quality and can work as part of a total control system,” says  Campagne.

Another project carried out in collaboration with Saudi Oger is the King Abdullah Financial District, where Schneider offered a complete power distribution solution including medium-voltage products that ensure reliability and continuity in addition to low-voltage switchboards Prisma Plus and Disbo that allow continuity of service, peace of mind and maximum protection, he adds.

Among other projects carried out in the kingdom, Schneider Electric singles out the Girls’ College  at King Saud University (KSU), which earned the company the “Best Electricity Project of the Year” award at the BuildInfra Awards 2011 last February.

“Schneider Electric demonstrated to the operators of the project the advantage of thinking ‘energy management’ at the early stage of the project. We provided a full energy management solution including medium and low-voltage products that increase power availability, while reducing total cost of ownership and easing implementation,”  Campagne comments.

Additionally, to continuously monitor and optimise the status of electrical distribution, Schneider Electric has provided its Scada (supervisory control and data acquisition) system that reduces downtime and improves the availability of power without intervention from the operator.

Makkah and Madinah have also benefited from its expertise. Last year, it carried out many projects in these holy cities, such as Arafat Metro, Jamrat Bridge, Madinah Crowne Plaza and Knowledge Economic City, where the company provided power supply and distribution systems that ensure reliability and safety. In 2008, it provided the Dokaae (Development of King Abdulaziz Endowment) Tower in Makkah with an efficient building management system designed to reduce operating costs while offering greater comfort and safety.

A few years ago, for the tallest tower of the country, the Kingdom Tower, Schneider offered a reliable and safe solution that meets the electrical power requirements of the tower. “We helped the customer fulfill its energy demands with a power supply and distribution system and reduce the size of the electrical room in a way that saved precious space in the most expensive commercial area of Riyadh,” says  Campagne.

Schneider Electric focuses on making energy safe, reliable, and efficient, being committed to help individuals and organisations “make the most of their energy”.

Furthermore, its buildings business delivers solutions for HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning), access control, video security management, lighting control and energy management.

“Our focused approach to buildings systems strips away layers of complexity to integrate multiple systems in a building to achieve enterprise-wide facilities management. This uses less energy, tightens security, speeds response times and maintains optimal environments for occupants and saves you up to 36 per cent on operating costs over time,” says  Campagne.

The company also provides the software platform that intelligently controls the many systems and thousands of data points.

The increasing awareness of the need for energy efficiency and of the quality of its solutions has resulted in an increasing demand for Schneider Electric’s services. Last year was a highly successful one for the firm, which achieved new operating performance records. “Our teams delivered record high sales and profitability in 2010. Including Avera Distribution on a full-year basis, our sales worldwide exceeded €20 billion ($28.3 billion) for the first time. All our activities and regions grew in 2010, thanks to improving end-markets, customer-focused organisation, and a strong footprint in new economies, which represented 37 per cent of our sales in 2010,” says Jean-Pascal Tricoire, president and CEO of Schneider Electric.

And despite the global financial downturn that affected most of the businesses and industries in the world, Schneider Electric gained market share and grew sharply, while bringing customers innovative integrated solutions that make energy safer, more reliable, more efficient and more productive.

Campagne says that in 2008, Schneider Electric made the decision to move to one single brand after an active acquisition strategy that has brought more than 100 brands to its portfolio, in order to provide its customers with a single and strong brand that can provide a wider offer, complete solutions, effective integration and services to do business with.

Schneider Electric, which is passionate about sustainable development, is recognised worldwide by main Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) indexes. Its comprehensive expertise allows local and global communities to achieve more while using less of our planet.

“In Saudi Arabia, we are actively participating with local businesses on the issues of energy efficiency as well as smart and green buildings. As an environment-conscious organisation, Schneider Electric itself has implemented energy conservation and energy efficiency in its manufacturing plants, residential facilities and main sales offices,” says Campagne.

Campagne goes on to say that while Saudi Arabia is in the midst of a boom in construction, the country is focusing on delivering sustainable buildings. “The kingdom is collaborating with regional and international experts to implement standardised codes for the country. The Saudi government is committed to improving building performance and energy efficiency during the design and construction process and throughout the building’s lifecycle,” he says.

He points out that energy consumption is increasing year after year due to population growth, which results in a growing demand for electricity and water. Consequently, energy efficiency has become a priority for all businesses. Schneider Electric is playing a major role in meeting these challenges by providing solutions that deliver energy savings of up to 30 per cent. “Interest in sustainable buildings has grown significantly worldwide during the last decade, focusing principally on reducing the materials used in construction, increasing the lifespan of a building and saving energy,” he adds.

Locally, the Saudi government is allocating a big part of its budget for health, education, and infrastructure and is keen on energy saving. “This makes Saudi Arabia a very convenient market for Schneider Electric’s growth, due to the potential offered by the market, especially in the field of buildings and infrastructure and to the high demand for energy efficiency solutions,” he says.

Commenting on the company’s competitive strengths in the market,  Campagne says: “Our key strengths are the quality and reliability of our products and systems and our local expertise built during 30 years of operations in Saudi Arabia. We are close to our partners and customers to whom we deliver end-to-end solutions for effective energy management. We built strong local partnerships with official distributors, franchised panel-builders, system integrators, contractors, consultants and end-users. These partners provide powerful, strategically-related values and extend and amplify our sales network and technical support.”

He says customers are the first priority. “We strive to understand and meet their needs and to deliver them superior, differentiating services. The loyalty of customers toward Schneider Electric is the cornerstone of its success.”

The company has its head office and factories in Riyadh with regional offices in Jeddah, Al Khobar, Madinah, Abha/Khamis, Qassim, Tabuk and Yanbu.