Schneider Electric (Euronext: SU) is a French global company. It was founded in 1836 by two brothers, Eugène I and Adolphe Schneider. In the first part of the 20th century, Schneider et Cie associated itself with Westinghouse Systems, a major international electrical group at the time. The group began manufacturing electric motors and locomotives. After the Second World War, the armaments businesses were abandoned in favor of electrical engineering, and iron and steel works. The company remained in this sector until the early 1980s. In 1981, Groupe Schneider was broken up, focusing on the electrical and controls industry. This was followed by strategic acquisitions of Telemecanique (1988), Square D (1991) and Merlin Gerin (1992) and it is these brands that are the core products of the company's offering. In 1999, Groupe Schneider was renamed Schneider Electric. The Schneider company also acquired The Lexel Group that year. Today, the company has grown into a world leader in Power and Control solutions through further acquisitions: Power Measurement in 2005, MGE UPS Systems, Clipsal, TAC, Nulec, Andover Controls, GET plc and Citect in 2006, American Power Conversion in 2007, and Gutor Electronic LLC in 2008. Veris Industries, an electronic sensor manufacturer, was acquired in 1999. The newest acquisitation for the company is Pelco, a video and security system manufacturer. The transaction closed on October 17th, 2007.
