It’s been just over 10 years since French conglomerate Schneider Electric bought Victoria-based Power Measurement.
And while many acquisitions come with growing pains and the odd clash of corporate culture, Schneider’s Island outpost has weathered any internal storms and managed to grow since it came under the Schneider banner.
Now the company intends to mark its 10-year anniversary by making a little more noise in the capital region.
“From my perspective, we are now well established in Victoria and over the last year and a half there’s been some [push] from our employees to really start to get Schneider back into the community,” said Jennifer Jacques, who as director of operations is in charge of the Victoria division.
Jacques, who has been in the role for a year and a half after nine years with the company, said there was probably a settling-in period after the acquisition which resulted in the company keeping a lower-than-usual profile. “I don’t think the community investment ever went away, we just didn’t promote it,” said Jacques.
The plan is to rectify that to the point the company can pass what she calls the “grandma test.”
“We want your grandma to know where you work and what you do,” said Jacques.
The company, which specializes in designing and manufacturing devices that measure energy usage, has grown since acquisition from 270 employees in 2005 to 350 now.
The energy management division of Schneider at the same time has tripled within the business.
“Power Measurement was really ahead of its time in terms of energy management and power metering, that’s why Schneider acquired it,” said Jacques. “And the fit was synergistic, I don’t think it derailed any kind of culture when we integrated.”
And now it’s a question of getting Schneider integrated more into the community through programs with the University of Victoria and with Jacques joining the board of the Victoria Advanced Technology Council.
“When you have 350 employees, it’s not the same as a little start-up where everyone is connected to everything,” she said.
Schneider was recently recognized as one of the first companies in Canada to achieve ISO 50001 certification and superior energy performance after reducing the energy to run their operations by more than 30 per cent.
The ISO 50001 designation and being recognized as “Superior Energy Performance — Platinum” is the highest certification possible.
“We are in the business of helping our customers become energy efficient so it is important for us to lead by example,” said Dave Clark, facilities manager for Schneider.
