SCHNEIDER Electric (Philippines) Inc., a maker of energy management equipment, said revenue grew 14% in 2018 due to increased output of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices.
“Last year we had a revenue at the factory of more than $900 million. It was an increase of 14%. We increased the production by 14% and reduced the energy consumption by 14%,” Schneider Philippines President Alex Vermot said in a briefing Friday in Rosario, Cavite.
The company launched yesterday the conversion of its Cavite plant into a so-called “smart factory” which will enable the firm to digitally manage its operations across each stage of production.
The company will use the EcoStruxure platform to set up a central database where operations-related data are transmitted from all computers across the eight buildings of Schneider Philippines.
The technology allows virtual monitoring through mobile devices, while predictive technology enables earlier anomaly detection allowing managers to intervene in case of product assembly issues, electrical and temperature irregularities, production delays, equipment malfunctions, among others.
Schneider Philippines said other drivers for 2018 results were the growth of data centers and the gaming industry.
This year, Mr. Vermot said Schneider’s revenue growth will be “double digits.”
Schneider Philippines exports around 97% to 98% of its UPS production but hopes to expand its domestic footprint.
Schneider Philippines employs about 2,200 people, making the Philippines the French group’s 10thbiggest site in the world in terms of manpower.
The Philippine site is the fifth factory where the EcoStruxure system has been deployed, following sites in France, China, India and Indonesia.
Its parent company is Schneider Electric SE. — Janina C. Lim
