Challenge accepted: Schneider Electric helps industry turn toughest problems into competitive advantage

HANNOVER, Germany, April 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Industrial operations are under pressure from every direction. Energy costs are rising. Legacy systems are holding back progress. The talent pipeline is thinning. And the window to act is narrowing. At Hannover Messe 2026 (20–24 April, Hall 13, Booth C34), Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, is showing what it looks like when those problems finally meet their match.

Across five live areas — Operational Efficiency, Legacy Drag, the Talent Gap, Data and Cybersecurity, and Energy Efficiency — Schneider Electric, AVEVA, ETAP, and ProLeiT are demonstrating how the convergence of electrification, open software-defined automation, and Industrial AI powered intelligence is already changing the economics and competitiveness of industrial operations.

“Industry has been promised transformation for years. What we’re showing at Hannover Messe 2026 is something different — real outcomes, at scale, that customers benefit from today. When you converge electrification, open software-defined automation, and AI-powered intelligence, you don’t just solve today’s challenges — you fundamentally change what’s possible for industrial operations,” said Gwenaelle Huet, Executive Vice President, Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric.

That ambition doesn’t stop at Schneider Electric’s own booth. No single vendor solves industrial transformation alone — and at Hannover Messe 2026, Schneider Electric’s strategic collaborations make that philosophy visible.

STRATEGIC PARTNER CO-INNOVATION

Strategic collaborations on show include:

• Schneider Electric and Deloitte (Hall 15, Stand E75): Together Schneider Electric and Deloitte deliver the full scope of industrial transformation that meaningful digital change demands. The collaboration combines Deloitte’s world‑class consulting, change management and technology services expertise with Schneider Electric’s domain expertise, purpose-built, AI-enabled OT and software technology that turns digital ambition into real operational outcomes.
• Schneider Electric and Microsoft (Hall 17/G06): This long-standing collaboration unveils next-generation agentic manufacturing capabilities. Schneider Electric’s Industrial Copilot, powered by Azure AI, collapses tool and team silos into a closed-loop, software-defined workflow — where specialized AI agents coordinated by an AI orchestrator automate routine design decisions, maintain end-to-end traceability, and adapt in real time. Production changes that once took weeks are now completed in hours, cutting engineering time by up to 50%. Featured products: Azure Arc & Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert.
• Schneider Electric and Dell Technologies (Hall 14/H52): Schneider Electric and Dell Technologies are collaborating at Hannover Messe to demonstrate how organizations across all industrial sectors can accelerate their Industrial AI journey with secure, scalable infrastructure. Together, we showcase the full path from resilient local OT systems powered by ProLeiT, forming the foundation for digital and AI‑enabled operations, to AI‑ready digital‑twin design enabled with Aveva and NVIDIA Omniverse for faster planning and lower deployment risk. Complemented by fast‑to‑deploy prefabricated modular data centers and proven architectures built on Dell Technologies solutions, this collaboration delivers a future‑ready foundation for any industry adopting AI at speed.
• Schneider Electric and HPE (Hall 13/C34): Schneider Electric and HPE demonstrate virtualized control and Open SDA running real automation workloads on standard servers, proving how data centers can become scalable, resilient automation platforms. A first-of-its-kind setup delivering scalable, redundant, software-defined automation for next-generation data centers; ideal for operators modernizing cooling, HVAC, or industrial infrastructure for AI-era performance.
• Schneider Electric and AWS (Hall 15/D76, Stand 21): At the AWS booth, Schneider Electric demonstrates how open, software‑defined automation spans from edge to cloud using EcoStruxure Automation Expert and soft dPAC, running on AWS. The architecture leverages Amazon EC2 for cloud‑based virtualized control, plus AWS Outposts and AWS IoT Greengrass across edge environments, enabling soft dPAC to be deployed consistently from edge to cloud. The demo addresses one of the most common barriers to OT modernization — the complexity of deploying and operating automation systems across distributed and heterogeneous environments — showing how vendor‑agnostic control, AI‑assisted engineering, and unified automation pipelines can reduce latency, simplify architecture, and support secure, scalable operations.

Schneider Electric’s partner ecosystem at Hannover Messe 2026 extends further, with Red Hat, Margo, MaxGrip, Intel, UniversalAutomation.org, and Orgalim among the additional collaborators represented across the fair — reflecting the breadth of the open, interoperable industrial ecosystem Schneider Electric is building.

CUSTOMER OUTCOMES IN ACTION

Schneider Electric is working with leading manufacturers to convert structural pressures into competitive advantage through next‑generation electrification, automation, and AI-powered intelligence — delivering results that are live in customer operations.

• Royal Avebe, the farmer‑owned cooperative is electrifying heat‑intensive processes at its Foxhol facility through a unified power‑and‑process architecture that delivers real‑time energy intelligence, dynamic load management, and prosumer capability — enabling decarbonization of onsite heat without requiring additional grid capacity. The electrification roadmap directly contributes to Avebe’s climate targets, including 30% emissions reduction by 2030 and continuous 1.5% annual energy‑efficiency improvement.
• H2E Power, a pioneer in next‑generation green hydrogen systems, is leveraging open, software-defined automation and energy technology to transform high‑temperature solid oxide electrolyzers into self‑optimizing assets, reducing degradation, extending system life, and lowering the cost of green hydrogen production. The system has surpassed 6,000 hours of stable operation and has demonstrated just-in-time predictive maintenance and promise in cutting electricity consumption by up to 10%.
• SUEZ
  is working with Schneider Electric to modernize water and waste infrastructure through integrated electrification, automation, and digital solutions—improving energy efficiency, operational resilience, and sustainability performance across critical assets.
• Evonik is collaborating with Schneider Electric on advanced automation and digital technologies to improve process efficiency and support circular economy innovation in chemical and materials production.

NEWEST OFFERS AND DEMOS AT HANNOVER MESSE 2026

Schneider Electric is showcasing its latest solutions and live demonstrations across the fair, including:

• Foxboro SDA
  (European debut) — The world’s first open, software-defined DCS, blending Foxboro’s proven reliability with the openness of EcoStruxure Automation Expert. Decoupling software from hardware accelerates modernization, simplifies AI integration, and delivers high-availability operations for hybrid and continuous process industries.
• Intelligent Drives Portfolio — The latest Schneider Electric drives — ATV6100, Altivar APM, Altivar Predict, Altivar Solar, and EcoCare-enhanced HVAC systems — combine advanced motor control with embedded predictive analytics, cutting downtime and optimizing energy use across industrial and infrastructure environments.
• EcoStruxure Foresight
  (Preview) — A new AI-powered operations platform for the built environment, unifying energy, power, and building management in a single interface. Foresight reduces vendor complexity, embeds AI across the full operational lifecycle, and delivers real-time correlated data, predictive maintenance, and robust OT cybersecurity.
• Modicon M590 dPac
  with EcoStruxure Automation Expert — Software-defined automation, now distributed. The M590 dPAC combines PLC-like control, high-availability redundancy, and edge networking in one compact device — with dual-core processing, conformal coating, 0–60°C operation, and RSTP ring recovery for continuous uptime. Designed for Modicon Edge IO NTS and built for water and wastewater, CPG, discrete manufacturing, and data centres.
• SCADAPack 470d & 474d with EcoStruxure Automation Expert — Rugged Smart RTUs bringing EcoStruxure Automation Expert to remote operations for the first time — merging Smart RTU, PLC-like control, and embedded Linux edge computing in a single device. Designed for lift stations, water distribution, wastewater collection, irrigation, and IIoT gateway functions.
• SF₆-Free AirSeT Medium Voltage Technology — AirSeT replaces SF₆ with pure air insulation and vacuum interruption, delivering safer, cleaner, regulation-ready medium voltage switchgear with built-in connectivity for condition-based maintenance.
• TeSys Tera PROFINET — Designed to meet the demands of modern industrial environments, TeSys Tera continuously monitors key motor parameters including running current, voltage, power, and power factor. Through seamless digital connectivity, it transmits real-time data to automation systems, enabling enhanced visibility, faster decision-making, and smarter control.
• Intelligent Powertrain — Schneider Electric’s complete electrical distribution architecture — MV switchgear, transformers, LV panels, UPS, drives, and busway — unified through an ETAP digital twin. Validated against a real deployment, the solution simulates power outage response, asset health review, and maintenance planning in real time.
• Integrated Power and Process — A unified power and process solution optimizing the full asset lifecycle, from digital twin-driven design through to energy-aware operations. It delivers up to 20% lower electrical and Instrumentation & Control CapEx, 10% better process energy performance, 15% less unplanned downtime, and up to three percentage points of improvement in profitability.
• Data Interoperability with AVEVA — The AVEVA PI System, Asset Information Management, and CONNECT platform unify OT, engineering, and IT data into a single industrial data foundation — connecting seamlessly to Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, and Snowflake for AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics without custom integrations or data duplication.
• Digital Twin and Cybersecurity for Airport Baggage Handling — Virtual commissioning and real-time tracking in one solution. Pre-deployment scenario testing cuts go-live risk, while full IATA Resolution 753 compliance ensures baggage is tracked across every key journey point — check-in, loading, transfers, and arrival. Integrated OT cybersecurity delivers end-to-end visibility and resilience across the entire baggage lifecycle.
• Intelligent Building Climate Control with EcoStruxure Automation Expert — Software-defined, occupancy-based airflow control for airports and large public buildings — no traditional PLC required. AI-powered infrared detection feeds intelligent variable speed drives, delivering up to 30% overall HVAC energy savings and up to 80% savings through optimized cooling.
• SE Advisory Services — Industrial Digital Transformation — Drawing on Schneider Electric’s own smart factory transformation, SE Advisory Services addresses operational efficiency, asset performance management, data connectivity, cybersecurity and sustainability across real customer deployments. A hands-on OT cybersecurity simulation demonstrates the consequences of unmanaged cyber risk — and how to prevent them — across CPG, water, metals and mining, and data center environments.

PRESS AND INDUSTRY ANALYST CONFERENCE & BOOTH TOUR

Tuesday, April 21^st | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CET (Schneider Electric Booth C34, Hall 13)

How does intelligence become action and action become advantage? Schneider Electric and AVEVA, joined by customers already leading the transformation, will explore how AI-powered intelligence and next-generation automation are answering industry’s biggest questions and delivering measurable results on the ground.

You can still register to attend the press and analyst conference here. It will be streamed live and available for re-play via LinkedIn here.

Featured speakers include:

• Gwenaelle Huet, Executive Vice President, Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric
• Caspar Herzberg, Chief Executive Officer, AVEVA
• Richella Odebrecht, Chief Marketing Officer, Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric

We will be joined by several of our valued customers, including:

• Siddharth R Mayur, Founder & MD, h2e Power
• Erik Weinans, Manufacturing IT Engineer, Royal Avebe
  

To learn more, please access our full Hannover Messe 2026 press kit here.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is a global energy technology leader, driving efficiency and sustainability by electrifying, automating, and digitalizing industries, businesses, and homes. Its technologies enable buildings, data centers, factories, infrastructure, and grids to operate as open, interconnected ecosystems, enhancing performance, resilience, and sustainability. The portfolio includes intelligent devices, software-defined architectures, AI-powered systems, digital services, and expert advisory. With 160,000 employees and 1 million partners in over 100 countries, Schneider Electric is consistently ranked among the world’s most sustainable companies.

www.se.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f9f1757e-4ed3-4fe7-939b-35cd2b1f43e1

The post Challenge accepted: Schneider Electric helps industry turn toughest problems into competitive advantage appeared first on Montreal Gazette.