PALATINE, Ill. — March 31, 2008 — Schneider Electric launched a new technology center focused exclusively on the automation, control and power needs of the packaging machinery business. The Packaging Technology and Solutions Center (PTASC) combines resources from Schneider Electric subsidiary ELAU, Inc., with experts from Schneider Electric’s existing Raleigh-based OEM Technology and Solutions Center. Through the PTASC, Schneider Electric is uniquely positioned to provide a single-point resource for specialized technical, application, and engineering project management support so packaging machinery customers can achieve optimal power, control, and automation solutions.
The PTASC, headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., features an application lab where customers can visit to work hand in hand with Schneider Electric and ELAU engineers to design full machine solutions, from simple to complex. The center also boasts a 12-seat training facility with fully functional test stands to allow customers to learn about the latest hardware and software solutions through interactive classroom training. Additional PTASC resources are located in Boston, Mass., and Raleigh, N.C.
“When we acquired ELAU several years ago, we were impressed by its industry-leading, packaging-specific motion control technology, and its hands-on co-engineering approach to solving its customers’ most difficult challenges,” said Andy Gravitt, vice president, automation and control, Schneider Electric North American Operating Division. “With Schneider Electric’s global expertise and additional resources, we now can offer packaging machinery OEMs this same level of design support for their machines over a much wider range of Schneider Electric solutions. We can help customers with solutions that are straightforward or complicated.”
The PTASC can help packaging machinery OEMs meet market demands by offering the expertise needed to adapt more complex automation technology and modular design methodologies to their existing operational systems. Achieving rapid machine design innovation enables OEMs to shorten time to market for new products and increases throughput and flexibility.
“ELAU has made a name for itself within the consumer goods manufacturing industry by being at the forefront of packaging machinery innovation,” said Bryan Orr, president of ELAU’s North American operations and director of the PTASC. “By taking advantage of the breadth of expertise and truly global reach of our parent company, we can provide an unparalleled, holistic approach to optimizing our packaging machinery customers’ complete power, control and automation system.”
About Schneider Electric
Headquartered in Paris, France, Schneider Electric is a global electrical industry leader with sales of $23.7 billion (U.S.) in 2007. The North American Operating Division of Schneider Electric, headquartered in Palatine, Ill., is one of four operating divisions of Schneider Electric, and markets the Square D, Telemecanique and Merlin Gerin brand products to customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States, Schneider Electric is best known by its flagship Square D brand, with Telemecanique becoming increasingly known in the industrial control and automation markets and supported by many Square D distributors. For more than 100 years, Square D has been a market-leading brand of electrical distribution and industrial control products, systems and services.
About ELAU
ELAU, Schneider Electric’s packaging automation specialist, is the only controls supplier focused exclusively on the automation of packaging machinery. ELAU’s PacDrive automation system offers the only automation platform purpose-built for the packaging industry. ELAU innovations have enabled a revolution in mechanical, software and hardware modularity that delivers agile packaging systems to meet the market demands for packaging operations that are more flexible and efficient to fulfill marketing, supply chain and global business strategies.
ELAU equips more than $1 billion worth of packaging machines annually. Currently, more than 40,000 PacDrive systems are deployed in packaging machinery worldwide.
