Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced that its Hyderabad, India, factory has been recognised as a sustainability lighthouse.
This is the third such recognition for Schneider Electric, whose factories in Lexington, Kentucky, and Le Vaudreuil factory, France, received Sustainability Lighthouse status in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
The World Economic Forum began the Global Lighthouse Network initiative in 2018 to recognise manufacturers leading the growth of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The network now consists of more than 150 advanced lighthouses worldwide. Just 17 of these are also sustainability lighthouses, which are recognised by the Forum for their technology-enabled improvements to their environmental footprint.
Schneider Electric's Hyderabad factory manufactures mission-critical electrical equipment and operates with an advanced, cloud-based manufacturing system powered by IoT-enabled devices, leveraging real-time data and predictive analytics for smart decision-making processes. Over four years, the plant reduced its energy consumption by 59 per cent, improved waste optimisation by 64 per cent, decreased CO2 emissions by 61 per cent, and reduced water consumption by 57 per cent.
To improve energy efficiency and thereby reduce CO2 emissions, the Hyderabad team focused on the highest energy consumers in the plant: air compressors and chillers. An IoT-enabled device, Equaliser 4.0, was installed to regulate the compressors, thereby improving their efficiency. For the chillers, a data-driven energy management system with closed-loop control was fitted to constantly monitor and adjust energy consumption in real-time, optimising energy efficiency.
"Sustainability is core to our mission and purpose," said Mourad Tamoud, Schneider Electric's Chief Supply Chain Officer. "Our Hyderabad factory is a compelling case for why companies should invest in 4IR technologies at scale and pace—not just for the sustainability outcomes but also for the operational efficiency gains."
