Eye of the Tiger

Schneider sets up shop in the college town of Columbia, Missouri

Schneider Electric broke ground on a U.S. expansion project in Columbia, Missouri May 13, alongside Governor Mike Kehoe and other local government and business leaders. This follows through on Schneider's January announcement of the site selection in the popular Missouri college town.

The ceremony marks the beginning of construction of a 58,000-square-foot addition to the company’s existing Columbia manufacturing facility. By deploying "next-generation" manufacturing technologies, expanding capacity, and optimizing the floor plan, this facility is aimed to help enable Schneider streamline its production of molded case circuit breakers and air circuit breakers and order fulfillment processes, as well as help its supply chain reliability, the company said in a May 13 press release. 

The expansion comes amid rising demand from data center and energy infrastructure developers. Once completed, this planned expansion will reportedly create more than 200 new jobs at the site. 

“The U.S. is experiencing growing demand needed to power AI and energy infrastructure. With this expansion, we are proving our commitment to help our customers meet this unprecedented growth,” said Agustin Lopez Diaz, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain North America at Schneider Electric. “Schneider Electric is grateful for our partnership with Missouri Governor Kehoe, and we are proud to be expanding and modernizing facilities like this one in Columbia to streamline operations, create new jobs, support our customers’ energy efficiency needs, and create impact.”  

“We’re proud that a global leader in manufacturing like Schneider Electric is so strongly considering Missouri for such a significant investment,” said Governor Mike Kehoe. “This company’s interest in the Show-Me State is another example of our ability to support quality employers. We appreciate the contributions Schneider Electric has made to Columbia over the years and look forward to its continued growth in the area.” 

The Columbia expansion project is part of Schneider Electric’s recently announced U.S. investment plan to support the nation’s energy and AI infrastructure, boost domestic manufacturing, and strengthen national energy security. The investment planned across the U.S. is the largest single capital expenditure commitment by Schneider Electric in its 135+ year history in the U.S. and is expected to create over 1,000 new jobs nationwide.  Schneider Electric employs more than 21,000 U.S. employees and partners with approximately 40% of Fortune 500 companies. Its products and solutions can be found in four of 10 U.S. homes, 40% of the world's hospitals, and 40,000 water and wastewater installations in 150 countries.