Schneider Electric is the global specialist in energy management and automation. With revenues of €26.6 billion in FY2015, our 170,000 employees serve customers in over 100 countries, helping them manage their energy and processes in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable. From the simplest switch to complex operational systems, our technology, software and services improve the way our customers manage and automate their operations. Our connected technologies reshape industries, transform cities and enrich lives.
Schneider Electric Services is dedicated to maintaining and improving our customers' electrical system productivity and efficiency, providing them with power, automation and control service solutions. Schneider Electric customer support services are designed so that customers can select the level of expertise and resources needed to keep customers' processes at peak operational performance. There is perhaps no greater challenge to implementing a world class SHE policy and culture when employees are remote and operate independently and when doing so requires complex planning and safe execution in order to eliminate disruption to a customer's operations or increase the time of the project to completion.
Pre-1999: The Cheetah - Speed is Key!
Prior to 1999, Schneider Electric Services' culture, as in many organizations, was defined by short-term, profit-oriented goals, which translated to a culture of risk taking as a top priority. This culture was best illustrated by its brand symbol at the time- a cheetah. Customer service was focused on speed. Schneider Electric Field Service Representatives (FSR's) coordinated very little pre-job safety planning in an effort to complete jobs as fast as possible to minimize customer disruption. Because there was not a zero-tolerance policy in place when working at a customer's site, some FSR's would take risks (such as working with "live" electrical systems) when modifying, repairing, or solving customer problems when de-energizing the systems in an orderly manner was possible but would take time to complete.
