They are also set to make several acquisitions in Australia and overseas in an effort to deliver additional applications for tomorrow's Smart House. They are also investing millions in new offices and manufacturing facilities in Australia in an effort to be not only the #1 provider the automated home industry but the "dominant" provider.
The name Schneider Electric is set to be the umbrella brand with the Company also looking at additional acquisitions in Australia including door security Companies in several States and overseas integrated vacuum cleaning Companies as well as access control Companies.
At the recent CEDIA Expo in Surfers Paradise Chris Murray of PDL and Simon Wehr of Clipsal admitted that Schneider was on an expansion mission and that the French Company was set to grow via acquisition and the growth of Schneider products into more areas of the home.
Murray said that Schneider aims to be a solution provider for every home and building system and is looking at manufacturers of security, access control and lighting manufacturers as possible acquisition targets.
US Magazine CE Pro said earlier this week that Schneider, which is launching its Square D Clipsal Programmable Thermostats, aims to also position itself as a provider of energy management systems. The company's varied home system offerings allow a more comprehensive approach to saving energy, according to Brad Wills, business director, installation systems and control for Schneider in the USA.
He said that Square D Clipsal is also coming out with a wireless lighting control system.
According to Wills, affordable solutions like wireless or Powerline carriers (which the company is also exploring) can bring lighting control to a broader segment of the market with Schneider also investing heavily in new wireless technology which can be installed by the electrician as opposed to a qualified CEDIA member.
He admitted that Schneider's European division has looked at Powerline carrier technologies. "It's something that we're starting to look at a little more closely ourselves, as well, not necessarily as the ultimate way of doing ii" he said
He added "Were saying that there are probably applications where Powerline carrier technology makes sense. There are probably applications where wireless RF makes sense. There may actually be applications in the future where a combination or hybrids approach to those two makes sense, so we'll certainly look at it is a potential".
In the interview with CE Pro Wills admitted that there was an awareness issue with both RF and Powerline technologies. He said "We think it's certainly going to be a way to start pushing this technology down into more of a mass market, middle range, average home, rather than the million-dollar house".
He claimed that Schneider was set to launch new thermostats later this year. "Of course, you can tie that right into the C-Bus network and have the system programmed so when you leave your house, you hit a button and the multiroom audio goes off, the lights do whatever you want them to do when you're not home and the vacuum system goes to its setback point"
The Company has admitted that they want their products to be the systems that run today's Smart House.
Wills said "Look at the car and the house and how the car's automation has evolved over the last 15 years. That hasn't really happened with the home yet. We think there's a big opportunity for that.
We want our system to be the backbone of the home. And certainly, we want you to use our lighting control as part of that, and that's kind of core to the system. Then we're going to offer solutions around multiroom audio, HVAC security access control in the future.
We'll have those other system and we'll also continue to do third-party integration. So the installer and end user can say I'm going to put the Clipsal C-Bus system, the lighting control and the thermostat, but I have a different audio system that I'm going to use. That's fine. We want to be able to give the installer and the end user flexibility but still be the base system for the home".
