APC 2011 Annual Report Download - page 5

32011 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
MESSAGE FROM JEAN-PASCALTRICOIRE
PRESIDENT AND CEO
distinctions that are both an achievement and an encouragement
to keep on doing better.
2011 was also the year we ended our three-year company
programme One. One has been an unprecedented transformation
for Schneider Electric and has laid extremely solid foundations for
our future development. In three years, we changed size, we built
our identity around one brand, we organized our company around
customer segments and, we organized our Group as one integrated
team where our employees can develop on a larger scale. We
also reached our targets of effi ciency improvement compared to
2008. One has been the enabler of the acceleration of our strategy
execution and the catalyser of robust fi nancial performance through
a historical economic downturn.
Beginning 2012, we launched our new company programme,
Connect, which defi nes our key action plans for the next three
years. Connect builds on the fundamentals and successes of One.
This programme covers four major initiatives, which will allow the
Group to attain new levels of performance. Connect to Customers
will improve the performance of our business models to become
a leader in Products and Solutions. Connect Everywhere will push
our advantage in new economies and create new opportunities
in mature markets. Connect People will create a culture and an
environment of development and performance through training,
diversity, cross-business mobility, empowerment and increased
engagement in corporate social responsibility. Connect for Effi ciency
aims at extracting superior effi ciency from the transformation to One
Schneider Electric.
Schneider Electric is well geared to face the uncertainties
surrounding the global economy in 2012. We can rely on our
strong growth engines and strong fundamentals to develop and
go further: an undisputed leadership in our partner business, our
fast growing solution business, our well-balanced geographical
exposure, our diversifi ed end-market coverage using the same set
of integrated technologies and systems. We shall benefi t from all
the work we made on our organization to integrate our teams and
focus on customer segments. We shall also benefi t from the new
level of operational effi ciency we reached. Schneider Electric is in an
exceptional position to keep exploring the new frontiers of energy
management technologies; seize new business opportunities
offered by energy effi ciency, smart grid and smart cities; and offer
the most advanced technologies of effi ciency for the sustainability
of our planet development.