PALATINE, Ill. — Oct. 2005 — In an effort to expedite rebuilding efforts in hurricane-damaged areas, the Schneider Electric North American Operating Division, best known in the United States by its Square D® brand of electrical distribution and control equipment, has deployed service restoration teams to the affected regions. Focused on identifying and facilitating the installation of electrical distribution products that will get businesses and homes up and running again, teams include professionals from the Square D Services Group, sales engineers, field technicians, and logistics and channel support. In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, members of the restoration teams have embedded themselves within the affected regions.
The teams are focused on expediting the delivery of needed products to distributors and customers, providing on-site support before, during and after installation, and communicating with customers and distributors as conditions and needs change. "We wanted to provide assistance to our distributors and our customers in any way we could," said Mike Bodinet, Manager, Square D Services. "Whether that meant helping with on-the-ground support, on-site advice or helping in the distribution of product, we wanted to make sure our distributors and customers knew we were there to answer the call."
Mobile Command Centers
In addition to its distributor locations and field offices in the impacted areas, members of the restoration teams are using three RVs as their mobile command centers, which the teams use as their communication hubs. The temporary workspace allows Square D employees to accept and fax out orders and communicate electronically with their customers and Square D plants throughout the country. Square D also has rented a house north of New Orleans as a home base for the efforts in that area, and anticipates maintaining a presence there throughout the rebuilding process. "We are doing what needs to be done to get our customers up and running again," Bodinet said . "That means putting people on the ground, and allowing them to communicate directly with our customers.
The value we bring is firsthand knowledge of what it takes to get a building back up and running, and to do that effectively, our people have got to be on-site." Completing work as quickly as possible, while still maintaining the high safety expectations for which the Square D brand is known, has been a major focus of the efforts. Sales engineers and field technicians have been brought in to help retrofit solutions on-site. Additionally, Square D people have brought portable bus-bending equipment to job sites, allowing them to modify and rebuild equipment at the customer location. Square D teams also have helped set up "tent cities" (RVs, trailers, tents) to provide temporary housing for the hundreds of workers sent in to assist in the rebuilding effort.
According to Bodinet, electricians and other tradesmen spend their days working tirelessly to restore power and their nights in the temporary tent cities. "We're proud to be providing some of the support that allows the teams of tradesmen to come in and resurrect this region," Bodinet said. "The collective contribution that so many have made to bring area businesses and homes back on-line is inspiring, and we're elated to be a part of that overall effort."
Distributor Support
In some instances to aid distributors, Square D has deployed semitrailers that serve as mobile warehouses for additional inventory and provide space for larger items, such as transformers and panelboards. As part of its We Care campaign, Square D also has initiated a program that speeds up the delivery of products and services to Schneider Electric distributors so they can more quickly respond to customers. The expanded program is effective immediately for FEMA-declared disaster areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Florida. Under the extended We Care program, distributor inventories will be increased, especially items that are unique to specific markets. In addition, payment terms are extended 60 days.
"Disaster relief shipments of Schneider Electric products are receiving the highest priority," said Dave Petratis, president and CEO of Schneider Electric's North American Operating Division. "We will make every effort to expedite orders earmarked for FEMA disaster areas, and customers will be charged only standard shipping costs." Square D distributors will also receive a 1 percent rebate on all orders received — a rebate that previously was only extended to electronic orders. Additionally, Square D is offering a "no restocking fee" for returned orders on select items, up to 10 percent of the total order.
Headquartered in Palatine, Ill., the North American Operating Division of Schneider Electric had sales of $2.6 billion (U.S.) in 2004.
The North American Operating Division is one of four operating divisions of Schneider Electric, headquartered in Paris, France, and markets the Square D, Telemecanique and Merlin Gerin brand products to customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States, Schneider Electric is best known by its flagship Square D brand, with Telemecanique becoming increasingly known in the industrial control and automation markets and supported by many Square D distributors. For 100 years, Square D has been a market-leading brand of electrical distribution and industrial control products, systems and services.
Schneider Electric is a global electrical industry leader with 2004 sales of approximately $12.8 billion (U.S.).
Visit Schneider Electric at www.us.SquareD.com , www.us.telemecanique.com , www.us.schneider-electric.com or Merlin Gerin Products www.us.merlingerin.com