Schneider Electric
As you know, competing in today’s global market is challenging for most manufacturers.
Our local Schneider Electric Plant in Huntington, Indiana sees the impact of the global
market daily. By understanding the business environment in which we compete and
leveraging the strengths of our local workforce and community, we’re pleased to
report that we’re still among the surviving manufacturers. Not only do we consider
ourselves survivors, but we have been able to grow in this environment and have plans
in place to continue a successful future.
Over the years, we have had to take an honest look at our strengths and weaknesses
to determine how we could continue to be successful and build a future. Our local
workforce, our local suppliers, and our geographic location were all considered key
strengths during the evaluation. Leveraging our strengths, we constantly adapted to
the changing business environment.
The people of this community certainly understand the challenges facing today’s
manufacturers. Many had worked in prior businesses that didn’t survive in the global
market. Others have not experienced first hand, but certainly seen the impact in the
news media. They understand the threats from low cost countries and global
competitors. In addition to having informed people, this community has always
provided a great source of qualified people. By qualified people, we mean people
who want to be successful. The changes required are not always easy, but their
knowledge of what it takes to survive has guided them to take the right actions.
The reward for these actions is success and opportunity to come back and compete
another day.
The local supply base has also been an advantage. They have supported us very well
as we adapt to new manufacturing philosophies and understand the need to change and
improve. This applies to both manufacturers and service organizations. Having good
local support can often provide cost and lead time advantages which can give you the
necessary edge over the competition.
Our geographical location has also proven to be an asset. A large percentage of our
customers are located in the Midwest and East coast. Being somewhat centrally
located allows us to minimize shipping costs and lead times to most customers. This
also allows customer interaction to be easier with minimal travel time and convenient
with minimal time zone impacts.
We look forward to leveraging the talent of the local workforce and suppliers along with
the geographic location of the Huntington community to continue facing the global
challenges ahead of us.
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