Schneider Electric Advances Open, Software-Defined Automation at Automate 2026

Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, is participating in Automate 2026, North America's largest robotics and automation event, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois (June 22, 25). As manufacturers, system integrators, engineering professionals, and industrial leaders from across the world convene to chart the future of automation, Schneider Electric is headlining the show. The presence builds on Schneider Electric's recent milestone as the first company to earn NEMA Make it American™ certification across more than 20 of its U.S. facilities, reinforcing its commitment to U.S. manufacturing as that resurgence takes center stage at Automate 2026.

Both on and off stage, the company will demonstrate how open software-defined automation (SDA), digital intelligence and electrification are converging amid a resurgence in domestic manufacturing, heightened pressures to modernize industrial processes and aging infrastructure, and an unprecedented boom in data centers. At its booth, Schneider Electric will bring the expertise and automated intelligence that learns customers' operations and works beside them to make change achievable, helping visitors build a practical path toward autonomous operations that adapt in real time, improve safety, and increase productivity.

Throughout 2026, drawing on 190 years of innovation, Schneider Electric has positioned itself as the energy technology partner for industry, doing what no other company does: bringing automation, digital intelligence, and electrification together in one coherent system. Combined, these technologies are designed not just to run operations, but to evolve them continuously across the full operational lifecycle. At Automate 2026, the company will turn this promise into hands-on experiences, guiding visitors through a challenge-led journey built around open automation, operational efficiency, energy efficiency, electrification, data and secure operations.

"The pace of change in industry is outpacing the systems designed to run it," said Andre Marino, SVP, Industrial Automation, North America, Schneider Electric. "By integrating, open software-defined automation, digital intelligence and electrification into a unified architecture, we're providing what companies need to continuously adapt and evolve amid unprecedented growth in energy demand, AI, and advanced manufacturing."

**Energy Tech Partnership: Turning Complexity into Schmoooth Operations**

Throughout the week, Schneider Electric executives, technologists, and partners will preview the future of advanced manufacturing, defined primarily by open, software-defined automation.

Real-world, hardware-agnostic technology displays, and on-stage engagements will reveal how the company is collaborating across the industry to usher in the next era of industrial automation. Announcements and activations include, but are not limited to:

- Schneider Electric's expansive U.S. trade show footprint, showcasing interactive, end-to-end industrial automation solutions that bring operations to life, from AI-driven outcome journeys to connected demos spanning open software-defined automation, digital twin, Edge I/O, motion, and drives.

- A connected ecosystem of collaborators, including AVEVA, AWS, Barbara, ETAP, HPE, Intel, Margo, Microsoft, and Universal Automation, integrating their technologies across open platforms, from edge control to hybrid cloud, to deliver seamless, customer-first innovation.

- A virtual pre-note on June 9, "Challenge Accepted: Competing in the Next Chapter of U.S. Manufacturing," hosted by A3, with Gwenaelle Huet, EVP Industrial Automation, and Caspar Herzberg, CEO of AVEVA, as contributors.

- A main-stage keynote, "The State of the Automation Industry: Leadership Roundtable," on Monday, June 22 (9:00 a.m. CT), featuring Andre Marino, SVP Industrial Automation, North America, alongside the chief executives of FANUC America, Cognex, and Intrinsic, to set the leadership vision for simplifying industrial complexity through automation, digital intelligence, and electrification.

- An executive luncheon on Tuesday, June 23, "From Idea to Impact: Where Digital Twins and Industrial AI Are Driving Real Business Results," with NVIDIA and Fallas Automation, and Deloitte Consulting convening manufacturing leaders to explore how digital twins and industrial AI are delivering measurable value across the project lifecycle today.

- The launch of Schneider Electric's Schmoooth Automators Challenge, US Edition 2026, bringing together system integrators and university students to compete to develop the best real-world OT/IT convergence applications using EcoStruxure Automation Expert and IEC 61499 (an international standard for distributed automation). Visitors can learn more about the challenge and this year's prizes at Schneider Electric's booth or at the Schmoooth Automators Challenge.

- Schneider Electric executives, including Andre Marino (SVP Industrial Automation, North America), Greg Magdanz (VP OEM Sales, North America), Krishna Kasturi (VP R&D, Industrial Automation), Fabrice Meunier (VP Industrial End User, System Integrator and Software Business, North America), and others, discussing how Schneider Electric is partnering with industrial companies to leverage next-generation automation, electrification, and AI-powered intelligence that are delivering results for customers today.

About the company

Schneider Electric is a global energy technology leader, driving efficiency and sustainability by electrifying, automating, and digitalizing industries, businesses, and homes. Its technologies enable buildings, data centers, factories, infrastructure, and grids to operate as open, interconnected ecosystems, enhancing performance, resilience, and sustainability. The portfolio includes intelligent devices, software-defined architectures, AI-powered systems, digital services, and expert advisory. With 160,000 employees and one million partners in over 100 countries, Schneider Electric is consistently ranked among the world's most sustainable companies. https://www.se.com