Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management, said it has become the first private company in Saudi Arabia to receive the ISO 50001:2011 certification.
 
The industry accreditation was assessed by Bureau Veritas, a global leader in Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC).

Schneider Electric won the certification for its advanced energy management solutions implemented across its office-cum-plant complex at Riyadh’s 2nd Industrial City, said the company in a statement.

The 5,000 sq meter plant, which articulates Schneider Electric’s commitment to energy efficiency in the region, employs over 1,000 people including 200 Saudi nationals in the capacity of managers, professional engineers and technicians, it stated.

The plant has the potential to expand production capacity by an estimated 25-30 per cent through manufacturing and assembling products for utilities operation, electrical distribution, industrial oil and gas, automation, infrastructure and energy efficiency management, it added.

Ahmad Al Rashoud, the VP of Business Development and Energy Management Solutions at Schneider Electric (Saudi Arabia), said the ISO certification was a definite milestone for the company and for the broader industry in the kingdom.

"It supports our corporate strategy to foster local talent in a state-of-the-art working environment, through the deployment of innovative and sustainable solutions," he stated.

“As a global company, we are actively working to promote energy efficiency and sustainability, and we believe that the most effective way of doing this is to lead by example. This certification highlights the power of sustainability models in securing emphatic returns on investment in terms of enhancing safety, employee morale, reduced wear and tear of equipment, as well as lowering energy consumption and pollution,” he added.

Maen Al Nimrawi, the energy bureau manager, said: “Schneider Electric identified our main office located in the second industrial area of Riyadh as the largest consumer of electrical power. This influenced our decision to get the site certified by the end of 2013."

"During the six months it took to achieve compliance with the stringent ISO standards, Schneider Electric was assessed for total energy consumed, design, construction, operations, commissioning and maintenance," noted Al Nimrawi.

With the plant’s established energy saving processes, Schneider Electric is well on course to achieve a 15 per cent energy saving per employee by end 2015, by which time the company aspires to have all its three manufacturing plants in Riyadh and regional offices in Jeddah and Khobar ISO certified, he added.-TradeArabia News Service