Schneider Electric set to expand Leeds factory

Schneider Electric is set to expand its manufacturing facility in Leeds, which will provide 110 new jobs to the area. 

The expansion plans were announced after Leeds City Council revealed that it had given the French electrical manufacturer a significant discount on its business rates, which will see Schneider Electric pay £315,000 less on its annual business rates. However, the council noted that the expansion plans announced by Schneider Electric will easily offset the monetary loss in taxes. 

The council paper revealing the expansion plans, which was published online at the end of last week, said, “SE are looking to expand their existing facility in Leeds which will allow the business to grow its portfolio” of products.

It added, “In order to meet growth and demands of organisations, SE will create and present to the local community 110 new jobs and sustain the long-term future for the Leeds SE site which today employs 555 jobs.”

Those 110 new jobs are set to be created over the next nine years, with the firm keen to bring on new apprentices to ensure that the electrical industry has a steady flow of new blood. 

Detailed plans for the expansion have yet to be revealed, but it is thought that Schneider Electric will leverage the expanded facility to grow its portfolio of products. In recent years the company has entered new markets to capitalise on the growing spend surrounding decarbonisation – with it now firmly established as the go-to decarbonisation partner for corporate America, according to a recent article by Fortune. 

The Leeds facility already received a significant upgrade at the end of 2022, with it being turned into a smart factory. It was the second of Schneider Electric’s manufacturing sites within the UK to receive the smart factory upgrade. This led to a 10% increase in manufacturing output, 15% reduction in energy consumption and improved efficiencies and customer service results.