Traditionally friendly nations of Serbia and France have, over the course of many years, succeeded in building and strengthening economic ties that date back to the time when Serbia and France established official diplomatic relations in 1879, immediately following the Congress of Berlin
France is estimated as the seventh-ranked country in terms of investments in Serbia, and Dejan Marković, CEO of Schneider Electric Serbia and Montenegro, encourages future investors, stating that Serbia is the right place for future French investments.
Schneider Electric has been present in Serbia for 22 years and is among the most successful French companies in the country. Does this mean that Serbia is a good place to do business?
– Serbia is a good and promising country for doing business, which was also confirmed when the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce was established in 2009 as an incentive for further French investments.
The Chamber includes more than 80 French companies that are currently operating in Serbia. We are recognised on the world market as a leader of digital transformation in energy management and automation and we also apply this successful business model in Serbia. Our strategic commitment is to work with local partners, and in this way – through the introduction of innovations and equipment – we contribute to the local economy and entrepreneurship.
Together with our partners, we have more than 3,000 employees, and our satisfaction with the local market was confirmed in 2012 when the Schneider Electric DMS NS development centre opened in Novi Sad.
We have achieved to create ADMS software that has been proclaimed by Gartner – USA as the best software in its category for the last eight years
You are known as leaders in integrated solutions and as a company that also leads the way in introducing innovations. In which areas are they applied the most?
– Schneider Electric is a leader in digital transformation, energy management and automation, and we offer the best for our clients with our solutions in all segments. Digitalisation is happening all around us at an unstoppable speed. This is not just a technological trend, but rather a strategy of companies that adapt to the needs of users.
Our solutions are applied in all segments of life, from smart cities and smart power distribution networks to data centres and industry. Our research has also revealed the fact that thanks to the digital transformation of operations, energy savings range from 20 to 80 per cent, while the investment pays for itself in three years. All this indicates that digitalisation is an essential and cost-effective investment.
Your development centre in Novi Sad, Schneider Electric DMS NS, is one of the four centres around the world for the research, development and production of software for the optimal distribution of electricity. Tell us more about your ADMS software.
– The software that’s produced in Serbia is part of a complex mosaic with all related products included in its support. We have achieved to create ADMS software that has been proclaimed by Gartner – the USA as the best software in its category for the last eight years. It is produced in Novi Sad by Schneider Electric DMS NS and installed in 136 control centres of 54 electricity distribution systems that serve over 75 million users on six continents. This is an integrated software solution for the management of electricity distribution systems using renewable energy sources.
We believe that we will succeed in creating conditions required for Serbia to become a world centre for the production of specialised software for Smart Grids and management of distribution networks.