APC by Schneider Electric

APC by Schneider Electric
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Uninterruptible power supplies, electronic peripherals, data center solutions
Founded	1981
Founder	Three engineers from MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Fate	Acquired by Schneider Electric in 2007
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), electronic peripherals, data center solutions
Number of employees	12,000 (at acquisition) (2007)
Parent	Schneider Electric

APC by Schneider Electric (previously known as American Power Conversion Corporation) specializes in the production of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), electronic peripherals, and solutions for data centers.

In 2007, Schneider Electric completed the acquisition of APC and integrated it with MGE UPS Systems, forming Schneider Electric's Critical Power & Cooling Services division. That year, this unit generated $3.5 billion in revenue and employed approximately 12,000 individuals globally. Prior to being acquired, APC was a constituent of the S&P 500 index.

With a workforce of 113,900 employees spread over 102 countries, Schneider Electric reported revenues totaling $26 billion in 2008.

By 2011, APC by Schneider Electric had been repositioned as a product brand within Schneider Electric's IT Business Unit.

History

APC was established in 1981 by three engineers from MIT Lincoln Laboratory who initially concentrated on solar energy research and development. After government funding ceased, the company shifted its focus to power protection technologies, introducing its first UPS device in 1984.

Acquisition by Schneider

On October 30, 2006, Schneider Electric declared its intention to acquire APC, finalizing the transaction on February 14, 2007. The acquisition received shareholder approval on January 16, 2007. The European Union authorized the merger under the condition that Schneider divest MGE UPS Systems' worldwide UPS business segment under 10kVA capacity. Subsequently, in 2007, Eaton Powerware acquired Schneider’s MGE Office Protection Systems unit.

Product lines

APC targets four primary sectors:

Residential and home office users
Corporate network infrastructures
Access provider networks
Data centers and facility management

Symmetra

The APC Symmetra LX series represents a UPS lineup tailored for network and server environments, offering power capacities ranging from 4 kVA up to 16 kVA. These systems are engineered for deployment in data centers (such as within 19-inch rack configurations) and include features like built-in manageability along with hot-swappable and user-serviceable power and battery modules to maximize uptime and ease maintenance.

Smart-UPS

Designed for home and office applications, APC Smart-UPS products come in both floor-standing and rackmount formats. Apart from the Smart-UPS Online models (SURT and SRT), these units operate as line-interactive UPS systems that activate their inverter functionality solely during power interruptions, thus balancing operational efficiency with protection.

PowerChute

PowerChute is APC’s proprietary UPS management software that facilitates automatic server shutdowns during prolonged power failures while also providing monitoring and event logging capabilities. The Business Edition of PowerChute supports management of up to 25 servers connected via serial or USB interfaces to Smart-UPS devices.

APC’s UPS Network Management Cards enable direct network connectivity using dedicated IP addresses without depending on servers—making them particularly suitable for wiring closets lacking server infrastructure. When combined with PowerChute Network Shutdown software, these cards allow secure remote shutdowns over networks for APC Smart-UPS units equipped with management cards.