Schneider Electric's sprawling manufacturing campus in El Paso just picked up one of the region's top economic honors, the 2026 Woody L. Hunt Excellence in Economic Development Award, as the company pushes ahead with a multimillion-dollar expansion of its largest U.S. facility. The award celebration took place in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday.
The Borderplex Alliance, which issues the award, says it is proud to recognize the company for its manufacturing and investment presence in the city, according to The Borderplex Alliance. El Paso is home to Schneider Electric's largest U.S. manufacturing campus, the organization notes, and the company announced an expansion of its El Paso operations in 2025 as part of more than $700 million in investment across its U.S. operations through 2027. That expansion is expected to increase production capacity for switchgear and power distribution equipment, per the same source.
Borderplex Alliance CEO Jon Barela said Schneider Electric has been a major part of the El Paso community for 25 years and has hired people from across the region, as reported by KVIA. Barela said Schneider Electric and its suppliers provide jobs and opportunity to more than 3,000 individuals in the El Paso Borderplex region, a figure he attributed to the company's broader employment-and-supplier count of 2,500 individuals, according to the same KVIA report. The company describes itself as the most sustainable company in the world and positions itself as a global leader in energy technology, KVIA notes.
A Manufacturing Hub Two Decades in the Making
Schneider Electric has been part of the El Paso community since 2001, according to Manufacturing Dive. The company operates 20 manufacturing plants across the United States, and its El Paso factory marks the largest site in the country, per that outlet. The El Paso facility produces customized low- and medium-voltage electrical solutions for industrial, commercial, and residential applications, according to a press release from Schneider Electric.
That scale matters for the local economy. Manufacturing generated $2.92 billion in gross regional product in El Paso, making it the city's second-highest sector behind government services, Manufacturing Dive reports. The Borderplex region ranked fifth in North America in 2021 among manufacturing hubs with the highest employment, with 319,628 workers, according to the outlet's analysis.
World Economic Forum Recognition and a $700 Million Bet
Beyond the Hunt Award, the World Economic Forum has recognized the Schneider Electric facility for advances in customer-centric manufacturing, per KVIA's report. The Borderplex Alliance adds that the World Economic Forum designated the El Paso facility as Schneider Electric's first Engineer-to-Order Lighthouse in 2025. Through IoT and AI solutions, the site increased on-time delivery from 61% to 97%, reduced lead times by up to 35%, and eliminated $43 million in backorders, according to the company's own newsroom.
The broader $700 million investment plan spans the company's U.S. operations and is expected to create more than 1,000 new jobs, according to a Schneider Electric press release. In El Paso specifically, the plan centers on expanding the company's existing campus to increase production of switchgear and power distribution products, the release states. Governor Greg Abbott also announced the El Paso expansion, according to the Texas Governor's Office.
County Partnership Aims for Long-Term Savings
Schneider Electric supports a county-wide energy modernization effort, KVIA reports, a partnership that has already produced hard numbers for El Paso County taxpayers. Schneider Electric and El Paso County launched a major infrastructure modernization initiative across 30 county facilities in 2025, according to The Borderplex Alliance.
The initiative is estimated to generate $40 million in savings over the next 20 years. The initiative is also expected to deliver a 23% decrease in annual energy use and conserve 48 million gallons of water each year, the outlet reports. El Paso Matters further notes the project is projected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 11,872 tons annually, pairing fiscal savings with environmental impact for county facilities.
Schneider Electric's investments support local jobs and community programs, according to KVIA, tying the company's manufacturing growth to its civic footprint in the Borderplex region. The company has made similar equipment and operations upgrades at facilities in Kentucky and Pennsylvania since 2020, per Manufacturing Dive, suggesting El Paso's expansion fits into a wider national modernization push even as the local campus remains its flagship U.S. site.
