Schneider Electric, the global leader in energy management and industrial automation, today announced a strategic collaboration with the City of Conroe, Texas, to modernize and expand its water infrastructure using EcoStruxure Automation Expert (EAE)— Schneider Electric’s open, software-defined automation solution.
As one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., Conroe is investing in scalable, intelligent systems to meet rising water demand and ensure long-term resilience. With EAE now deployed across 19 water and wastewater facilities, the city is leveraging advanced automation to accelerate infrastructure delivery, improve service reliability, and support sustainable development.
“Collaborating with Schneider Electric to implement EcoStruxure Automation Expert has been a valuable step in strengthening Conroe’s water systems,” said Daniel Robert, Water Superintendent, Conroe. “This initiative is helping us accelerate deployment, improve efficiency, while also supporting our broader goals around transparency and quality of life for residents.”
Transforming Municipal Infrastructure
The deployment marks a significant shift toward modular, software-defined automation—enabling faster commissioning, reduced engineering complexity, and secure remote operations. Built-in cybersecurity and disaster recovery capabilities also bolster emergency response in a region still mindful of Hurricane Harvey’s impact.
“Water is essential to our communities and economy, yet cities across the U.S. are facing mounting challenges—from aging infrastructure and supply constraints to climate uncertainty,” said Andre Marino, SVP Industrial Automation NAM at Schneider Electric. “Conroe’s leadership shows what’s possible when municipalities embrace open, software-defined automation. With EcoStruxure Automation Expert, they’re accelerating infrastructure delivery, improving service reliability, and building a more agile, efficient, and resilient water system that sets a new benchmark for smart municipal infrastructure.”
Key Outcomes Enabled by EcoStruxure Automation Expert:
- $50M Infrastructure Upgrade: Conroe is undertaking its most ambitious water infrastructure investment to date, focused on resilience, efficiency, and transparency. EcoStruxure Automation Expert is a key enabler of this transformation, supporting the city’s long-term vision for smart, scalable infrastructure.
- Accelerated Site Deployment: EAE’s modular, software-defined architecture significantly reduces the time and complexity of bringing new plants online. This has been instrumental in supporting rapid capacity expansion, including critical projects like the Silver Springs Bypass waterline.
- Delivering Cost & Efficiency Gains: EAE helps reduce water loss and optimize operations, contributing to lower operational costs. These efficiencies demonstrate how innovation can deliver tangible benefits to residents.
- Cybersecurity & Resilience: The secure-by-operations architecture strengthens resilience against cyber threats. Built-in disaster recovery and secure remote access capabilities enhance emergency preparedness, ensuring continuity in a region still mindful of Hurricane Harvey’s legacy.
Looking ahead
Conroe plans to expand its use of EcoStruxure Automation Expert in future phases, building a smart water infrastructure that will serve its growing population for decades. Schneider Electric remains committed to supporting the city’s long-term strategy and enabling sustainable, resilient urban development.
Across the globe, EcoStruxure Automation Expert is gaining momentum in the water sector. Other cities like Singapore and partners like Royal HaskoningDHV and Intidaya are leveraging its vendor-agnostic, hardware-independent design to boost energy efficiency, streamline diagnostics, and reduce downtime.
“EcoStruxure Automation Expert is transforming water management,” said Borgne. “It empowers utilities to meet future demands with confidence, sustainability, and digital intelligence.”
About Schneider Electric
Schneider’s purpose is to create Impact by empowering all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. At Schneider, we call this Life Is On.
Our mission is to be the trusted partner in Sustainability and Efficiency.
We are a global industrial technology leader bringing world-leading expertise in electrification, automation and digitalization to smart industries, resilient infrastructure, future-proof data centers, intelligent buildings, and intuitive homes. Anchored by our deep domain expertise, we provide integrated end-to-end lifecycle AI enabled Industrial IoT solutions with connected products, automation, software and services, delivering digital twins to enable profitable growth for our customers.
We are a people company with an ecosystem of 150,000 colleagues and more than a million partners operating in over 100 countries to ensure proximity to our customers and stakeholders. We embrace diversity and inclusion in everything we do, guided by our meaningful purpose of a sustainable future for all.
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