Schneider Electric is building a massive new technology center near Boston, which will become the North American research-and-development hub for the French electrical-distribution and energy-management giant.

The center in Andover, Massachusetts, will be one of Schneider's five global R&D centers around the world but will also combine all of its business units under one roof. The idea is to integrate multiple engineering disciplines to collaborate and define new classes of technology, the company said.

Chris Curtis, president and CEO of Schneider in North America, said the ecosystem of innovation in the Boston region would be an ideal backdrop for the center. “The center will be a rich resource for customers, and it will bring together cutting edge innovators in the region with researchers from around the world, allowing for a cross-pollination of ideas essential for transformative and disruptive innovation,” he said.

One of the labs in the future center will be StruxureLab, which is where Schneider will integrate and text its cross-discipline technology and validate solutions. The campus will also have a customer-innovation center, a training facility and a conference space.

Schneider plans to use its own products to maximize the building's energy efficient. These include power, cooling and lighting products, as well as its energy-management software applications under its StruxureWare brand.

The company plans to apply for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification by the US Green Building Council.

Earlier this week Schneider announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2013, reporting €5.2bn in revenue and confirming its previous full-year revenue guidance. Revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% year over year.

While market conditions remained difficult in Western Europe and were a “mixed picture” in North America, Schneider's business in Asia Pacific had improved sequentially, the company said.

Revenue was down 6% year over year each in North America and Western Europe, while remaining flat in Asia Pacific. Revenue from Schneider's businesses elsewhere around the world was down 3%.