Schneider Electric: Joins the World Economic Forum’s Lighthouse Operating System Advisory Board to Accelerate Industrial Digital Transformation Globally

Rueil-Malmaison, France

07/05/2026

Schneider Electricleader in energy technologies, strengthens its collaboration with the World Economic Forum as part of a growing coalition bringing together manufacturers, consultants and technology partners with the aim of accelerating industrial digital transformation on a global scale. Together, these actors make advance Lighthouse operating system (Lighthouse OS), a framework based on proven, repeatable methodologies, designed to help manufacturers modernize their operations at scale.

Most manufacturers have invested in digital transformation. Few of them have applied it on a large scale. Pilots succeed, then stagnate. Benefits are only available locally. The gap between the most advanced factories in the world and the rest of the industry continues to widen. A new framework launched today aims to close this gap.

The Lighthouse Operating System (Lighthouse OS) is a practical, open source model that translates proven practices from the world’s most successful manufacturing sites into a structured roadmap that all manufacturers can follow. Building on information gathered over eight years by the Global Lighthouse Network, the Lighthouse Operating System was developed by the World Economic Forum’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains, in collaboration with leading machine builders, end users and consulting firms. It offers businesses a clear path to follow independently that will allow them to achieve true operational excellence from their current situation, without having to start from scratch or call on teams of specialists.

A model based on concrete implementation

The Lighthouse operating system is built around six fundamental operational principles, structured across five levels of operational maturity: adaptable and robust processes, connected and transparent workflows, end-to-end synchronization, built-in sustainability, learning organization and capacity digital and data optimized. Businesses can assess their current situation, identify priority areas to focus on, and evolve at their own pace.

Unlike standalone digital tools, the operating system is designed as a system-wide approach: it brings together digital innovation, sustainability, employee development and operational excellence into a single, cohesive model that delivers performance gains measurable and reproducible.

Schneider Electric: experience offered from the first stages

Schneider Electric brings its direct experience of transformation to the initiative. The company has spent more than twenty years perfecting an operating system that today is the foundation of its position in the Gartner Supply Chain rankings and recognition nine factories as GEF sites of excellence . These foundations, built on advanced digital systems, AI-driven automation, and sustainable design practices, are the foundation of the Lighthouse OS framework.

Federico Torti, Head of Technology and Innovation at the World Economic Foruma déclaré :“Many manufacturers have the ambition to transform, but they lack a cohesive strategy to do so seamlessly and at scale. The Lighthouse Operating System answers this question directly: it transforms the learnings that the world’s most successful factories have gained through years of real-world operational experience into a practical framework that any manufacturer can apply. It is about making the performance of sites of excellence a realistic objective for the entire industry, and not just for its most advanced players. HAS”

Cecile Vercellino, Senior Vice President Services, Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric, a déclaré :“Schneider Electric has experienced this transformation in more than 120 smart factories and distribution centers. We know what works, where businesses are stuck, and what it takes to move from isolated pilots to real system-wide change. This direct experience is built into the Lighthouse operating system. Our Group is already applying these principles across our entire ecosystem and achieving measurable results. HAS”

An open initiative, designed to evolve

The Lighthouse operating system is built to scale. As global pilots progress and community feedback shapes subsequent iterations, the initiative actively invites contributions from manufacturers, technology providers and public sector partners.

To learn more or join the collaboration, visit : https://initiatives.weforum.org/lighthouse-operating-system/home .

Why industrial transformation requires a new operating system – Blog de Schneider Electric

SE Advisory Services supports organizations in their environmental and energy transition, transforming their ambitions into concrete actions. Faced with the complexity of the issues linked to sustainability, energy management and digitalization, we guide our clients in their decarbonization and risk management approaches, to strengthen their performance and their capacity for innovation, while maximizing their positive impact. Alongside Schneider Electric, voted the most sustainable company in the world (Times, 2025), we mobilize in-depth expertise and powerful digital tools integrating artificial intelligence, within an international scope of action. Present in more than 100 countries, we combine global expertise and field knowledge to accelerate the sustainable transformation of organizations.SE Advisory Services

The Lighthouse Operating System is an initiative of the World Economic Forum, in line with the Global Lighthouse Network, and defines the next generation industrial operating system by codifying proven best practices across sites and value chains of excellence to pave the way for operational excellence and influence scale productivity, supply chain resilience, customer centricity, sustainability and talent. This initiative aims to develop a responsible operating model for the industry, co-designed by major stakeholders and based on Lean, digital and sustainable principles, as well as a capabilities-driven framework for governments to accelerate the adoption of industrial technologies, enable SMEs to access scaling and strengthening national competitiveness. The Lighthouse Operating System is, at its core, a transformation engine built on systems thinking about capabilities, integrating strategy, operations and people into a cohesive and scalable model, transforming lessons learned from sites of excellence into actionable frameworks that can be deployed across all sites and value chains. The initiative is driven by leading co-creators from industry, consultancies and government, who are collaborating to shape the future of global manufacturing and operations.