Empain-Schneider

In 1963, the Empain group acquired control of Schneider & Cie from the Schneider family, following the untimely death in 1960 of Charles Schneider. Despite economic-nationalistic misgivings from France's president Charles de Gaulle, the two groups gradually integrated their operations and structures in the following decade:

• Electrical and mechanical engineering: in 1964, Empain's {{ill|Forges et ateliers de constructions électriques de Jeumont|fr}} (est. 1898) and Schneider's {{lang|fr|Le Matériel Électrique Schneider-Westinghouse}} (est. 1929), merged to form Jeumont-Schneider;
• Banking: in 1967, Empain's {{ill|Banque parisienne pour l'industrie|fr}} and Schneider's {{lang|fr|Union européenne industrielle et financière}} (UEIF, est. 1920), merged to form the {{ill|Banque de l'Union européenne industrielle et financière|fr}} (BUE),{{cite web |website=Le Monde |title=Fusion des banques d'affaires de Schneider et d'Empain au sein de l'Union européenne |date={{date|1967/01/25}} |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1967/01/25/fusion-des-banques-d-affaires-de-schneider-et-d-empain-au-sein-de-l-union-europeenne_2609527_1819218.html }} headquartered at 4, rue Gaillon in Paris;
• Holding entities: in 1969, Empain group and Schneider & Cie merged to form Empain-Schneider;
• Construction: In 1972, Empain's Spie Batignolles (formed in 1968 by merger of its own {{lang|fr|Société Parisienne pour l’Industrie Electrique}}, est. 1902, with the Société de Construction des Batignolles, est. 1846, in which it had gradually increased its stake since 1954) absorbed Schneider's {{ill|Compagnie industrielle de travaux|fr}}.

Schneider's historic steelmaking subsidiary, the {{lang|fr|Société des Forges et Ateliers du Creusot}} (SFAC), merged in 1970 with the Compagnie des Ateliers et Forges de la Loire to form Creusot-Loire.{{cite conference|book-title=La Sidérurgie française et la maison de Wendel pendant les trente glorieuses |editor=Philippe Mioche |title=L’union Wendel-Schneider : L’autre histoire de Creusot-Loire (1970-1985) |author=Ivan Kharaba |pages=73–82 |date=2015 |url=https://books.openedition.org/pup/18759?lang=en |publisher=Presses universitaires de Provence }}

In nuclear engineering, Schneider, via the SFAC, had been a major stakeholder of Framatome since its creation in 1958, and became its dominant shareholder in 1976 by acquiring the 15-percent stake previously held by Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

In 1980, the Empain family sold most of its stake, and the holding entity, by then led by Didier Pineau-Valencienne who had worked in the Empain Group since 1958, was renamed Schneider SA to signal its newly predominant French identity. In 1981, Paribas became Schneider's controlling shareholder.{{cite web |website=Le Monde |author=François Renard |title=Le groupe Paribas prend le contrôle de l'empire Empain-Schneider : La fin de l'intermède belge |date={{date|1981/02/28}} |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1981/02/28/le-groupe-paribas-prend-le-controle-de-l-empire-empain-schneider-la-fin-de-l-intermede-belge_3039580_1819218.html }} In 1983 the group's bank, the BUE, was acquired by Crédit Industriel et Commercial. Creusot-Loire went into insolvency in 1984 and subsequently left the Schneider group's scope. Between 1986 and 1992, much of Jeumont-Schneider was sold in parts to Alstom, Bosch, and Framatome. Meanwhile, Schneider acquired {{ill|Télémécanique|fr}} in 1988, Square D in 1991 through a hostile takeover, and in 1992, full ownership of {{ill|Merlin Gerin|fr}} (est. 1920) in which it had held a stake since 1975. Spie Bagnitolles was divested in 1996, largely completing Schneider's transformation from conglomerate to a global manufacturing company focused on electrical equipment. In 1999, the company was correspondingly renamed Schneider Electric.{{citation|url=http://www2.schneider-electric.com/documents/presentation/en/local/2006/12/se_history_brands_march2005.pdf |title = Schneider Electric, 170 years of history |pages = 8, 25 |publisher = Schneider Electric}})

Electrorail, formerly a major holding company within the Empain group galaxy, remained traded on the Brussels Stock Exchange until delisting in 2003.{{cite web |website=L'Écho |title=Electrorail a tiré sa révérence de la Bourse de Bruxelles |date={{date|2003/02/26}} |url=https://www.lecho.be/content/echo/fr/mme-articles/87/30/91/8730918 }} Its former head office ({{langx|fr|{{ill|Siège d'Électrorail|fr}}}}) is a noted art deco building in Brussels.

• De Wendel family

{{reflist}}

• {{citation| title = Schneider S.A. | work =International Directory of Company Histories| publisher = The Gale Group, Inc.| volume = II, 18, 19, 108| ref= {{harvid|Gale Group|Schneider SA}} | url =http://www.answers.com/topic/schneider-s-a }}
• {{citation| title = Group Schneider S.A.| work =International Directory of Company Histories| publisher = The Gale Group, Inc.| volume = 20 |ref= {{harvid|Gale Group|Group Schneider SA}}}}

Category:Holding companies of France

Category:Defunct companies of Belgium

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