Behind the Scenes: Inside S&C Electric's Manufacturing Plant

The 2026 IEEE PES T&D Conference & Exposition brought together power engineering professionals from around the world to Chicago for education, networking and a trade show from May 4 to 7.

Shortly after we landed in Chicago to cover the event, our team from T&D World and Endeavor Business Media had the opportunity to join a media tour of the second-largest manufacturing plant in Chicago: S&C Electric's headquarters and manufacturing plant, built in 1949.

S&C, which was founded in 1911 with the invention of the liquid power fuse, got its start on six acres of fields, empty lots, and warehouses. Over the decades, it has evolved into a 47-acre campus in the heart of an urban neighborhood in Rogers Park, Illinois. 

While I've toured other plants in the past, this was the first time I had an inside look at the manufacturing of electrical switching and protection products. 

We first started out in a conference room, where we had the opportunity to meet with members of the S&C team, including Anders Sjoelin, president and chief executive officer and Joseph Matamoros, chief product development officer. Through our discussion, we learned about the state of the industry and its challenges, the innovations born out of the S&C Electric facility and how its workforce is building products for a more resilient and reliable grid. 

We then moved on to the Advanced Technology Center, where Kevin Pierce, senior e-learning designer at S&C Electric, gave us a tour of the latest innovations, including the TripSaver FXR recloser, IntelliRupter and Edge Restorer. 

Finally, we had the opportunity to join other media representatives on a tour of the manufacturing plant. We slipped on our head and ear protection and plugged into our headsets to hear our tour guides as they led us through the manufacturing floor.

While we weren't allowed to take any photos in the factory area, we had an immersive experience in which we were able to see workers on the job, a manufacturing line, well-organized inventory on storefront shelves and posters for mental health, ergonomics and wellness. At the end of the tour, we also walked past the paint shop, where we saw a technician checking the paint color as part of quality control. 

Following the tour, S&C Electric then sent team members to the McCormick Place Convention Center, where other attendees could also learn more about the equipment and latest innovations. To learn more, visit the website or stay tuned to the IEEE PES Update page on our website for more show coverage.  

• S&C’s 47-acre Chicago headquarters and manufacturing campus is in Rogers Park, Illinois.
• The company recently added a new 275,000+ square-foot facility in Palatine, Illinois, to meet the growing demand of the North American market for distribution grid resilience solutions. This facility 
  opened in 2024 and added about 200 new jobs.
• The company employs more than 2,500 team members in Chicago, making it the second-largest manufacturer in the city. In Chicago, S&C specializes in manufacturing electricity distribution technology. The company has been 100% employee share-owned since 2007.