S&C Electric Company is a Chicago-based manufacturer and developer of innovative products and solutions that make the electrical grid more resilient, reliable, and ready to meet tomorrow’s energy needs. Pulse 2.0 interviewed S&C Electric Company Chief Product Development Officer Joe Matamoros to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Joe Matamoros’ Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Matamoros said:
“I have worked in product development, engineering, operations, and sales in the power utility industry for over 24 years. I became aware of S&C early in my career and joined the company after working for several large international electrical engineering firms.”
“I have been focused on power since my university studies, initially focused on rotating, central power generation. Over time, I changed my focus from centralized generation to transmission, distribution and distributed generation. Speaking for both me and our team members, we are driven to innovate by the challenges and opportunities facing our industry at this time in the history of the grid.”
“A main reason that I work for S&C is its focus on customers, particularly North American customers, and our significant and ongoing investment in innovation. We have created several new products for our customers, rather than similar products or minor enhancements.”
“We have also embarked on some unique collaborations that will deliver more intelligence to grid operators and give them the ability to act on it.”
“I lead the product development organization at S&C. Our team of engineers and service professionals is charged with supporting our existing products, as well as developing new products.”
“Additionally, S&C’s global headquarters in Chicago is home to one of the world’s leading electrical testing laboratories and North America’s only complete suite of in-house testing facilities and services. Our 20,000-square-foot Nicholas J. Conrad (NJC) Laboratories support our speed of innovation and mean that we are well-equipped to meet the rigorous testing requirements for electrical equipment.”
“Because of S&C’s unparalleled distribution grid expertise, we do more than solve problems. We take great ideas and make them a reality to transform the grid.”
Company Mission
Tell me about your company and its mission. Matamoros shared:
“S&C is building the products and solutions needed to transform the grid. Grid transformation is vital due to three ever-increasing factors: dependence, demand, and destructive weather.”
“When you think of the critical services that now depend on reliable power and combine it with the fact that most weather-related outages happen on the exposed distribution grid, you understand how important it is to bring today’s technologies to power distribution. S&C is uniquely qualified to handle these complexities because of our century-long focus on this part of the grid. We have the expertise and technology to help our customers improve grid resilience, ensuring safer and more reliable power delivery. By building products that help to make electrical power more resilient and reliable, we improve the quality of life for millions of people.”
“As I mentioned, S&C has been doing this for more than 100 years. In the beginning, S&C transformed electricity distribution with the invention of the Liquid Power Fuse, leading to a new era of safer and more reliable power delivery. Today, we’re building on this legacy of technological innovation and customer service to empower the transformation of the grid. Our vision is that together, we can achieve an outage-free, sustainable electrical energy future.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Matamoros reflected:
“I have several, and it would be a tie as to which is my favorite.”
“I’ve had great experiences collaborating with our customers to create the very solution they need to solve an operational challenge. Every time we start with an idea or customer challenge, we work with them to develop the product. The first time the customer installs the product is a favorite memory, as it’s the end of a journey.”
“These solutions aren’t simple – in fact, some can be technically difficult. But when we ship those first units, they get installed and deliver results; those are great experiences.”
“Over the nine years I’ve been at S&C, we’ve had several product launches. It is always a really great moment when someone installs one of our new products in the field.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Matamoros explained:
“S&C specializes in innovating and manufacturing technology that transforms power delivery by bringing intelligence and action to the grid edge. This is critical in building a resilient energy future for the individuals and critical industries that depend on reliable electric power.”
“Our proven solutions dramatically improve overhead and underground power lines’ performance, resilience, and reliability. These include S&C’s EdgeRestore Underground Distribution Restoration System, TripSaver II Cutout-Mounted Recloser, VacuFuse II Self-Resetting Interrupter, IntelliRupter PulseCloser Fault Interrupter, and the Vista Underground Distribution Switchgear product family.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Matamoros noted:
“We have provided grid switching and protection solutions for over 100 years, and that core mission has not changed. What has changed is that we’ve added new technologies to make those solutions more valuable and more effective for customers. We are constantly innovating. For example, we introduced our first fuses over 100 years ago, and now we have devices that operate like fuses but that use a different and improved technology.”
“Today, we are adding more automation, communication, and distributed intelligence to the power grid to improve our power supply’s resilience, reliability, and stability. In North America, we are working with an established power grid infrastructure that has been in place for over 100 years. The basic function and purpose are the same, but what we need from it is dramatically different from when it was first built. It’s similar to automotive technology’s evolution – the basic function and purpose remain the same, but the underlying technologies that power your vehicle have significantly evolved. The addition of many innovations over time has significantly transformed how we use and view cars today. The same is true for our electric grid.”
Target Market Change
How has your target market changed over the years? Matamoros pointed out:
“When S&C was first established, we focused on utilities and supporting industry electrification. While that is still a focus, we see much more demand and opportunity from commercial and industrial customers. These include data centers, manufacturing sites, and critical infrastructure such as hospitals, airports, and schools.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Matamoros cited:
“We’ve had numerous technology and product milestones over the years, but there’s a major company milestone that should be noted.”
“S&C was established more than 100 years ago, in 1911, as a family-owned business. In 2007, it became a 100% employee-owned company (ESOP)”
“That’s a significant milestone, and one we are very proud of.”
“We have also introduced a number of game-changing innovations. I’d like to highlight our EdgeRestore Underground Distribution Restoration System, the first solution in the world to bring intelligence and action to underground power lines. It modernizes the last mile of underground power distribution. When a fault occurs on an underground line, the EdgeRestore system automatically locates and isolates the fault and reroutes power from an alternate source—all within 60 seconds.”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? – In general, what challenges do they face? Matamoros highlighted:
“The main goal of any utility is to safely provide resilient and reliable power to its customers and minimize the frequency, impact, and duration of service outages. At the same time, increasing disruptive weather events, an aging grid infrastructure, and new demands on the power grid (consumers dependent on access to electricity 24/7, power-hungry installations such as data centers, and EVs, to name a few) all pose unique challenges to the stability of our power grid.”
“Fortunately, many of these utilities invest in smart grid technologies and collaborate with companies like S&C to strengthen and modernize their grid infrastructure.”
“For example, Florida Light & Power (FPL) has invested in a suite of S&C smart-grid solutions, including the installation of more than 80,000 TripSaver II Cutout-Mounted Reclosers and more than 4,000 IntelliRupter PulseCloser Fault Interrupters. These devices provide greater segmentation and self-healing on feeders and mitigate temporary outages from becoming permanent faults on laterals. They have helped FPL avoid outages and save significant maintenance expenses annually.”
“We have a long history of collaborating with this customer and have developed several game-changing solutions as a result.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Matamoros affirmed:
“In the past, we had been very vertically integrated both in manufacturing and in technology development. We have not always been open to working with other companies or providing interoperable solutions. Today, we are actively collaborating with other companies to offer best-in-class technology solution combinations for our customers and building our products to promote interoperability.”
“Our recent bundled offerings with Gridware and Ubicquia are two great examples. S&C is actively working with other technology companies to develop innovative solutions that will help our mutual customers be more successful.”
“This openness to interoperability and collaboration, to combine our core technologies with new solutions through these alliances, helps lay the foundation to include the latest technological advances, such as artificial intelligence, in bundled solutions for our customers.”
“By collaborating, we combine our core expertise with that of other companies to offer the most advanced interoperable solutions available to solve the grid’s most pressing current and future challenges. It’s a win-win for all involved.”
Future Goals
What are some of the future company goals? Matamoros emphasized:
“S&C is dedicated to improving the grid to make an outage-free future possible. We will continue to develop innovative solutions to improve the performance and reach of the distribution portion of the grid, collaborating with our customers and technology partners to deliver the solutions to make that a reality.”
Future Of The Industry
What does the future of your industry look like? Matamoros concluded:
“Unlike other industries where technology changes frequently and entire systems and technologies are replaced in generations (example – cellular from 3G to 4G to beyond), we have to improve the grid without replacing it. We can’t build a new grid every five years, as we buy a new cell phone every two years or a new car every five years.”
“So, the future grid technology needs to work with the current grid – we need to make that existing trillion-dollar grid investment work better. We need to make the grid work for customers because electricity is so vital. As we build upon what we have, we strive to make it more resilient and reliable while making it safer.”
“As we all work to make the grid more resilient and reliable, one of the great things about our industry is that it has historically been and will continue to be collaborative. Customers and technology providers like S&C work together to develop solutions that will benefit the entire industry. Our customers don’t compete with each other; they collaborate for the betterment of the whole industry.”
“Together, we are working towards the best solution for a safer, more secure, and more resilient grid and laying the foundation to meet our future electrical needs.”
“That’s one of the exciting things about our business. Our customers feel a sense of camaraderie and cooperation. We’re all in this together.”
