Merlin Gerin was founded by Paul-Louis Merlin and Gaston Gerin in 1920 and immediately won international fame through its revolutionary high-voltage circuit breaker. Its high and low-voltage innovations have continuously improved safety and comfort in the field of electrical distribution ever since. In 1992, the date of its acquisition by Schneider Electric, Merlin Gerin saw its workforce grow from 38 people to 34,000!
At the time, the brand, originally regional, generated 58% of its sales abroad. The history of this growth is explained by major innovations marketed by Merlin Gerin. These innovations widened its field of activities, focusing on simple, coherent and evolving product ranges. For example, the Multi9 range of modular electrical equipment or the moulded cased compact circuit breaker. The brand’s growth is also explained by its rapid building, from the 1950's onwards, of international subsidiaries and extensive distribution networks.
In 2009, Merlin Gerin products, services, and solutions migrated to the Schneider Electric brand as its
Electrical Distribution offer.
