© Suicasmo (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Did you know that Mecca, the Channel tunnel and the Champs-Elysées in Paris all have a touch of Belgium?
Some people just want to watch the world shine. More than a century ago, in Liège, the Belgian visionary (pun intended) Jules Schréder and his wife lit the spark for a legacy that would continue well beyond his life and around the world. Initially dealing in electrical parts, they saw the light in the 1930s and started concentrating on sodium-vapour lamps – a type of gas lamp that is common in street lighting because of its efficiency and durability. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The small family business evolved into a major international enterprise active in over 70 countries spread across five continents, and all sorts of major structures are reaching out to them for their expertise. The company is still owned by the Schréder family today and has evolved with its time, zeroing in on cutting-edge technology like smart poles, solar-powered lamps, and control systems, probably all things that Jules Schréder could never imagine in his lifetime. They also retrofit new technology into old infrastructure, honouring the legacy of timeless design while updating it for the new world.
If you’ve driven through Belgium after sundown, Schréder poles have probably brightened your darkest Belgian night. May this Walloon company continue to shine for centuries to come.
