Company

About SEL

Making Electric Power Safer, More Reliable, and More Economical

SEL invents, designs, and builds digital products and systems that protect, automate, and control critical infrastructure around the world. This technology prevents blackouts and enables customers to improve power system reliability, safety, and cost. SEL, a 100 percent employee-owned company that is headquartered in Pullman, Washington, has manufactured products in the United States since 1984 and now serves customers worldwide. SEL provides unmatched technical support and customer service and a ten-year worldwide warranty.

Our Mission

Every day, we work to make electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical. This is something our employee owners take to heart because access to safe, reliable, and economical electric power improves people’s lives. Our products and solutions are critical at every stage of the electric power system, preventing blackouts and improving power system safety and reliability. We are committed to designing and manufacturing reliable, high-quality products because our customers rely on them to keep critical systems fully operational, and we stand behind them 100 percent.

“We work daily to succeed at our mission by focusing on innovation, quality, and customer service. All of us at SEL are proud to serve our industry. Together we power the future.”

Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, IIISEL Founder

From Ideas to Inventions at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

At SEL, every product or solution begins as a concept, grounded in innovation and a commitment to quality. We bring our ideas to life through rigorous design and meticulous testing. In our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, we ensure every product meets the highest standard for quality. We partner closely with customers throughout this process, implementing their feedback and utilizing our product hospital to continually improve our products and solutions.

A Culture of Ownership

SEL is a 100 percent employee-owned company. Shared ownership is a key strategy for sustained growth, stability, and customer focus. Our employees are our shareholders, so there’s no short-term pressure to achieve quarterly results at the expense of what’s best for our customers or company in the long run.At SEL, we take pride in doing what is right for our employees, customers, and communities all over the world.We know our customers do not have to buy another one of our products. Therefore, it is our job to keep them coming back by providing the highest quality products and solutions, providing outstanding service, and never stopping at “good enough.” Part of this driving force comes from the values that define our company and the principles we live by every day.

Learn more about employee ownership at SEL

Our Story

Innovation is at the heart of SEL. Inspired by his research as a doctoral candidate, SEL Founder Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, invented the first microprocessor-based digital protective relay in 1982: the SEL-21.This product revolutionized the electric power industry by providing reliable transmission line protection with fault locating at a much lower cost than traditional electromechanical relays. Two years later—operating with seven employees from Dr. Schweitzer’s basement—SEL made its first sale to Otter Tail Power Company in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. SEL continues to exceed power systems industry benchmarks through innovative products, integrated solutions, and a world-class warranty and customer service.

More about SEL history

Read our Corporate Overview

Schweitzer Engineering LaboratoriesFounder: Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, IIIHeadquarters: Pullman, Washington, USAOffices: 100+ worldwideEmployees: 7,000+ worldwideProduct locations: 170+ countriesOwnership: 100% employee owned (ESOP)Mission: We make electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical.

SEL Locations

SEL devices are manufactured in our five U.S. manufacturing centers, and our products are integrated into panels in regional assembly factories. We also have field offices around the world so we can stay close to our customers.

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Pullman, WAHeadquarters and Electronic Device Manufacturing
Lewiston, IDElectronic Device Manufacturing
Moscow, IDPrinted Circuit Board Factory
Lake Zurich, ILElectronic Device Manufacturing
West Lafayette, INElectronic Device Manufacturing
Charlotte, NCRegional Panel Assembly Factory
San Luis Potosi, MexicoRegional Panel Assembly Factory
Bogota, ColombiaRegional Panel Assembly Factory
Campinas, BrazilRegional Panel Assembly Factory

SEL Field Office

Videos

How the SEL-21 Relay Revolutionized Electric Power

The SEL-21 was the first commercially available microprocessor-based protective relay. Invented by Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, this device has been foundational to major advancements in our modern power systems.

SEL Manufacturing

SEL builds the highest quality products in the industry by continually investing in manufacturing with high-tech automation and process improvements.

Partnership and Innovation

We define partnership as a relationship founded in honesty, built on dependability, and continued in the spirit of a united mission: to make electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical. Our driving factor is to support you in achieving your goals so that we can each do what is right for our customers, our industry, and the world.