APC #1104

APC (American Power Conversion, now "APC by Schneider Electric") is an American manufacturer of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and power protection equipment. One of the world's leading UPS manufacturers; in the rental and event industry, APC equipment (the Smart-UPS, Back-UPS, and Symmetra lines) is used to provide backup power and protect audio, lighting, and control equipment from power disruptions.

The company was founded in 1981 in West Kingston, Rhode Island, USA, by three power engineers from MIT Lincoln Laboratory; it initially conducted research in solar energy before shifting focus to uninterruptible power supplies and releasing its first UPS in the mid-1980s. APC grew into the world's largest UPS manufacturer with its Smart-UPS, Back-UPS, and Symmetra lines and was included in the S&P 500 index. On February 14, 2007, its acquisition by France's Schneider Electric was completed, after which APC ceased to exist as an independent company. Today APC is a product brand of Schneider Electric ("APC by Schneider Electric").