AES (originally called Applied Energy Services) was founded in 1981 by Roger Sant and Dennis Bakke. Originally supplying consulting services to the energy industry, the company began operating its first power plant in Houston in 1986 and went public as AES in 1991. By the end of its 1995 fiscal year, AES was selling electricity to customers and saw itself as "the global power company", its mission "supplying electricity to customers world-wide in a socially responsible way."'AES distinguishes itself through developing new products and applications at a low cost.
It is committed to social responsibility and empowering its employees through its four main principles which include integrity, fairness, social responsibility and fun. It is "different" from other corporations because AES is focused on retaining its core values and culture as the corporation expands in size. The company's sources of sustainable competitive advantage include technical leadership through its innovative research and development team and its worldwide network of distributors and strategic partners.AES is committed to penetrating international markets, specifically in developing or emerging economies, and constantly improving on product development. AES believes their competitive advantage is a result of its "agility or speed and its ability to commit to corporate equity and to arrange complex financial transactions.
"AES is operating in a network structure. In this structure, employees form groups to solve problems and achieve common objectives. Employees may volunteer for task forces, without any formal credentials, because they are interested in a particular subject or want to set effective company policies. Although employees are not given a formal career path at AES, they are given latitude to move up the career ladder within the company to other positions.The organization has five hierarchical levels, consisting of a set of divisional/regional managers, and three additional levels that exist in the plant.
The plant organization consists of three levels: the plant manager, the seven area superintendents, and the front line people. The two cofounders decided "to avoid creating bureaucratic organizations resembling the government" because of their bad experiences working for the government.
