Downtime costs huge sums of money – Expert

Sales and operations services manager for Africa at the American Power Conversion (APC) by Schneider Electric, Mr. Olivier Delepine, has asserted that downtime costs huge sums of money for companies who refuse to adhere to professional advice.

Speaking recently, Delepine said that one hour of downtime could cost companies hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“In tough financial times like these, no one can afford this. Organisations that rely on uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems to protect critical applications should be aware of the fact that the reliability of their UPSes is greatly boosted with the proper services,” he said.

Delepine, said both random and identifiable threats could affect the availability and workability of systems.

Identifiable incidents, he noted, could be addressed through proactive preventive service programmes, random events, which require reactive services that provide quick response.

This, he said, ensures that equipment get the care it needs to operate efficiently and without interruption.

“Proper care and regular maintenance will save you headaches, time and money as well as prolong the life of your equipment,” he advised.

Delepine pointed out that as insurance for total peace of mind, customers should receive expert services as a priority, thereby benefiting from guaranteed and adapted on-site response times, in addition having privileged access to service support.

Equally, he said that customers would benefit from a 24 hour emergency helpline; and have access to genuine parts.

Stressing the need for a cost effective programme to improve investment efficiency including regular preventative maintenance, he said, “This should improve effectiveness of the system and kill downtime, while extending the life of the equipment.”

According to him, companies must insist on professional expertise that delivers outstanding services in order to reduce the mean time to repair and save costs to get immediate return on investment.

Meanwhile, APC has announced that its Back-UPS RS 1200 and 1500 with integrated Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD).

These new models, the firm said, introduce an advanced LCD panel that provides status information, including more than 20 status indicators that give available runtime, load and a power event counter.

Additionally, the firm said surge protection, battery backup, automatic voltage regulation (AVR) and management software make the Back-UPS RS 1200 and 1500 LCD ideal solutions for protecting home and business users from data loss caused by power problems.

Manager for English Speaking Area and Service Centre West and Central Africa and Indian Ocean at APC by Schneider Electric, Mr. Paul-Marie Dable, said, that his firm has continued to make great strides in the advancement of APC’s Back-UPS family to meet the evolving needs of consumers.

Besides, he said, the standard features the new Back-UPS RS models offer, include the advanced LCD display which help consumers easily access the critical information they need regarding the status of their unit and power.

He added that the Back-UPS RS 1200 and 1500 LCD offer high performance protection for homes and business computer systems.

These new units, he said, provide abundant battery back up power, allowing users to work through medium and extended power outages with runtimes of up to 131minutes, depending on the units’ load.

According to him, with eight outlets, six with battery backup and two with surge protection only, he said, the Back-UPS RS also safeguards equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along utility, phone cable lines.

“The Back-UPS RS series features AVR, which adjusts low voltages to safe levels, so consumers can work indefinitely during brownouts. In addition, APC’s PowerChute Personal Edition software gracefully powers down the computer system automatically in the event of an extended power outage. A distinctive feature of the new BR 1200 LCD and BR1500LCD is the liquid crystal display (LCD) visual indicators and audible alarms, which makes it easy for the user to operate the unit,” he said.

APC by Schneider Electric, prides itself as a global leader in critical power and cooling services, provides industry leading product, software and systems for home, office, data centre and factory floor applications.

Dable noted that APC backed by the strength, experience, and wide network of Schneider Electric’s Critical Power & Cooling Services, delivers well planned, flawlessly installed and maintained solutions throughout their lifecycle.

Stressing that through APC’s unparalleled commitment to innovation, offers pioneering, energy efficient solutions for critical technology and industrial applications.

ITRealms Online recalls that in 2007, Schneider Electric acquired APC and combined it with MGE UPS Systems to form Schneider Electric’s Critical Power and Cooling Services Business Unit, which recorded 2007 revenue of $3.5 billion and employed 12,000 people worldwide.

APC solutions include uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), precision cooling units, racks, physical security and design and management software, including APC’s InfraStruXure architecture the industry’s most comprehensive integrated power, cooling, and management solution.


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