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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................................................ 1
MARKET RESEARCH ............................................................................................................................................... 3
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ....................................................................................................................................... 5
OPERATIONS PLAN ................................................................................................................................................ 7
COMPETITION ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
MARKETING ......................................................................................................................................................... 9
SWOT ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................ 10
PERSONNEL PLAN ............................................................................................................................................... 12
START-UP EXPENSES ........................................................................................................................................... 13
INCOME STATEMENT ........................................................................................................................................... 14
BALANCE SHEET .................................................................................................................................................. 15
APPENDIX 1: PERMITS REQUIRED ........................................................................................................................... 16
APPENDIX 2: FINANCIAL STATEMENTS..................................................................................................................... 17
APPENDIX 3: NEGOTIATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 18
APPENDIX 4: UPS ............................................................................................................................................... 25
APPENDIX 5: FIELDS OF APPLICATION...................................................................................................................... 31
APPENDIX 6: TRAINING COURSE ............................................................................................................................ 33
APPENDIX 7: GE DIGITAL ENERGY PRICELIST ............................................................................................................ 45
Executive Summary
Mr. Ghorbi plans to start New Brunswicks first UPS service provider in Moncton named Far-On
Backup Power Solutions. Far-On will be specialized in providing backup power solutions, products
and services including UPSs and other power reliability systems. The business will be started as soon
as Mr. Ghorbi settles in New Brunswick. With no other UPS service provider in New Brunswick, a
great opportunity is prevailing Far-On.
The proposed business will be registered as a Limited Liability Company with Mr. Ghorbi and his
wife owning all shares in the corporate worth $164,000. Far-On is projected to reach profitability in
its third year of operation and will continue to have a healthy financial status afterwards.
UPS stands for Uninterruptible Power Supply, which is the main part in most backup power designs.
There is a large demand for UPSs in the educational centers, process industries, hospitals, banks,
offices, airports, hotels, cinema theatres, households and computer installations. With North American
UPS service market projected to exceed $1.2 billion in 2013, and New Brunswick generating nearly
0.18% of North Americas GDP, there is a substantial market to be reached.
According to inquiries made from local UPS installation bases, at the time this proposal is being
composed, there is no UPS service provider in New Brunswick and there are only a couple of
businesses which offer sales of small desktop UPSs which means there is no direct competitor for the
proposed business in New Brunswick. Currently most related services are outsourced to Nova Scotia.
The most direct competitors for Far-On would be Universal Power Solutions and VitalSine, both
located in Dartmouth, NS, which provide the same products and services to Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick. Far-On will aim to penetrate the New Brunswick market based on its location advantage
and lower prices.
Far-On has obtained the authorization to become sales partners with two well-known UPS brands:
GE Digital Energy and Tripp-Lite, both having substantial market presence and brand recognition in
North America. The company plans to hire at least one full-time employee from New Brunswick.
By employing local individuals, and providing required services for local entities, Far-On would be
contributing towards development of the area, funds will remain in the province and the existence of a
UPS service provider, will make New Brunswick a better place to start and run businesses in need of
backup power.
UPSs are primarily used in information and communication technologies, which is one of the largest
and fastest growing sectors in New Brunswick. Therefore this proposal is in alliance with outlined
strategies in New Brunswicks growth plan.
The mission of Far-On will be to provide power reliability needs of the province, by providing
superior and fast service, premium quality parts, and value added services, with competitive prices.
Market Research
Far-On will serve electrical power reliability needs of New Brunswick. Analysis on demand for UPS
services in New Brunswick has been conducted through expert opinions from government officials
(Andrew Campbell of Enterprise Fredericton) and the installation base manager of University of New
Brunswick that outsources its preventative and essential maintenance contracts to the neighboring
province of Nova Scotia, which is costly and time consuming. Great demand for local service
provider have been assured. With no other local entity providing these services in New Brunswick at
the moment, and existence of various installation bases with ongoing demand for new installations
throughout the province, Far-On will be able to dominate the local market share, based on its lower
prices and its proximity to the target market. Since most existing installation bases in New Brunswick
have ratings lower than 20 kVA, and forecasted demand for new installations is in the same range,
Far-On will concentrate in this range of UPS ratings. This limitation correlates with firms investment
and capabilities.
Industry
An industry report by Frost & Sullivan entitled North American UPS Service Markets1 predicts
healthy growth for the Industry. The market generated close to $740 million in 2005 and an update on
this report declared that this industry generated $876.3 million in revenues in 2007. This market was
projected to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 5.7 percent between 2007 and
2014.
Revenues for services are primarily driven by installed base of UPS systems. Preventative and
breakdown maintenance represented 61.9 percent of the total UPS service revenues in 2007. This
consisted of on-site service for breaks and fixes. Furthermore, customers are recognizing the benefits
of outsourcing servicing contracts versus employing in-house resources. This research indicates that
installation base will continue to grow throughout the forecast period at a CAGR of 10.2 percent. This
trend is influenced by fairly long repurchase cycle. The market will continue to witness challenges in
terms of price competition, which will make this factor even more important.
Target Market
The proposed businesss target market would be the province of New Brunswick. At this time, there
is no UPS service provider in this province, but demand exists for UPS products and services which in
most cases is supplied from neighboring provinces. New Brunswicks population exceeded 750,000 in
20112, and its economy has stabilized after the 2009 recession3.
NB Powers quarterly report for third quarter of 2012-13 annum indicated a SAIDI (System Average
Interruption Duration Index) of 3.51 and a SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index) of
1.76 for the province. These indexes indicate that average
power outage for power consumers in New Brunswick
COUNTRY
SAIDI
SAIFI
GERMANY
0.38
0.5
occurred 1.76 times a year and average subscriber faced
DENMARK
0.4
0.5
3.51 hours of power outage that year. According to
NETHERLANDS
0.55
0.3
ITALY
0.97
2.2
Council of European Energy Regulators4 these indexes for
FRANCE
1.03
1.0
some European countries is presented in the following
AUSTRIA
1.2
0.9
table. Storms and other climate related events cause North
UK
1.5
0.8
American power network to face more interruptions.
These power outages put backup power solutions in high priority for subscribers. Demand for UPSs
and backup power solutions directly relates to these indexes.
Operations Plan
Suppliers
Negotiations with several major UPS brands have been undertaken. The businesss main supplier
would be GE Digital Energy. Main UPS systems would be supplied from their distributor based in
Montreal. Supplementary products would be supplied from Tripp-Lite, their distributor is located in
Halifax. Batteries will be supplied from Direct Batterys Atlantic Canada branch in Moncton, through
local distributor of Discover Batteries. Negotiations with these brands and their contact persons are
included in Appendix 3.
Training Courses
The business will invest in education for its personnel. Besides making use of every available source
to upgrade and update staffs knowledge, the business will enroll its personnel in training courses
such as UPS Systems and Battery Power Supplies Workshop5 offered by IDC Technologies Canada
which has training centers all over the country including one in Halifax which the Far-On personnel
will be attending. However if at the time prior to start of the business, this course is not available in
Canada, the business will make use of their E-learning methods. Course outlines and details is
included in Appendix 6.
Location
This new business will be established in the city of Moncton, NB. Moncton provides an ideal
geographical access to target locations, including commercial and public entities, with access to
nearby cities Fredericton and Saint John. Greater Moncton itself has over 140,000 in population and
its central location to Atlantic Canada provides for 1.4 million people living within a three hours
drive.
The operations of the business requires an office of about 700 square feet with attached warehouse.
Initial research has been done through online listings and required budget for leasing a suitable place
has been calculated; however the exact location is to be chosen at the time of operations startup
according to listings at the time.
Distribution
The business will need a van to deliver its services; this van will be used for delivery of products as
well. This van needs to be equipped with required tools and equipment needed to perform a UPS
maintenance job. This vehicle will be purchased on a lease-to-own contract. The Far-On logo and
contact info will be advertised on this van.
Hours of Operation
The firms operating hours is presented in the table below. In addition to these operating hours, a
24/7 service is offered as a premium service plan which will be done by on-call field engineer.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
07:30 AM - 05:00 PM
07:30 AM - 05:00 PM
07:30 AM - 05:00 PM
07:30 AM - 05:00 PM
07:30 AM - 05:00 PM
08:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Closed
Competition
General Description
UPS installation managers contract their service plan either with the manufacturing company or an
independent service provider. Since there is no service provider in New Brunswick, all contracts are
outsourced to nearby provinces. Products with immediate requirement are usually purchased based on
delivery time. However clients with new installation requirements evaluate their options in advance
and place their orders based on logical comparison of their options. Two factors dominate this
evaluation process, overall cost (both initial costs and long-run costs) and reliability measures.
UPS installation managers place a lot of emphasis on reputation of service providers and their
ongoing relations with them. This fact makes it harder for new entries to penetrate the market and
convince these managers to change their service provider. As a result, a rather longer period is
required for return on investment. As the customer base grows, the businesss reputation grows
proportionally and contracting new clients becomes easier. Large service customer base, results in
larger service revenue. When these installation bases require their current backup power systems to be
replaced or expanded, they trust their service provider to offer their designs and deals. If these offers
are accepted, they result in high volumes of revenue compared to day-to-day sales operations. So big
projects are contracted which generate substantial sales revenues. All these factors affect start-up UPS
products and service providers in a way that it will take some years for them to grow their customer
base and reputation, and after that they will be able to run a healthy, profitable business.
Competitive Advantage
The business will try to penetrate the market and increase its market share based on price
competitiveness, availability and superior customer relations. Being based in New Brunswick will
help the business offer lower prices for services compared to competitors from outside the province.
This positioning will help the business reach destined location in less time with lower cost. Customer
relations are important in every service industry. The business will put customer satisfaction in its
agenda which will be delivered by all personnel.
The business will not lack in quality from its competitors. Products which are available for sale are
of comparable quality and Mr. Ghorbis technical expertise coupled with training programs for
personnel will provide for quality service offering.
List of Competitors
Competitors Name
Description
Location
Universal Power
Solutions
VitalSine Inc.
WESCO International,
Inc.
Eaton Corporation
Eaton Electrical
Marketing
Price
Price is the most important criteria for clients in choosing a preventative service plan. Cheaper
service plans will help them minimize their overall cost for backup electrical power and long-term
accumulated cost of power reliability. The business will have the ability to lead the price offerings
based on cost reduction, lower profit margins and efficient internal operations management.
Advertising
The business will implement a target based marketing plan. Advertisement as an essential part of
marketing will be compliant with this strategy. Advertising materials will be prepared prior to
businesss start-up, these materials include flyers and service brochures. Afterwards, a comprehensive
direct-mail-based advertising campaign will be conducted through which the potential customers will
be targeted. A broader email based campaign will be conducted parallel to the direct-mail campaign
which will target more entities. Hard copies of GE Digital Energy advertising materials will be
provided for the business. These include brochures, data sheets, and white papers.
A comprehensive and appropriate website will be designed to introduce the business, its services and
its brands. The latest web-design methods, such as search engine optimization and responsive design
will be used to enhance the businesss online visibility, so that every entity in New Brunswick with
UPS needs will be able to find the business with a simple search. The business will be enlisted in local
and national business directories, as well as online directories. Social networking will be implemented
as well to help in growing of businesss network.
A grand opening is planned for this business. In this event the start of New Brunswicks first UPS
service provider will be celebrated. Individuals related to the target market and marketing channels, as
well as Moncton residents will be invited.
In all marketing activities, businesss value proposition which is price competitiveness will be
presented. All these advertising activities are designed to give the business the most needed start-up
bump, after the business has made its name known, these marketing expenses will be reduced.
Promotion
The businesss promotional propositions are listed below:
SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Weaknesses:
1.
2.
3.
4.
New entry
No experience of working in Canada
Limited inventory of spare parts at start-up
No initial inventory for high rating UPSs
Opportunities:
1. Increase investment based on growing market demand derived from growing economy and
specially ICT industry in New Brunswick
2. Getting approved as certified service partner for industry champions
3. Make use of local consultants on business and legal issues
4. Make use of order based sales
5. Getting partnership deals with more vendors
6. Buying old UPS units when replacing an installation base
7. Initiate promotional programs for new clients
Threats:
1. Threat of new comers
2. Threat of new replacing technologies
3. Existing competition in Nova Scotia
10
W3-O6: Collect spare parts to increase spare parts bank which is required in repair jobs
W4-O4: UPS installation bases usually dont require immediate delivery, making it possible
for the business to give quotation for items not included in inventory
S1-T2: The business will move to offering new technologies such as flywheels as soon as
theres a market demand for these technologies
S6&3&4-T3: The business will gradually increase its market share by contracting
maintenance jobs formerly outsourced to Nova Scotia
W1-O2: By developing contacts network and gradual increase in businesss reputation,
actions to fulfill service partnership requirements will be undertaken
S2-T1: Being the first in the market will clearly put the business in a better position
compared to any business trying to penetrate the market, but if any new business enters the
market, promotional programs will be conducted
W2-O3: Legal consultants, accounting consultants and marketing advisors will be used
W1-O7: These promotional programs will aim to attract clients who have service contracts
with competitors and gain their trust
11
Personnel Plan
The businesss personnel plan with description of their position and duties is presented below:
Directing Manager
Mr. Ghorbi will act as the directing manager for this firm. His duties will include:
Field Engineer
At startup, the business will require one field engineer, however if the business grows and there are
more sites scheduled to visit than one can handle, a second field engineer will be hired. This
employees duties include:
Personnel Plan
Description
Directing Manager
Mr. Ghorbi
$50,004
$50,750
$51,510
Field Engineer
$48,780
$49,510
$50,250
$98,784
$100,260
$101,760
Total People
Total Annual Cost
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
12
13
Start-Up Expenses
List of Expenses
Estimated
Cost
$2,000
$2,500
Leasehold improvements
$3,000
Homedepot.ca7
Website expenses
$2,000
Advertising material
$2,500
$12,000
$14,500
Office furniture
$2,500
Staples.ca8
$3,000
Staples.ca9
$20,000
Initial Inventory
$78,000
Cash on hand
$54,000
$164,000
Income Statement
Pro Forma Profit and Loss
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
$172,000
$252,000
$333,250
$74,705
$110,050
$148,000
Gross Margin
$97,295
$141,950
$185,250
Gross Margin %
56.57%
56.33%
55.59%
$98,784
$100,260
$101,760
Marketing/Promotion
$5,400
$2,400
$2,400
Depreciation
$5,625
$5,625
$5,625
$1,560
$2,300
$3,000
$15,500
$18,000
$18,000
$4,800
$5,000
$5,200
$2,500
$2,500
$2,500
$5,650
$1,800
$1,800
$4,643
$4,712
$4,783
$144,462
$142,597
$145,068
Sales
Operating Expenses
Payroll
Rent
Utilities, Telepone and
Telecommunications
Insurance
$12,000
$0
$0
Total Expense
$156,462
$142,597
$145,068
-$59,167
-$647
$40,182
EBITDA
-$53,542
$4,978
$45,807
-34.40%
-0.26%
12.06%
Item
Revenue
Gross Margin
The gross margin is comprised of service and sales, since services generate revenue
despite having cost of goods sold; actually gross margin for sales is lower than
amount presented in table and that offered by competitors.
Amortization
Professional and
Business Fees
14
Balance Sheet
Assets
Cash
Accounts Receivable
Inventory
Total Current Assets
Long-term Assets
Accumulated
Depreciation
Total Long-term Assets
At Startup
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
$54,000
$35,675
$36,897
$80,529
$0
$7,477
$10,955
$14,487
$78,000
$59,580
$59,653
$61,653
$132,000
$102,732
$107,505
$156,669
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$0
$5,625
$11,250
$16,875
$20,000
$14,375
$8,750
$3,125
$152,000
$117,107
$116,255
$159,794
At Startup
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Accounts Payable
$0
$12,274
$12,069
$15,426
Subtotal Current
Liabilities
$0
$12,274
$12,069
$15,426
Total Liabilities
$0
$12,274
$12,069
$15,426
Total Assets
Liabilities
Owner's Equity
At Startup
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Paid-in Capital
$164,000
$164,000
$164,000
$164,000
Retained Earnings
-$12,000
$0
-$59,167
-$59,814
Earnings
$0
-$59,167
-$647
$40,182
Subtotal
$152,000
$104,833
$104,186
$144,368
Liabilities +
Owners Equity
At Startup
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
$152,000
$117,107
$116,255
$159,794
Subtotal
15
16
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
UPS Services
$61,500
$90,000
$116,250
UPSs
$44,400
$74,000
$111,000
Batteries
$20,400
$33,000
$44,000
$9,200
$15,000
$20,000
$36,500
$40,000
$42,000
$172,000
$252,000
$333,250
$0
$0
$0
UPSs
$31,080
$51,800
$77,700
Batteries
$15,300
$24,750
$33,000
$4,600
$7,500
$10,000
$23,725
$26,000
$27,300
$74,705
$110,050
$148,000
Sales
Cash Flow
Pro Forma Cash Flow
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Cash Sales
$111,800
$163,800
$216,613
$52,723
$84,722
$113,105
$164,523
$248,522
$329,718
$22,360
$32,760
$43,323
$186,883
$281,282
$373,040
Cash Spending
$98,784
$100,260
$101,760
Bill Payments
$84,064
$147,040
$184,325
$182,848
$247,300
$286,085
$22,360
$32,760
$43,323
$205,208
$280,060
$329,408
-$18,325
$1,222
$43,633
Cash Balance
$35,675
$36,897
$80,529
Cash Received
Cash from Operations
Expenditures
Expenditures from Operations
17
Appendix 3: Negotiations
GE Digital Energy
1.
2.
18
3.
4.
19
5.
6.
7.
20
8.
9.
21
Trpp-Lite
1.
22
2.
3.
23
4.
5.
24
Appendix 4: UPS
What is UPS?
Put simply, a UPS is a device that:
1. Provides backup power when utility power fails, either long enough for critical equipment to
shut down gracefully so that no data is lost, or long enough to keep required loads
operational until a generator comes online.
2. Conditions incoming power so that all-too-common sags and surges dont damage sensitive
electronic gear.
Single-Conversion UPS Systems
In normal operation, single-conversion systems feed incoming utility AC power to equipment. If the
AC input supply falls out of predefined limits, the UPS utilizes its inverter to draw current from the
battery, and also disconnects the AC input supply to prevent back-feed from the inverter to the utility.
The UPS stays on battery power until the AC input returns to normal tolerances or the battery runs out
of power, whichever happens first. Two of the most popular single-conversion designs are standby
and line-interactive:
Standby UPSs allow equipment to run off utility power until the UPS detects a problem, at
which point it switches to battery power. Some standby UPS designs incorporate
transformers or other devices to provide limited power conditioning as well.
Line-interactive UPSs regulate input utility voltage up or down as necessary before allowing
it to pass through to protected equipment. However, like standby UPSs, they use their
battery to guard against frequency abnormalities.
25
Under normal conditions, the system operates in line-interactive mode, saving energy and
money while also keeping voltage within safe tolerances and resolving common anomalies
found in utility power.
If AC input power falls outside of preset tolerances for line-interactive mode, the system
automatically switches to double-conversion mode, completely isolating equipment from the
incoming AC source.
If AC input power falls outside the tolerances of the double-conversion rectifier, or goes out
altogether, the UPS uses the battery to keep supported loads up and running. When the
generator comes online, the UPS switches to double-conversion mode until input power
stabilizes. Then it transitions back to high-efficiency line-interactive mode.
Multi-mode UPSs are designed to dynamically strike an ideal balance between efficiency and
protection. Under normal conditions, they provide maximum efficiency. When problems occur,
however, they automatically sacrifice some efficiency to deliver maximum levels of protection. The
end result is that data centers can save tens of thousands a year on energy without compromising data
center performance or reliability.
26
UPS Specifications
A UPSs rating is the amount of load, in volt-amperes (VA), that its designed to support. UPSs are
available with ratings as low as 300 VA and as high as 5,000,000 VA or more.
UPSs are either single-phase or three-phase. UPSs with low rating usually are single-phase; while
higher rated UPS are usually three-phase.
UPSs come in a range of form factors that fit into two master categories: rack-mounted and
freestanding. The largest UPSs arent available in rack-mounted form factors, so companies with
substantial power requirements almost always use freestanding devices. From is a technical and
financial standpoint, neither approach is inherently superior to the other.
One of the most important parts of the UPS system is the energy storage system, which is typically a
battery. A typical UPS battery provides five to 15 minutes of backup power. Organizations that need
more than that can use supplemental external battery modules or cabinets to add as much as several
hours of emergency runtime at full load.
UPS Parts and Accessories
Battery
All modern UPSs have a low-battery alarm and run a periodic self-test; they will alert the user when
replacement is needed. Usually they both flash an indicator and make an alarm sound. If the user has a
monitoring daemon set up, they will alert it and the user will probably get warning mail. If ignored, it
will time out, but be repeated at intervals.
In fact there is nothing unique or magic about UPS batteries. They are standard types also used for
other applications such as powering marine electronics, with standard connectors. They can be bought
from sources other than the UPS manufacturer, and get replaced with equivalents that are better and
less expensive.
27
Many UPS models use gel-cel batteries in standard formats like 12.0 V, 7.2Ah (151x64x94 mm).
Many manufactures sell two or three different types: standard use, cyclic use and high-current use.
UPSs require high-current and some UPS don't work well with batteries for standard use, because the
voltage goes low too early under high load (the UPS turns off too fast or the output voltage drops so
that the computer turns off). Standard batteries are for alarm devices, emergency lights or things like
that. For instance Panasonic sells the "LCR127R2PG1" (standard), and "UPRW1245P1" (high
current), Fiamm the "FG20271" (standard) and "FGH20902" (high current), CSB the "GP1272"
(standard) and "HR 1234W" (high current).
It may take several discharges and recharges of new batteries before they reach full capacity and the
dwell-time calibration is accurate. If a UPS contains two or more battery units and the monitoring
software reports separate voltage levels for them, one way to tell is to watch the divergence in voltage
levels. As the cells reach nominal full capacity, their voltages should converge.
Rectifier
A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC), which periodically reverses
direction, to direct current (DC), which flows in only one direction. The process is known as
rectification.
Rectifiers have many uses, but are often found serving as components of DC power supplies and
high-voltage direct current power transmission systems.
Inverter
A power inverter, or inverter, is an electrical power converter that changes direct current (DC) to
alternating current (AC); the converted AC can be at any required voltage and frequency with the use
of appropriate transformers, switching, and control circuits.
Solid-state inverters have no moving parts and are used in a wide range of applications, from small
switching power supplies in computers, to large electric utility high-voltage direct current applications
that transport bulk power. Inverters are commonly used to supply AC power from DC sources such as
solar panels or batteries.
The inverter performs the opposite function of a rectifier. The electrical inverter is a high-power
electronic oscillator. It is so named because early mechanical AC to DC converters were made to
work in reverse, and thus were "inverted", to convert DC to AC.
Power Conditioner
A power conditioner (also known as a line conditioner or power line conditioner) is a device
intended to improve the quality of the power that is delivered to electrical load equipment. While
there is no official definition of a power conditioner, the term most often refers to a device that acts in
one or more ways to deliver a voltage of the proper level and characteristics to enable load equipment
to function properly. In some usages, power conditioner refers to a voltage regulator with at least one
other function to improve power quality (e.g. power factor correction, noise suppression, transient
impulse protection, etc.).
Surge Suppressor
A surge suppressor (or surge protector) is an appliance designed to protect electrical devices from
voltage spikes. A surge protector attempts to limit the voltage supplied to an electric device by either
28
Batteries: As the heart of any UPS, batteries require inspection and maintenance, regardless
of age or warranty status. Studies show that up to 20% of UPS failures can be attributed to
bad batteries, with temperature and cumulative discharges cited as the primary culprits.
During a preventive maintenance visit, data is obtained from thorough testing procedures,
during which impedance or conductance measurements trace the battery performance and
identify any batteries with internal potential failures.
Fans: Some fans fail because of their own electrical or mechanical limitations, or when
their ball bearings become dried out. Fans may perform well for more than 10 years of
29
continuous use, while others run for only short periods before locking up for mechanical
reasons.
DC Caps: See the explanation below to understand more about capacitors.
Transient Spikes: Damage may be caused to the input side of the UPS (filter/rectifier)
when a transient spike occurs. During a preventive maintenance call, these parts are checked
for any impairment.
Lightning: A common misconception is that a UPS constantly protects the equipment load
from lightning, but it primarily depends on the amount of energy in the transient. Preventive
maintenance inspections can readily identify lightning damage and any appropriate repairs.
UPS internal Connections: These may be affected by vibrations from the building or
machinery close to the UPS. It is recommended that the UPS be scanned every three months
to check for hot spots, as well as checked annually with a complete mechanical revision on
the full UPS and battery cabinets.
Capacitors: A typical UPS contains a dozen or more electrolytic capacitors of different
types and size, which smooth out and filter fluctuations in voltage. Like batteries,
electrolytic capacitors degrade over time. While a typical capacitor might be rated by the
manufacturer for five years of round-the-clock use, it could potentially deliver up to eight to
ten years of useful life under favorable operating conditions. When a capacitor fails, there
might not be any immediate visible effects, but other capacitors must compensate for the
additional workload, which shortens their useful lives. In many cases, a capacitor failure will
trigger the UPS to switch to bypass mode, at which time it is unable to protect downstream
loads. Inspection of capacitors during preventive maintenance helps optimize their operation
while also enhancing their lifespan.
Air Filters: Because dust may block air filters and cause a UPS to shut down due to
overheating, they must be inspected every month. Replacing filters is an inexpensive
component of an effective UPS maintenance plan.
Power Supplies: Although a UPS may have redundant power supplies, it is possible for the
power supply to suffer from input voltage surges, which can cause unexpected stress and
overheating. Regular inspection is recommended to detect potential issues.
Input Filters: Currents, parameters and physical conditions of input filters need to be
reviewed and inspected. The input filter helps to reduce total harmonic distortion (THD)
from the UPS to the input line. However, depending on the amount of input line electrical
noise, the filter may attempt to correct harmonic distortion for the entire installation, causing
overheated cables and chokes.
Contactors: Because they may collect fine dust and other resistive coatings, inspections and
cleaning can prevent premature failures.
Sticking or Welded Relays: These may go unnoticed until emergency change-of-state
events occur. Periodic inspections can detect potential problems before they occur.
Motor Operators: These should be checked for proper operation while disengaged from the
breaker a measure completed during a routine preventive maintenance visit.
Firmware Upgrades: Because upgrades incorporate the latest operational enhancements,
they should be completed to ensure compatibility with new load devices, and to guarantee
that the UPS is performing at optimum levels. A technician can complete these upgrades
during routine service.
Transient Voltage Surge Suppression (TVSS) Integrity: It is important to verify that
metal oxide varistor (MOV) devices are functional and have not been compromised by
excessive transients.
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REFERENCE MATERIALS
A fully illustrated workshop book with hundreds of pages of tables, charts, figures and handy hints, plus
considerable reference material is provided FREE of charge to each delegate.
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OnSite
Training
All IDC Technologies Training Workshops are available on an on-site basis, presented at the venue of your
choice, saving delegates travel time and expenses, thus providing your company with even greater savings. For
more information or a FREE detailed proposal contact Kevin Baker by e-mailing:
training@idc-online.com
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