C Corp. is a chemical manufacturer that produces a variety of industrial and specialty chemical products for a wide range of applications. The company's research center engages in product development. A while ago, they had trouble storing chemicals there. Ms. D, chief researcher of the company, explained the challenge she faced:
"At the research center, we store a large amount of research chemicals in refrigerators. The center is located in a suburban building, which undergoes several maintenance power outages a year. Each time, it took all the center staff to move the stored chemicals to the warehouse at the head office. Some of the chemicals are very expensive and a single container can cost millions of yen. Considering the risk of damage and the hassle of transport, we wondered if there was a better way."
Furthermore, the risk of unexpected power outages was also a concern.
"Since we had been experiencing outages due to typhoons and other natural disasters more often than before, we needed to take measures for power outages as soon as possible," she said.
As a solution for these risks, the company started thinking about installing an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in the research center.
"We first considered using a UPS with lead-acid batteries, but it turned out that this type of UPS was too large to be installed in the space near the chemical refrigerators," she said, with dismay. This type also required regular maintenance such as battery replacement, and we were concerned that it might take up just as much time as the moving work."
Although she tried hard to find a UPS that met her requirements, it was not easy and she got stuck.
When the next regular building inspection and power outage were announced, Ms. D consulted a chemical brokerage company with which she worked before about power outage solutions for the research center. The brokerage company introduced her to a SANYO DENKI sales representative, a UPS manufacturer with a proven track record, and the project started to move forward.
After carefully hearing her problems and requests, the sales representative proposed the SANUPS A11K-Li UPS with lithium-ion batteries.
"The first thing that surprised me was its small size," exclaimed Ms. D with wonder. "The proposed SANUPS A11K-Li was a free-standing type with units that could be stacked vertically, so it would take only half the footprint of the UPS with lead-acid batteries that I previously considered. I was certain that it could fit in the small installation space in the research center. The proposed 400-minute backup model at its rated output could back up loads like refrigerators for over 10 hours. As far as I could see from my market research, no other companies' 1.5 kVA UPS had such a long backup time. Also, the fact that it wouldn't need battery replacement and maintenance for 10 years really appealed to me."
Satisfied with the proposal, she quickly decided to install a SANUPS A11K-Li in the research center.
"Since SANUPS A11K-Li started operation, we have had no worries about moving the chemicals to the head office for every building maintenance. This greatly reduced the burden on our personnel," she said with a smile. "In addition, the UPS displays the accurate backup time for the connected load, so we can respond to power outages more systematically. Having a UPS has given us peace of mind because it prepares us for unexpected power outages and can also be used as an initial response in the event of a natural disaster. We really appreciate what SANYO DENKI provided, and are looking forward to working with them again."
