Many companies have production sites in Southeast Asian countries. There are some regions, however, where they often experience voltage dips and interruptions as well as power outages. Grid power quality significantly affects productivity of companies there, so it is extremely important to ensure power supply quality.
X Corp., an electronic components manufacturer with a base in the Philippines, manufactures various types of printed circuit boards. While ago, the company had expanded its production capacity in response to steady smartphone demand as well as growing demand for hard disk drives for data centers.
However, despite being located in an industrial park with relatively good grid power infrastructure in the Philippines, the company's factory was constantly suffering from production equipment problems caused by voltage dips and interruptions. Mr. G, factory manager of X Corp., explains as follows that this could be attributed not only to undeveloped grid infrastructure but also the weather in the Philippines:
"In the first 6 months of 2021 alone, we experienced more than 10 voltage dips due to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with squalls. This is more than double over the previous year. This caused production equipment to stop, requiring re-plating and substantially reducing productivity. Moreover, the impact of downtime and cost to recover and restart processes was significant, so protecting equipment from voltage dips and interruptions was given the highest priority," he said.
He once considered installing a UPS to the factory's every single equipment, but he couldn't decide on it due to high initial cost, periodic maintenance need, and space limitation. His project team continued to gather information in search of other solutions.
Note 1: Voltage dip: Short-duration decrease in power supply voltage
Note 2: Short interruption: Short-duration loss of power supply voltage
Mr. G contacted a distributor he knew for an advice on the protection from voltage dips and interruptions. After consulted by the distributor, SANYO DENKI called for a web conference among the three parties and proposed a cost-effective voltage dip compensator dedicated for protection from dips.
"We considered products from several manufacturers, and the SANUPS C23A from SANYO DENKI caught our attention the most. What appealed to us the most was that the parallel processing topology can supply power continuously not only during dips but also interruptions. The products from other manufacturers I considered required a transfer time of about 5 ms, and could not provide protection from interruptions. Its load-generated harmonic cancellation function and the highly efficient energy-saving operation were also appealing. When we requested detailed data for verification during the web conference, they promptly provided us with manuals and drawings in English. We were able to receive proposals in the Philippines just as promptly as in Japan," he said.
▼ Comparison of voltage dip compensator
| Product | Topology | Energy storage device |
Dip protection |
Interruption protection |
Transfer time |
Harmonic cancellation |
| SANYO DENKI (C23A) |
Parallel processing |
EDLC | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Standard product |
Standby | Electrolytic capacitor or EDLC |
Good | Poor | Average 5 ms |
Poor |
The company soon decided to use the SANUPS C23A in their factory. The prompt action of SANYO DENKI, such as providing drawings, was one of the deciding factors in their decision. Mr. G told us how the use of the voltage dip compensator changed the way he works.
"Choosing the SANUPS C23A was truly a right decision. We are not bothered by dips or interruptions anymore. Besides, unlike a UPS, the compensator uses electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC), which eliminated the need for battery replacement, reducing running costs and making equipment smaller and lighter than a UPS. This provided an unexpected benefit of reduced shipping and installation costs than a UPS, exceeding our expectations in a good way," he explained.
SANYO DENKI has a worldwide network including a production site and a technology center in the Philippines. So in the event of a problem, a local service technician can swiftly come on site for help in the Philippines, which also provides peace of mind for X Corp.
"It successfully solved the problems caused by dips and interruptions. We really appreciate the product and proposals that SANYO DENKI provided," concluded Mr. G.
Date of publication: March 18, 2022
