Imagine you are running your grinder at home in the morning, making dough for dosa, and suddenly, the power goes off. If you are running late to the office or your children are getting late to school, such an outage can cause chaos for a while. All your plans go in vain, and suddenly you must look for other breakfast alternatives. If the same thing happens in large industries, where suddenly machines stop, or automations halt, production lines quit, and machines are damaged due to a power outage, it doesn’t just cause chaos but also huge production loss, leading to financial losses and sometimes, even hazardous situations.
No industry can afford to have such events, especially in the manufacturing industries like chemicals, energy, automobiles, etc. If they do, then losses can be so heavy that it may lead to hefty debts and liabilities for the company.
In this blog, let us learn about how industrial UPS systems prevent downtime in manufacturing facilities.
What is Downtime and How Does It Impact Manufacturing Companies?
Downtime is defined as a period when the machines or operations are halted. In industries, downtime happens because of various reasons like power cuts, machine damage or halt, maintenance halts, etc. And if this downtime happens because of a power outage, that’s when an industrial backup power system is required.
Downtime affects manufacturing units in the following ways:
- Production halt: If the machines are halted for any reason, especially due to a power supply issue, production is halted too. Be it automobiles or food and beverage, or chemicals, etc, any unexpected halt to production is not a positive sign for the company’s overall growth.
- Revenue Loss: No production leads supply stop, meaning no sales and, in turn, revenue crunches.
- Increase in costs: Operational costs increase with the increase in expenses related to supply chain disruptions, overtime labor, and emergency maintenance.
- Damage to equipment: Machines that run with high calibration and sensitivity may get damaged if there is a sudden interruption to their function due to power loss.
- Data losses and wastage of resources: Obviously, if a system is running computer programs and a system shuts down, it causes loss of data that is being worked on. More resources, like raw materials, that are involved in the aftermath and recovery process are wasted. Because regaining productivity after an outage can take hours to days.
- Total disruption: Downtime can cause total disruption to the company with property damage, revenue loss, hard and overtime labour, hazardous environment, and a stressful situation to deal with.
Costs Associated with Downtime in Manufacturing
Although downtime is sometimes inevitable, especially if the companies are not prepared for it, the costs they have to pay are huge. According to recent data, manufacturers lose up to $852 million per week globally due to downtime, while Fortune 500 manufacturers lose around $1.5 trillion annually. This number is huge.
There can be both direct costs, like lost revenue, and indirect costs, like overtime wages, material wastage, supply chain disruptions, etc associated with the downtime. Another important cost that companies cannot afford to have is customer dissatisfaction and reputational damage.
How Can Industrial UPS Systems Prevent Downtime in Manufacturing Facilities?
Although a variety of reasons affect downtime, power outage is one of the primary causes. In that case, deploying an uninterruptible power supply is very important. An industrial UPS system by the top manufacturer in India, like Prostarm, will help prevent downtime to some extent. Here are some ways downtime can be prevented using an industrial UPS system.
- By eliminating voltage fluctuations, power spikes, and surges, UPS systems can help maintain frequency and protect equipment from damage because of this, as they are common causes of downtime.
- They can reduce downtime by offering reliable power backup whenever needed. UPS makes the systems shut down slowly by following the standard procedures, in contrast with the rapid shutdown of an outage. This can prevent equipment damage and instead keep them working at peak efficiency.
- The use of non-isolated mains in UPS systems prevents the risk of electric shock. Besides, the high-frequency rectification technology allows for a more efficient and reliable power conversion process. It also includes inverter technology for a seamless transition to battery power in the event of a power outage. This rules out the risk of downtime and data loss.
- If installed, maintained, and monitored correctly, an industrial-grade UPS system like Prostram can run at high efficiency, supplying continuous power, keeping machines operational and smooth, and they can reduce downtime.
Conclusion:
Industrial UPS manufacturers in India are up and running with various innovations in UPS systems in terms of their batteries, their design, functionality, etc. Most industrial UPS systems, if chosen correctly, can change the fate of a manufacturing company.