Uninterruptable progress in power supply systems GUTOR

UNINTERRUPTABLE PROGRESS IN POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS

GUTOR is a global leader in the design and manufacture of uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems. Philip Yorke talked to Eran Freiwald, the company’s head of business and product development about its latest switch mode power supply systems and its move into new market sectors.

GUTOR is a wholly owned subsidiary of the large Schneider Electric Group and is based in Wettingen, located close to Zurich airport in Switzerland. Schneider Electric SA is the world’s leading specialist in energy management systems and the group produces advanced solutions for using energy safely, efficiently and productively worldwide. The Schneider Electric Group is number one in the global UPS market with more than 120,000 employees in over 120 countries. Together with its strategic partners, GUTOR offers a global business and service network that is unrivalled in its field.

For many years GUTOR has been the supplier of choice for industrial UPS systems to the oil and gas industry, as well as to the fossil and nuclear power industries. Today GUTOR systems are highly regarded for their performance and reliability in a wide range of critical industrial applications that also includes water treatment and transportation.

More complete solutions

Recently GUTOR launched a new secured power product line named Mxx, aimed at industrial customers in market segments such as oil and gas and power generation. This advanced new modular platform addresses both AC and DC requirements and is designed specifically for industrial environments. Its launch allows GUTOR to provide more complete solutions to customers, as well as to address a new section of the power supply market.

Mxx is a fully modular platform based on well established, modern switch mode (SMPS) technology. Within the platform, different modules can be combined to form a wide range of systems. These include Rectifier systems (MDC), UPS systems (MXP), Inverter systems (MXW) and DC/DC converter systems (MDD). GUTOR’s Mxx is designed to meet customer-

specific requirements in a low rating range up to 25kW DC and 12kVA AC. The main benefits of Mxx include N+1 redundancy, scalability and flexibility, CAN-bus communication and advanced monitoring and diagnostics.

Driven by growing investments in energy markets and the increasing need to protect automated processes, GUTOR’s business has seen double-digit growth in the last year. Freiwald notes, “We are continuing to see strong growth across the board and have increased our presence in key markets such as the Middle East for our oil and gas business, where we now have an extensive service and sales network in place, and in Asia where we have established a small production capability in China to serve the Chinese market.” To further accommodate the revenue growth, GUTOR is currently expanding its factory in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is able to produce all the company’s product lines.

When asked what distinguishes industrial UPS vendors such as GUTOR from those supplying IT and networking applications, Freiwald pointed to several factors: “First of all, industrial environments are often subject to harsh conditions – the UPS must be able to withstand extremes in temperature, high humidity, high vibration, and seismic shocks. Secondly, because of the long lifespan of industrial installations such as offshore rigs and the difficulty in servicing them, the UPS must have a long lifespan and require minimal

service interventions. Finally, unlike with commercial grade systems, industrial customers require a high degree of customisation. This is where GUTOR really stands out from the rest – through our ETO (engineered to order) approach, every system we deliver is highly engineered according to our customer’s specific needs.”

Building on its dominant position in the nuclear market, GUTOR recently announced a major contract with Westinghouse Electric Company for the supply of Class 1E battery chargers, inverters and voltage regulating transformers for four AP1000 nuclear reactors, which are currently being built in the USA. In fact, since 2001, GUTOR has been awarded similar contracts for 47 new-build commercial nuclear power reactors in seven countries, along with many contracts for replacement systems in operating reactors.

In the oil and gas market, GUTOR has recently delivered large contracts to the Jubail Export Refinery complex in Saudi Arabia, as well as to the Habshan 5 processing plant in Abu Dhabi.

Looking to the future, GUTOR is planning to build on its strong position in its core markets while expanding into other areas. Freiwald comments: “There are several areas where GUTOR solutions can bring a strong added value in terms of industrial secured power. We see for example strong growth potential in sectors such as mining, desalination and transport.” n