Electricity and Control April 2021

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

International award for local control technology

Master Power Technologies (MPT) has been award- ed its fourth Frost & Sullivan award, recognising it for its leadership in customer value and trendsetting solutions in the modular data centre market. MPT received Frost & Sullivan’s African Customer Value Leadership Award for its Universal Controller (UC), described by the consulting firm in its evaluation report as “a truly innovative remote monitoring and management system… Its solutions combine sector-leading performance with customer- focused modular expansion capabilities.” Rory Reid, Sales and Marketing Director at MPT, says the company’s in-house R&D team first con- ceptualised the UC a decade ago. “It is specifically designed to meet the needs of the African market in terms of power availability and quality,” Reid says. The system provides critical information on spe- cific components and equipment in a backup power solution. It enables complete equipment integration on a single platform and enhances operational reliability by reducing site downtime through predictive failure moni- toring. In addition, it monitors mechanical and electrical efficiencies and issues a warning when efficiency levels decline. “The UC is pivotal in helping data centre operators im- prove reliability and efficiency, reduce energy costs, and achieve their sustainability goals. It helps data centre operators swiftly detect a problem before it occurs and identify the skill set required to rectify it,” says Gautham Gnanajothi, Frost & Sullivan’s global research director. “MPT has a proud track record of data centre expertise, equipping leading African organisations across multiple end-user verticals with modular data centre products.” The sub-applications built into the UC deliver consid- erable value. BattSure, for example, is a battery moni- toring application designed to eliminate fire risks, down- time costs and premature battery replacement. Triple changeover (TCO) management monitors utility power supply and controls the switching of the supply from the utility to the generator when a break in utility supply is detected. In addition, TCO monitors the status of the standby generator, number of restarts, and time between restarts, thus playing a key role in optimising operational costs and enhancing reliability. MPT’s comprehensive modular data centre product portfolio ranges from small edge solutions in ISO con- tainers to medium-sized prefabricated solutions. The company also has trailer-based mobile data centres for disaster recovery applications. MPT delivers vertical, horizontal, and orthogonal modularity in its data centres, supporting expansion in any direction and allowing clients to optimise the space and scale of their data centres. This flexibility is possible because MPT has its own steel manufacturing facilities, enabling it to design steel structures to match customers’ needs.

MPT has been recognised for the exceptional value it delivers to customers with its Universal Controller for data centres. Significantly, MPT builds, operates, and maintains its own data centres and has formed a sister company called Digital Parks Africa (DPA) to provide colocation data centre services. “MPT’s forward-looking approach to product devel- opment and technology innovation has placed it at the forefront of a highly competitive market and will ensure its continued growth,” notes Gnanajothi. According to Reid, remote monitoring removes system uncertainty by providing real-time transparency on equipment status, allowing leaders to make critical decisions, even when their teams are not at work. “This capability is invaluable in this time when the global pandemic is changing physical workplaces,” he says. “We work with companies to minimise support requirements through the use of automated and remote technologies to keep business running smoothly. In doing so, we are creating customer value that extends beyond system uptime.” Frost & Sullivan’s annual best practices awards recognise companies in various regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. The customer value leadership award recipient has to demonstrate excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers, with a focus on improving their return on investment. The award recog- nises the recipient’s focus on increasing the value that its customers receive beyond good customer service, lead- ing to improved customer retention and customer base expansion. MPT has previously received Frost & Sullivan best practice awards in 2011, 2014 and 2016.

For more information contact MPT. Tel: +27 (0)11 792 7230 Email: sales@kva.co.za Visit: www.kva.co.za

16 Electricity + Control APRIL 2021