Standard UPS protection for Merck KGaA


Completely new concept for UPS systems at the site of the Merck KGaA plant

Produktion

 

Intelligent phasing out of an excessively complex UPS system

Merck employs a dynamic team of specialists here, working in three sectors: Healthcare, Life Science and Performance Materials. All share a love of science and an enthusiasm for technology. It is essential for a manufacturer of pharmaceutical and chemical products like Merck to have a reliable power supply to the manufacturing site, one that can be depended upon. Fluctuations in mains power or power failures would cause a complete shutdown of production and therefore high downtime costs whenever chemical processes are interrupted. For that reason, Merck installed an uninterruptible power supply at its Gernsheim site at a very early stage – but in the course of time, various different makes of UPS product were purchased, making the task of looking after this heterogeneous system a complicated one. Many different maintenance appointments had to be made, the people to contact at all those different manufacturers were not always known to everyone concerned and even the sourcing of the maintenance or spare parts needed often progressed at a very slow pace. In overall terms, the situation was unsatisfactory across the board, a situation that is by no means uncommon in large corporations.

As a consequence, back in 2008 EFFEKTA was brought on board to make decisive changes to this situation. In close collaboration with Merck we devised a concept for an innovative system of UPS units for the entire plant site, one that delivered high levels of availability.

 

UPS template for Merck sites from EFFEKTA

The task profile for Merck KGaA in Gernsheim was a clear one: A standardized UPS system had to be created, one that could also be rolled out at other sites of this company as the need arose. Optimum flexibility and availability of UPS systems are the key requirements. In addition, troubleshooting should be quick and easy in the event of an emergency.

The THOR series of EFFEKTA UPS systems satisfy these requirements in every respect: This UPS system is extremely flexible, thanks to its modular design. This makes ‘scalability’ possible, i.e. to keep on increasing the performance capability of the UPS system to almost any desired level – a UPS system that facilitates optimum levels of availability because the use of two devices makes it possible to achieve twice the level of redundancy. With the THOR UPS, electrical consumers can be supplied with up to 2 MVA of power. The efficiency, robustness and flexibility of these THOR units make this the perfect system for meeting critical customer requirements.

 

 

40

UPS units installed at the Gernsheim site

25

% reduction in the costs of UPS protection

60

Average bridging time for processes in minutes

100

% secured processes at the Gernsheim site

Leasing of UPS units: An all-round peace of mind package for customers

For the customer, it was not only important to get a reliable and standardized UPS system. For Merck KGaA, service also had a central role to play: Merck wished to get a complete package, comprising delivery of the UPS units and including on-site installation and set-up at various locations across the plant site. This complete package also included assembly, commissioning and a complex maintenance management scheme over an 8-year period, including any spare parts and accumulators that may be required.

Together with the accessories, such as an external bypass and network communication cards, Merck leased the entire package from EFFEKTA. For Merck this delivered the clear benefit of being able to plan anticipated levels of cost for UPS protection in a dependable manner.

 

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