Staco Energy Products Co., headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a provider of UPS systems and technologies, voltage control, power conditioning, power factor, and harmonic filtering. Since 1937, Staco Energy has provided business and industries with practical solutions to meet a wide range of power demands. The company plans to build designs that are cost-effective as this industry is very competitive.

Staco Energy Products Company manufactures voltage control, VAR compensation, uninterruptible power supplies and engineered power quality solutions.   For more than 75 years, customers worldwide have relied on Staco as their dependable source for standard and tailored solutions to a wide range of electrical power needs. We take great pride in extending our knowledge and expertise to all our valued customers, existing or new.

The company intends to make production decisions based on economics, enabling it to provide end users with cost-effective solutions. Staco Energy plans to develop its sales channels as the company has realized that certain end-user markets are best served by one specific channel as opposed to using multiple channels.

Ed Kwiatkowski, President of the company, shares Staco Energy’s vision of the future as targeted at SMB data center power related solutions, as well as the power quality (PQ) industry. We are entering into our 75 anniversay celebration, “A New Dawn”.

“We have dramatically changed our overall strategy. Staco Energy is a company that has been around for over 75 years and our strategy for growth is to develop data center products specifically for the SMB.  Power quality is our only business enabling us to devote our entire effort and focus”, says Ed Kwiatkowski.

“Over 90% of our entire R&D budget is to devoted to the development of new products and channels to support the SMB marketplace”, says Dave Kendall, VP of Sales and Marketing.

Low initial average sale price (ASP), ease of installation, ease of service, combined with our FREE battery replacement program provides the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) in the industry.

This brief recap of many of our marketing and product development activities highlights how you can keep your critical components operating at all times – and with less cost – giving you a competitive advantage.

FirstLine P 65 – 250kVA UPS

This 480V UPS family was introduced in December 2010 and is proving to be very popular. It covers a wide input voltage range – 480V +/- 10% making it ideal for SMB data center applications where affordability, efficiency, reliability, availability, and flexibility are essential.

FirstLine PL 10-100kVA UPS

To address the needs of 208V installations, we introduced this UPS family – and it has been well accepted. It covers a wide input voltage range – 208V +/- 10% making it ideal for many applications – including network closets, computer rooms, and small data centers.

Free Battery Replacement Program

To augment these new product introductions, we also introduced our Free Battery Replacement Program – a revolutionary approach to driving down total cost of ownership for our FirstLine P and PL UPS. An industry first, this approach addresses the biggest cost of UPS after point of sale operations – the replacement of batteries. Our double conversion topology means that we revert to battery power far less frequently – which allows us to take bold, industry-leading steps to help lower UPS total cost of ownership (TCO).

FirstLine BMS Battery Monitoring System

Another product launch aimed to provide real-time information on UPS battery status is our FirstLine BMS Wireless Battery Monitoring System. This uniquely wireless easy-to-install product is an ideal complement to the FirstLine P, FirstLine PL, and Free Battery Replacement program, while rounding out our promise of lowering SMB TCO.

“Staco Energy is one of you, an SMB that lives the same pains and joys, having both the background of having existed through our core business during boom times, recognizing that we needed to change our approach and strategy, and choosing the SMB data center space, you, to apply our collective knowledge and expertise toward, and having the vision and capability to deliver on our promises”, says Ed Kwiatkowski, President.

“Staco is aware of how our major competitors in the SMB space assume through implied brand recognition, your business.  Staco is committed to you, and has chosen to focus our efforts and energy to deliver on our brand promise of “providing tailored power solutions”, through both value creation and innovation”, says Dave Kendall, VP of Sales and Marketing.

Staco is introducing our FirstLine P 160, 200, 250kVA On-Line Double Conversion Three Phase UPS, resulting in rounding out the higher end of our “Total SMB Power Solution” family.  Not only does this result in addressing the SMB IT data center space, but also addresses many of our current power quality vertical markets.

“All of our current and served customers, also have network closets, computer rooms, or data centers, creating an opportunity for Staco to enter the SMB IT data center space”, says Dave Kendall, VP of Sales and Marketing.

“The facilities side is aware of Staco, with most being long standing customers.  The recognized need for better relationships between IT and facilities working closer together to optimize collective results has risen to high on the ‘to do” list.  This is one way Staco can extend our brand reach, with known capability to deliver on our brand promise”, says Kendall.

Staco has only recently changed our strategy and focus on the data center/IT industry, spending the better part of 2011 building the foundation for success. That said, we have also put our “money and effort where our mouth is”. We are poised, with the introduction of new products and services, to aggressively live up their expectations and needs.

“Unlike most of our larger competitors in this space, we also “walk the talk, and live the lives” of the typical SMB customer, committed to becoming the “solution of choice” to our peers, not assumed business, based on brand” says Kendall.

“We are privately held, Staco Energy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Components Corporation of America, Inc., (CCA) and there are two other subsidiaries that comprise the CCA organization.  CCA is always on the lookout for appropriate acquisitions, the board, in fact, has established that as one of the missions for CCA”, says Ed Kwiatkowski, President of Staco.

True on-line, double-conversion technology is achieved through IGBT and Digital Signal Processor (DSP) control, enabling delivery of a high input power factor of 0.99, and a low input current distortion of less than or equal to 3%.  Each compact and reliable UPS is covered by an industry-leading 2-year warranty and backed by a nationwide service program with optional preventative maintenance to lower cost of ownership.

“This latest addition really rounds out the popular FirstLine® product line.  It was developed in direct response to customer requests for a higher kVA UPS to our native 480Vac product family, and it allows us to offer total SMB power solutions,” said Staco Marketing Manager Jim Hall.  “These exciting new products, along with our single-phase UniStar® family of products, and FirstLine® and FirstLine® PL, FirstLine BMS wireless battery management and our ServiStar® support programs – can be tailored to the needs of a broad range of applications throughout the world.”

As a standard feature, up to 8 FirstLine® P units (N + 1) can be run in parallel, providing redundancy for mission critical applications requiring no additional hardware.   All units are hot swappable, for maximum flexibility, availability and expandability.  Dual Bus System and Dynamic Dual Bus system configurations provide an efficient and reliable power source.  The FirstLine® P requires only front, top or bottom access, so it can be placed against a wall, minimizing its footprint. Batteryrun times are best in class.

The IGBT-based rectifier solid-state technology reduces the impact of the UPS on the local supply and simplifies installation where there is limited power capacity in the form of available electrical supply rating or generator size.  Classified as a “Zero Impact Source”, the FirstLine® P provides a high input power factor of 0.99, a low input current distortion of less than or equal to 3%, and a power walk-in function that ensures progressive rectifier start-up.  It also performs as a high performance filter by protecting upstream power supply sources from any harmonics and reactive power generated by the loads power.

FirstLine® P models feature an output transformer with galvanic isolation (between the load and the battery supply) to provide greater versatility and installation options.  The UPS can be supplied from two separate power sources (main power and a second emergency standby source) which can increase the resilience of single or parallel system configurations.

FirstLine® models are intended for applications with input voltage of 480 Vac and a range of +15 /- 20% without battery contribution (+15/-30 in battery mode).  Input frequency is 45-65Hz. Progressive rectifier (walk-in) can be configured from 0 to 30 seconds.  Delay of progressive start of rectifier (Power Walk-In delay timer) can be configured from 0 to 120 seconds.  The entire FirstLine® range of products is compatible with capacitive loads such as blade servers, without any reduction in active power, ranging from 0.9 lead to 0.8 lag and up to 0.8 capacitive power, with a low derating equal to 15% of the active power (kW).

A user-friendly menu selectable display located on the front of the unit includes an alarm, emergency power off button, and LED indicators for bypass, main line, battery powering the load, load on bypass, and normal output.   Communications options include NetMan 101/102 Plus, MultiCOM (1) 301/302, MultiCOM (2) 362, Multi I/O, IBM AS/400, NetMan, MultiPanel, PowerShield, and PowerNETGuard.  Battery Racks, Power Distribution Units (PDU) and Static transfer switches (STS) are available to meet virtually any application.  The two year on-site warranty covers parts and labor (start-up service required for warranty coverage).  Field service programs – including preventative maintenance – are available to lower cost of ownership.

Multiple options which allow the FirstLine® P to be tailored to specific site requirements include isolation transformer, synchronizer device, parallel systems joiner device, interface for generator set, and a closed loop kit.

Staco Energy Products Company manufactures voltage control, VAR compensation, uninterruptible power supplies and engineered power quality solutions.   For more than seventy years, customers worldwide have relied on Staco as their dependable source for standard and tailored solutions to a wide range of electrical power problems.  Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, Staco Energy Products is a wholly owned subsidiary of Component Corporation of America, located in Dallas, Texas.  For more information, visit www.stacoenergy.com, call 866-266-1191, write to Staco Energy Products Co, 301 Gaddis Blvd, Dayton, OH  45403, or e-mail to sales@stacoenergy.com.

With the evolution of the computer age, and the many ways that our technology evolution manifests itself, it has resulted in a proliferation of computers and other sensitive devices throughout our manufacturing and office environments.  The requirements result in the need to design electrical systems that address power quality issues.

What is Power Quality

“Power Quality” means different things to different people.  A high level view is the relative frequency and severity of deviations in the incoming power supplied to electrical equipment from the customary, steady, 60 Hz, sinusoidal waveform of voltage or current. These deviations may affect the safe or reliable operation of equipment such as electronic loads, which can be located in an industrial, office, or data center environment.

Not having a strict way to measure, terms like “poor power quality” generally mean there is sufficient deviation from norms in the power supply to cause equipment to malfunction or prematurely fail.  “Good power quality”, conversely, means there is a low level of such deviations or malfuctions.  Depending on the sensitivity to such deviations, what may be considered poor power quality to one device may be perfectly acceptable power quality to another.

Poor power quality affects the reliable operation of computers and computer-based equipment, which are now so ubiquitous. Often more important than the physical effect on the equipment is the loss of productivity resulting from computer equipment failure, malfunction and downtime.  It has been estimated that the total cost to US businesses of this lost productivity is a staggering $15-30 billion per year!

The vast majority of power quality problems in a building originate there. The Institute of Electrical And Electronic Engineers (IEEE), various government agencies and other organizations have been studying these problems and effects for decades. As a result, they have issued design guidelines and recommended practices that are known to greatly reduce, if not eliminate, the incidence and severity of power quality related problems.

Few builders and electrical designers could have envisioned the level of computerization we find today in buildings of every sort. Who could have foreseen a PC on every desk? Business computers were large machines located in special “computer rooms”. Lighting fixtures had low harmonics output. Telephones were hard-wired. Motors ran only at their design speed. An office at home was a rarity. Laser printers were uncommon.  Today, the evolution is better defined by “Moore’s Law”, where technology evolves into another cycle ever few years or less.

Generally speaking, by following generally well-known formulae for electrical loads to be expected per given floor area, the designer of past decades was reasonably assured of designing an adequate electrical installation that could be expected to serve the needs of the building and its occupants well into the future. There was seldom a need to be concerned about harmonics, losses, or transients. But time, progress, and micro-computerization continue to evolve at what sees sometimes at the speed of light!

The Staco “Universe” of Power Quality Solutions

Staco Energy Products Company manufactures voltage control, VAR compensation, uninterruptible power supplies and engineered power quality solutions.   For more than 75 years, customers worldwide have relied on Staco as their dependable source for standard and tailored solutions to a wide range of electrical power quality problems.

Legacy SMB IT spaces are a far cry from what everyone likes to show and talk about, which is a Tier 4, sophisticated enterprise data center, with rows and rows of racks , raised floors, computer room air conditioners (CRACs),  power distribution units (PDUs), with the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) & power back-up batteries (separate equipment room), all supported by generators (extended power back-up) & building chillers (cooling support) in a physically secured space.

Small business, typified by millions not tens of millions (less than 100 employees), a start-up or older niche market provider, usually have network closets.  In a surprisingly large number of firms these are literally closets…IT equipment sharing space with cleaning supplies, toilet paper inventory, boxes of pens and paper clips, and out of season holiday decorations, with just as many visits by secretaries and the janitor as IT staff.  Depending on the type of business (high tech or industrial), high tech businesses have in-house IT expertise or outsourced technical support (industrial).   They are Tier 1 or 2, where occasional downtime is disruptive, but not mission critical.

Medium business, 10s of millions of revenue, (100 – 1000+ employees) are located in a computer room, a row of racks, often called a data center in a row.  UPS & battery-back-up (rack mount or free standing) and cooling (either free standing or in-row) are co-located with the storage, computing, & other IT loads. They are Tier 2 or 3, where downtime is approaching mission critical. In mostcases they do not have the air cooling capacity to handle their current peak needs and certainly not enough to support growth.

Energy Efficiency Best Practice in Legacy SMB IT Networks

Replace legacy servers and other IT loads with Energy Star rated gear.  Especially in the case of network closet, still applies to computer rooms.  Remember, the ratio of IT loads to the supporting infrastructure is approximately 1W of IT load to 1W of infrastructure.

Although less so with network closets, but certainly a big hitter for computer rooms, virtualization, driving multiple applications using existing capacity, resulting in higher utilization rates for IT loads can dramatically increase energy efficiency by reducing the number of loads required to do the same work while driving utilization percentages into more energy efficient operating ranges.  Simply said, getting more for less, including energy.

Have effective short and longer range plans to either migrate from network closets to computer rooms, and in the case of computer rooms, migration to a small data center.  Total cost of ownership (TCO), ease of installation and use, flexible and adaptable equipment, all selected to optimize reliability and energy efficiency.

Resources that truly understand SMB needs, and are focused on providing solutions in this space are critical.  Too often, infrastructure providers are far more interested in locking SMB companies into their solutions, and then driving for futures that may not be necessary or appropriate.

A classic example is Tier 1 to 4, where mission critical, more costly architectures, may or may not be needed.  This will vary by business model, but fear vs. actual need, should not be the primary driver of choices.

Optimizing Migration Results

The best advice here is to have plans in place to optimize migration paths, and to focus on both capacity and space utilization.  Proximity and having both power and cooling infrastructure closer to the IT loads, minimizing distance and cable power losses, all point to having an SMB migration plan that supports a data center in a row topology.

Indicators of some new modular infrastructure solutions show great promise. These systems offer single or redundant cooling in an in-row closed rack architecture that cools only the IT equipment and not the storage room. They are small enough to keep equipment in a closet or small data room yet expandable to meet fairly high density heat rejection needs. These systems also have beefed up security systems with remote notification of rack entry, load spikes, overheating and even self contained fire suppression separate from the room.  The TCO is kept low by only requiring only the cooling and storage CAPEX for what is initially necessary and then expanding as needed by adding extra racks. With recycled air in these closed rack data centers – air that never mixes with the room air – cooling energy costs can be cut by nearly half.

UPS and distribution capacity, typically co-located within the same space, should be capable of providing enough power for peak demand and sized to be optimized for high efficiency.  The UPS can either be rack mounted or free standing, and rack distribution.  Be sure to use intelligent monitoring for all physical infrastructure, UPS, distribution, cooling, and battery.

Battery failure remains the number 1 cause of downtime, and proactive monitoring of battery operating condition is critical since other types of power back-up (generators, redundancy, etc.) are not deployed. Most power interruptions are short duration, with batteries the first line of defense.   New wireless battery monitoring vs. wired solutions offer cost efficiency, are easy to install, are resilient and provide flexibility.  When planning a migration strategy, consider the adaptability and expandability of your battery monitoring solution.  Wired solutions are less flexible, more costly to install and re-install, which is problematic for expansion.

New, intelligent software solutions offer the most promise for legacy environments.  Recent research indicates that IT wants the IT space to provide information, and to self diagnose potential issues proactively.

 Top 12 Tips to Optimize Results

Below is a list of considerations that can lead to optimized outcomes during your migration planning process:

1. Energy efficient chips enable faster, more powerful processors operating safely and efficiently in higher-density racks.  Energy Star ratings provide an effective way to optimize choice.
2. Employ improved efficiency server power supplies
3. Optimize air flow within the rack
4. Use racks with expansion channels to get additional depth
• Space can be used for cables, cooling, and equipment
5. Use advanced managed power strips to bring distribution closer to the loads
6. Vapor seals used to isolate the room’s atmosphere from conditions external to the room
7. Use digital scroll compressors to improve cooling efficiency at less than peak capacity
8. Digital Scroll Compressors provide variable capacity and continuous modulation resulting in efficient control
9. Bring cooling and distribution closer to the sources of consumption
10. Size the power systems for optimum efficiency
11. Consider alternate distribution methods – 600V AC to 208V AC to the racks
12. Preventive maintenance to insure uptime and to optimize performance

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http://www.stacoenergy.com/newsletter.htm

Here’s why:

Clean, uncluttered lines with both the UPS and matching battery cabinet which would make this unit attractive in even the most “sophisticated” IT department or electrical closets

All front access with a single hinged door which opens from right to left.

There is no “dead front” panel that requires time-consuming screw removal to access the electronics. This opening provides easy access to all components, including cards, capacitors, fans, CT’s etc.

Having the capacitors and contactors located on the second shelf as well as the majority of the PC cards (others are conveniently placed on the swing out door) making troubleshooting a dream!

Compact design yet having full and open access to the controls, boards, capacitors and terminals blocks within the UPS.

Communications ports are accessible from the front lower 1/3 portion of the UPS. There is no RS232 terminals located in the rear as found on many units and making it difficult to work with

The input lugs are neatly located in the lower 1/3 section of the UPS cabinet. They are readily identified as to phase in a back-to-front and staggered order.

It is readily apparent to the electrician which phase is which. In addition, this staggered approach allows for easier terminations of the input feed to the lugs as well as the ability to make parallel feeds easier to connect.

The DC Input lugs are next to the input lugs located in the lower 1/3 of the Unit and conveniently separated from the input terminal blocks by sheet metal.  The DC polarities are readily identified and  markings are easy to see

This unit has bottom feed (standard) or bottom feed (optional).

The shallow depth of this unit makes it easy to reach  all way to the rear of the UPS should repairs be necessary.  There is no access from the rear, nor is any needed!

Circuit breakers and Switches are located on the front lower panel–a welcome relief to other manufacturers who have done away with these items.

This enhances the serviceability of the UPS as it makes servicing so much easier.  The service engineer can control various portions of the UPS operations via breakers and switches without the need to interface to a laptop.  In addition it reduces the electrical cost of installation!

All items are well laid out in a clean arrangement. All wiring is neat without wires running “helter skelter” over other components in the cabinetry as I find with many UPS currently on the market.  It indicates the factory has taken the extra step to produce a quality product..

The battery cabinet is well designed. It is capable of  having two strings in a stack-able arrangement.  Batteries are mounted on pull out trays making it much easier to change-out batteries whenever that becomes necessary.

All batteries are pre-wired. All that needs to be done is connecting Anderson Connectors together to make the battery operational.

A battery breaker is located on the front of the battery cabinet.  It is safely hidden behind the front panel to prevent unauthorized tampering.  Having a cabinet breaker makes the installation of the battery system faster and less expensive. It eliminates the additional wiring which is performed by the electrical contractor as well as shunt trips, etc.

The unit features a big, well-illuminated (back lit) and easy to read display.  The layout is intuitive and within 2-3 minutes you are able to navigate the system without difficulty.  This display has some very ingenious features.. Other than providing accurate readings of all functions in the UPS (Input voltages, output voltages, DC Bus, Frequency, Load, kVA, kW, etc., it allows full programmable inputs for the battery charger, ”mode” (full on-line, line interactive,etc. for those who are energy conscious)

The UPS is extremely quiet thanks to the IGBT front-end  as well as the inverter. The noise level, even in the electrical closet is minimal compared to many of the other UPS’ I have worked with.

I would say Staco has a winner with this unit. It is an excellent product  having features you either have to purchase as an option or not available at all.  Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing many more of these units in the marketplace over the next year.

“If anyone would like to talk about these units, please feel free to give them my telephone number.  I will be happy to do it.”

Demps E. Bannerman, PhD., E.E.
Critical Power Systems, Inc.
www.criticalpowersystemsinc.com
2043 Emily St.
Tupelo, MS 38804
662-401-8831

If Demps can ever assist in future installs, just let him know.  Demps is there to help!