The AST strategy was 100% through the channel, so it looks like the new setup aims to acquire market share in the 1-phase segment by combining the strengths of both parties.
AST got off to a good start in Europe and Middle East by simplifying their UPS product line: cutting back on the complex features incumbents had added to UPS.
Today's UPS market is bloated with about 5000 SKUs: what was once an uncomplicated business has swollen into an industry maze. Most distributors were expected to carry at least 100 SKUs only to serve just 5% of their total business.
AST aimed for the professional (B2B) 1-phase markets with a range that included the most-important UPS features, yet matched the price points of “less advanced” incumbent products.
All AST A Series products are on-line/double conversion. They can be installed in standard 19” racks or as stand-alone units (R/T) and they come with SNMP communication port as standard (A1 only with standard RS-232). The more popular models for single rack installations (3 and 5 kVA) also have “more than 30% more battery-run-time than any other solution without (optional) battery extension.” AST's 2-year customer warranty rests upon product swap instead of repair shop delays.
Will the AST PQS “simplicity & profitability” strategy see changes after the new arrangement? That's yet to be revealed. More news is expected within weeks.
Go AST PQS
]]>Researcher IHS says MEA offers a combined UPS market of US$550 million in 2012.
“Looking just at the Middle East, growth is projected to stay around the 5% range during the next two years,” notes Liz Cruz, senior analyst, data center and critical infrastructure, at IHS. “Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will drive growth in the near term, while more emerging UPS markets like Oman and Qatar will generate higher long-term growth.”
Some countries in the Middle East have market drivers other than oil prices, ones that are creating new applications for UPS. For example, building, transportation and utility infrastructure will affect numerous markets, as well as some construction of new data centres in the region.
And how about Africa?
While the UPS market in Africa should grow by single-digits for now, it will increase in trajectory by 2015. North Africa will hold back growth for now as the political and economic situations stabilize. Look to the Sub-Saharan regions, especially Nigeria and South Africa, to have stronger growth in the near-term.
“Everything from power quality, civil unrest, emerging data center construction, infrastructure development and even tourism will affect UPS market growth over the next five years,” Cruz comments. “These factors will affect each country’s UPS market differently.”
Go IHS
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The market expansion will be supported by the escalating demand for reliable power across all end-user segments. The data centre segment, in particular, will offer tremendous scope for UPS sales.
“The demand for continuous power availability has become the most important driver for the European UPS market,” says Frost & Sullivan Energy & Power Supplies Industry Analyst Gautham Gnanajothi. “For certain end users like banks and data centres, power availability is crucial; even a minute of downtime leads to huge monetary losses. This is pushing the demand for smart, reliable and highly energy-efficient UPS systems.”
“Data centres currently contribute about 40 per cent of the entire UPS sales in Europe, with this contribution expected to increase over the years,” says Gnanajothi. “Innovative, energy-efficient UPS systems are set to make strong gains in this segment.”
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Yes... and no. It is a mature market but Geneva-based AST Power Quality Solutions believes it can target the exposed underbelly of the old UPS beasts. The very fact that UPS is mature means the market leaders have over-extended their product lines, added more complicated features to units to justify their price points, and evolved clunky ordering and logistics structures. All for single digit profit margins. It’s the maturity that has created their vulnerabilities, argues AST-PQS.
Founded in 2009 and out with their A Series UPS line in Europe in September 2010, AST Power Quality Solutions is an independent joint-venture business extension to ASTModular SA, a provider of modular data centres and headquartered in Barcelona.
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This year's EMEA UPS revenues remain the same as 2009'S, IMS Research reports. Globally, the UPS market's Q3 2010 is 12.9% higher than Q3 2009, thanks to strong sales in Asia and the Americas.
Europe's debt crisis hampers its revival in the region. Exchange rate changes also hit the market to some extent.
Asian sales are what drives the recovery globally, with the region's global market share clocking to 33%.
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SurgeX International introduces its SXN1230 surge eliminator and AC power conditioner. Housed in a 12" x 12" x 4" NEMA enclosure meeting code for use in ceiling plenums, the industrial-grade SXN1230 provides guaranteed surge protection for dedicated power lines.
Designed for international use in 230-volt systems with single phase requirements, the SXN1230 uses proprietary SurgeX technologies such as Advanced Series Mode surge elimination and Impedance Tolerant EMI/RFI filtering.
SurgeX Founder Michael McCook comments, "The SXN1230 takes proven SurgeX technologies and incorporates them into a convenient solution that can be used in a wide range of situations where conventional rackmount power conditioning solutions are not appropriate."
SurgeX's Advanced Series Mode surge elimination is superior to conventional metal-oxide varistor (MOV) based circuitry or MOV hybrid designs and is completely non-sacrificial. The manufacturer says its "zero let-through" technology stops all surges up to 6000 volts (unlimited surge current) without producing harmful side effects such as ground-wire contamination or common-mode disturbances.
SurgeX International products have a 10-year warranty.
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