CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, announced that it continues to strengthen its emphasis in the mission-critical power industry by collaborating with Critical Power Consultants (CPC), a Roanoke, VA–based company that specializes in emergency standby power control systems, load management control systems, and monitoring solutions. CPC offers a host of technical services to original equipment manufacturers, engineering firms, and end users that require quick, responsive engineering services for critical power systems. The company has chosen PACSystems RX3i controllers for true dual redundancy data synchronization and automatic switchover for continuous operations.
"Today, customers face increasing critical power demand within the same space, which requires additional generators, switchgear, and control systems," said Gary Butcher, President of Critical Power Consultants. "Oftentimes, the existing systems contain obsolete controls or controls that do not afford expansion capabilities."
CPC's clients include data centers, hospitals, and municipalities that need to upgrade aging mission-critical emergency power systems or need to expand existing systems to facilitate growth. The emergency power systems in these facilities are absolutely critical to their business and sometimes even to life. The company has provided solutions to improve data center system reliability, relying on GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms' PACSystems* RX3i redundant controllers to offer connectivity to various I/O on a proven industrial network that provides deterministic data and automatic switchover for continuous operations. This redundancy solution operates as a single system to the overall operations, eliminating the complex preparations usually needed to synchronize data between other applications and external systems.
"At the heart of PACSystems High Availability is GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms' unique, patented redundancy Control Memory Xchange (CMX) module, based on reflective memory technology," said Connie Chick, General Manager of GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms Controllers business. "It synchronizes systems at the beginning and end of each logic scan execution to keep all variable data the same, providing rapid and bumpless switchover. Unlike other solutions, PACSystems High Availability offers true dual redundancy data synchronization with dual modules. The controllers have dedicated, redundant links to one another and operate synchronously with virtually no overhead added to the control application, transferring all application's variables, status, and I/O data on every scan, with speed and transparency."
By removing the multiple points of failure, the CPC system can increase system integrity, reliability, and security with the new solution. In addition, the PACSystems RX3i's open and flexible architecture enables CPC to leverage existing technology equipment, saving significant time and money.
"We prefer to use GE solutions because over the broad spectrum of devices, the GE family coordinates a package of power products and controls, along with its software, that meet our needs and the needs of our customers," Butcher continued. "Superior technical support has always been one of our requirements in vendor selection, and GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has never failed to perform in both site support and product selection assistance."
CPC selected GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms' suite of products for its open and flexible platform and tight integration. The solutions are quick to deploy and do not require reprogramming or reconfiguring, which can save CPC significant time and costs, resulting in higher productivity and profitability. In addition to key benefits for CPC, the redundancy and monitoring solutions using GE Fanuc's technologies have delivered significant benefits for end users:
- Quick time-to-solution with flexible programming
- Increased efficiency and reduced costs
- Robust and secure redundancy capabilities
- Increased system integrity and security
- Ability to track power data and respond quickly
- Enhanced flexibility, openness, and scalability
- Connectivity with various communications devices
About GE Fanuc
GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a joint venture between General Electric Co. and Fanuc Ltd. of Japan, is an experienced high-performance technology company and a global provider of hardware, software, services, and expertise in automation and embedded computing. We offer a unique foundation of agile, advanced, and ultra-reliable technology that provides customers a sustainable advantage in the industries they serve, including energy, water, consumer packaged goods, government & defense, and telecommunications. GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms is a worldwide company headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, and is part of GE Enterprise Solutions.
About GE Enterprise Solutions
GE Enterprise Solutions elevates customers' productivity and profitability with integrated solutions using sensors and nondestructive testing; security and life safety technologies; power system protection and control; and plant automation and embedded computing systems. Enterprise Solutions' high-tech, high-growth businesses include Sensing & Inspection Technologies, Security, Digital Energy, and GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms. The business has 17,000 problem-solving employees in more than 60 countries around the world.