Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

Rockwell Automation (News - Alert), a provider of industrial automation and information solutions, announced it has acquired Middleton, Wis.-based SoftSwitching Technologies, a provider of industrial power protection systems.

Following this acquisition, SoftSwitching Technologies will be aligned within the Rockwell Automation Control Products & Solutions operating segment. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

SoftSwitching Technologies' power protection solutions are battery-free and environmentally friendly. They provide cost and performance advantages over battery-based, three-phase uninterruptible power supplies or constant voltage transformers.

"Brief power disruptions account for up to 70 percent of all unscheduled downtime in manufacturing today," said Bob Lennon, vice president of industrial components, Rockwell  Automation, in a statement. "Studies show that most of these events are caused by voltage sags lasting less than two seconds.”

SoftSwitching Technologies’ power protection solutions are capable of identifying and correcting brief power disruptions called "voltage sags,” which can cause computerized machinery to go off-line, precision instruments to fail, and control systems to shut down.

According to Lennon, SoftSwitching Technologies' products complement their power quality solutions and improve their capabilities in plant-wide optimization, protecting customer’s manufacturing assets. 

A specialty of SoftSwitching Technologies is the centralized intelligent network system that provides power grid alerts so manufacturers can monitor activity and correlate power quality events with unscheduled downtime. This feature, according to company officials, saves hours of guesswork and mechanical diagnostics.

"This acquisition provides the necessary resources to extend all SoftSwitching Technologies' unique technologies into many more applications through the Rockwell Automation global channels network," said Jason Doescher, SoftSwitching Technologies' chief financial officer, in a statement.

In another related development from the power protection industry, CyberPower Systems announced the launch of a new line of sleek, FTTx DC power backup desktop models. The power protection models, DT30U12V-NA3 and DT30U12V-NA3-G, offer a rich feature set for all levels of service provider, allow for flexibility of location, and add to the décor of the room, according to company officials.