Rather contrary to popular belief, government agencies are big procurers of modular UPS systems, noted Palash Nandy, CEO, Numeric, in a recent media interaction.
Nandy was interacting with the media at the sidelines of a recent digital conference held to announce the launch of Numeric’s newest three-phase modular UPS, “KEOR MOD”. Numeric is a brand owned by the Legrand Group. (Read more on KEOR MOD launch).
Responding to a query posed by T&D India, Palash Nandy said that the newly launched KERO MOD is expected to generate high demand from government-related agencies. In general, government-owned entities account for 30-35 per cent of UPS sales (including services) by Numeric. Citing a recent case in point, Nandy said that over the past six months, Numeric has supplied modular UPS systems to 13 government-owned airports. Such UPS systems have also found their way to educational institutes, run by the government.
Coming back to KEOR MOD, the Numeric CEO observed that much of the product demand would come from the Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) sector. Even small and medium data centres are expected to view the product favourably.
Three-phase UPS systems have a share of 50-55 per cent of the overall UPS market, noted Nandy. The concept of modularity is gaining popularity as it provides the user with the flexibility to add power modules as and when the user’s requirement grows. KEOR MOD is expected to do well as it has several unique features that would be in addition to the general advantages offered by three-phase modular UPS systems.
When asked about which product of Numeric currently came close to the KEOR MOD, Palash Nandy responded that it was the “Archimod” range. This range, which has done very well in the market, may be discontinued once KEOR MOD penetrates the market.
On the note of product discontinuation, Nandy mentioned that even if a product were discontinued, service support to the product continues to be extended for a period of 8-10 years.
Need for power quality
Palash Nandy reiterated that demand for UPS systems will continue to grow despite the improvement in grid power availability. A UPS system does not address power temporary outages but also provides “clean” and “quality” power, which is the foremost requirement of the industrial and services sector. Also, a UPS system, because it is regarded as backup provision, will always to find its place in the last-mile electrical distribution system of a business enterprise, despite the general improvement in grid power.
Bullish outlook
Though the overall UPS industry was down 18-20 per cent in 2020, over 2019, thanks to the pandemic effect, Numeric did better than the market. Regarding the business outlook for Numeric UPS, Palash Nandy maintained optimism. He noted that digitalization would lead to expansion of the data centre market, thereby fuelling the demand for UPS systems. Besides, significant business would come from the infrastructure, healthcare and education sectors. Nandy also pointed out that the modern retail industry would also be a demand driver for the UPS industry, thanks to the modernization of the logistics chain. The new “work from home” and “study from home” cultures, which took gained traction during the lockdown months, also expected to become the new normal of sorts, though not at a scale seen during the lockdown. This would also boost the demand for low-rating UPS systems.
Numeric, with over 250 UPS service centres pan-India, was in a commanding position to take advantage of the upcoming demand. “We are well placed as an organization to take advantage of the situation, not just because of the products but also because we have solid service infrastructure in place,” summed up Palash Nandy.
