Service Contracts with Digicon Solutions
At Digicon Solutions, we pride ourselves on being one of the biggest independent drives specialists in the industry and have built up a team of technical specialists who together have over 100 years of experience in the industry; from installation engineers to high level technical support and sales staff.
Digicon have created a range of bespoke service contract packages, which can be tailored to suit your needs. A pre-negotiated Service Contract enables maximum reliability, optimised energy efficiency and minimum down time on VSD’s installed on critical applications.
We currently cover more than 300 sites nationally with our Service Contracts, from private and NHS hospitals, commercial buildings, national leisure groups, pharmaceutical industry, retail groups and industrial end users.
"Digicon can be there within hours, not weeks"
The typical lifespan of a VSD can range between 5 and 10 years depending upon the application. But, as with all technology, units can fail, and this can be down to a whole host of reasons. Variable speed Drives are typically on a 2-3 week delivery from the manufacturer, and Digicon recognises that no business wants a potential 3 week wait for a replacement to get them up and running again. Digicon’s current stock holding is £0.5m, meaning that if and when that critical application goes down, Digicon can be there within hours, not weeks. A pre-negotiated service contract secures you guaranteed engineer response times.
What Can Be Included in my Service Contract?
• Regular Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) site visits including drive health checks and parameter settings optimization
• Drive replacement/installation, start up and commissioning
• 24-hour telephone support
• Nationwide coverage from our in-house installation and service team
• Guaranteed response times to site
• Advantageous service rates
• Provision of parts management solutions and strategic spares held on your site or our Hinckley or London warehouse
Contact Us Today To Find Out More...
01455 251610 Â // Â 0844 335 1724
Is Energy Efficiency Really Worth the Investment?
The upfront cost of investing in energy-efficiency solutions may deter some businesses from taking the plunge. There are many arguments that support this reluctance. Energy costs are indeed falling. Businesses in Germany are eligible for tax rebates on their energy supply. And, in the industrial sector, where electric motor systems account for 30% of global electricity consumption, it’s going to take a significant investment to upgrade motor efficiency class or install AC drives to optimise the efficiency of the motors.
On the other hand, there is plenty of evidence to demonstrate why energy efficiency is justifiably legislated, and that it does, in fact, have a considerable payback.
More information can certainly break down some of the barriers. Here’s a quick example. It’s a well-known fact that AC drives reduce the electricity consumption of motors under variable torque loading (for example, with fans and pumps). And the return on investment in AC drives can be as little as a matter of months. Copenhagen’s luxury business hotel, the elegant Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers insisted on state-of-the-art energy technology in its design. In order for energy consumption to be as low as possible, an innovative ground-water heating and cooling system equipped with AC drives was installed.
Energy savings through system optimisation
There is a very high potential for energy savings through system optimisation. Systems can be reconfigured, to work in a more efficient way, and drives are an important technology that is an enabler for these optimisations.
In addition, AC drives can also be configured to run in regenerative mode where braking energy is fed back into the power supply instead of being lost as heat. You can read more about reduced energy costs achievable when using the VACON® NXP range of common DC bus drive products here.
So, we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. Introducing energy efficiency measures requires investment. Sometimes the benefits outweigh the costs, sometimes not. The basic rule of thumb is to examine all aspects – technical, commercial and logistical – and take into account the entire lifecycle of the system.
- Every measure has side effects. Weigh up the side effects against the advantages
- Consider lifetime costs. A low-purchase cost doesn’t necessarily equate to low operating costs
- Wherever possible, consult experts, such as Digicon Solutions, to clarify the technical advantages and disadvantages of your investment
In times where energy efficiency is high on the political agenda and resources are getting scarce, it’s important to remember to save energy – but, for the sake of our businesses, not at any price. Let’s ensure that we make smart investments, ones that pay off for our industries and our societies and that create a better tomorrow for our future generations.