UPS Spare Optimization

1. At LAR, we have roughly:

At LAR, we have roughly 50 uninterruptable power supplies or UPS units on site and, at the moment, have no spares for them.  

2. For this project, my task was:

For this project, my task was to order and stock spares for the UPSs in the most optimal way possible.  

3. While evaluating the multiple UPSs at the site,: 

While evaluating the multiple UPSs at the site, we encountered two challenges: 

4. (1) A lack of:

(1) A lack of standardization in terms of UPSs types.  

5. We found that have two types of UPSs on site,:

We found that have two types of UPSs on site, a single input UPS and a dual input UPS.

6. The difference between a single and dual input is:

The difference between a single and dual input is that the single input UPS has an internal bypass from the same source as its power source and the dual input UPS has an internal bypass that is fed from a separate source, independent from its power source.

7. The reason we have two different types of inputs on site is: 

The reason we have two different types of inputs on site is the older infrastructure was only equipped with a single source compared to the newer and more reliable infrastructure that can accommodate for a secondary source.  

8. The second challenge we encountered was:

The second challenge we encountered was a lack of flexibility in terms of voltage inputs to the UPS.

9. For example,:

For example, we found that some models that took in 240 V and saw a variety that only allowed for 208 V input.  

10. For both of these challenges,:

For both of these challenges, we reached out to the vendor.  

11. In terms of the first issue,:   

In terms of the first issue, we were advised to utilize a jumper to configures a dual input UPS into a single input UPS, which effectively reduces the number of UPS spares we need to stock by half.    

12. For the issue of the different voltage inputs,:

For the issue of the different voltage inputs, the vendor advised us to retap the internal transformer to select the correct voltage we need.  

13. The last stage is:  

The last stage is to complete a PRF request form.  

14. This optimization proposal is beneficial because:

This optimization proposal is beneficial because a 50% reduction of spares (1) better streamlines the actual maintenance/repair process by reducing time inefficiencies due to routine confusion and mistakes

15. (2)

frees up physical space in the storage warehouse for more equipment and spares,

16. and (3)

and (3) reduces maintenance costs since we are not spending money on unnecessary spares.