Police must also be able to communicate 24/7

Emergency power supply from Elinex for 'the long arm of the law'

"We are a 24-hour business and therefore a continuous power supply is vital," says Hans Brinker, Technical Housing Manager at the Almelo Police Department. Among other things, Brinker is responsible for the (emergency) power supply of the main station in Almelo. In August, a malfunction occurred in a 30 kV UPS from Eaton. Kropman Installatietechniek BV was quickly on the scene, as they provide the installations for the police in the region on a contract basis. Jimmy Poulina, Technical Manager at Kropman, says: "We work with Elinex Power Solutions to help our customers properly and quickly. Within a week a brand new UPSwas running on site."

UPS catches dip in power supply

On location in Almelo, the police have an Emergency Power Aggregate (NSA). "To prevent systems crashing when switching from the grid to the NSA, the UPS catches the power dip," Brinker explains. "The Eaton UPS in question was not to blame; it was over 11-years old." Closer inspection of the fault revealed that an IO board was faulty. Poulina: "First we went to see for ourselves to determine what was defective. It turned out to be the IO board. After consulting the Elinex helpdesk by phone, we came to the conclusion that replacement was the best option. That was then arranged by Elinex with lightning speed."

With the combination of the NSA and the UPS, the police benefit from a complete "no break" security. Much needed, Brinker observes. "Everything depends on power. Our access control systems, the fire alarm system, our intrusion protection, the transmitters we operate, our computers et cetera. With the work we do, you can imagine that availability of these systems is really literally vital. That's why we're happy with Kropman and Elinex, together they ensure that we can prevent problems."

Nothing can beat years of experience

Kropman has a contract with the regional police from 2019. Poulina: "We take care of all maintenance and solve malfunctions, we do that for the entire electrical installation. Even for the oil for the emergency power generator, we have a contract with a supplier. So we can make sure that also the fuel tank of the NSA stays filled."

Through years of experience, Kropman comes well equipped. "When entering into the contract with a new customer, you see that after a few months a relationship develops that is top-notch. We then know our way around the customer perfectly and in communication half a word is enough. This also works in the same way in the collaboration we have with Elinex. The success is determined by everything in the chain being right."

About the technology

Job Roeleveld, Account Manager at Elinex, outlines the delivery in Almelo: "We went for a 1-to-1 replacement of the old system, this time equipped with a UPS from Centiel. The advantage is that it could be delivered from stock. A 30 kV setup was delivered in the form of a UPS and a corresponding battery rack in the patch room. A chain with 40 batteries, good for 5 minutes of autonomous time. The e-tower can accommodate 80 batteries. However, the current setup is more than enough to give the aggregate time to start up."

Elinex has made good arrangements with Kropman: in case of emergencies, Elinex is on site within 4 hours and deliveries can be done quickly. "This is possible thanks to the fact that we work brand-independently," Roeleveld said. Both Brinker and Poulina are very pleased with the speed and quality of Elinex. In conclusion, Poulina says, "Bear in mind that the fault in the Eaton UPS came to light because a fire alarm went off. When we found that out, we immediately put the UPS on bypass, safety first. That so soon after that the new Centiel could get installed is worth its weight in gold."