The foodbank, which is located in Hawkins Lane, is open to everyone in the local area. Those in need can self-refer for an emergency food parcel by calling 01283 547211. So far this year, with the help of the local community and a group of dedicated volunteers, the Burton food bank has distributed 2928 emergency parcels to those in need. 

The Crestchic team collect for the foodbank in the run-up to Christmas each year. In 2002, the foodbank coordinator Julia Davies-Ratcliffe, commented: “Many people in our local community are experiencing financial hardship. The demand for our foodbank service is the highest it has ever been in the 22-year history of providing this service. We are seeing many new people accessing this for the first time and it is a lifeline for everyone in need.”

Chris Caldwell, MD at Crestchic commented, “Crestchic has long been part of the Burton-on-Trent community. A huge part of our workforce are local people, who have lived in the town for generations. The collection for the food bank is something that the team proactively arrange to give back to friends and neighbours who are struggling.” 

The team YMCA Burton believe that everyone deserves a place to call home and to be supported in times of crisis. As well as the foodbank, which is open to all, regardless of housing circumstances, they are committed to providing a supportive and safe environment for those who are homeless, as well as practical and emotional support so that clients learn practical skills for the future. For more information, visit https://burtonymca.org/food-bank/ 

Pictured: Crestchic employees Marta and Lewis about to head off and deliver the food!

The post Head Office team donate to local food bank appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Jean-Philippe Gouvenel,  Business Development Manager at Crestchic France, commented: “As the data centre industry continues to grow and evolve, ensuring uninterrupted power supply and data centre resilience has become paramount. Crestchic has been at the forefront of this mission, providing innovative load-testing solutions to help organisations validate the performance of their backup power systems and generators. We’re keen to talk to anyone who is concerned about the impact of power outages, and the importance of regular testing or heat load testing for critical air conditioning systems.” 

Crestchic load banks and load testing solutions are primarily sold and rented to customers operating in the oil and gas, data centre and power generation sectors. The company manufactures a wide range of AC and DC load banks for both resistive-only and resistive-reactive applications. Load banks vary in size from 30kW to 6000kVA and are designed to operate a 3-phase, 50 or 60Hz. The larger units are containerised and transportable and can be linked together to provide loads of 50MVA and above.

Visit Crestchic Loadbanks’ booth E47 at Data Centre World Paris to learn about the following:

• The company’s comprehensive range of load bank solutions, from small-scale testing to large and complex installations,
• Chat with our team about how power resilience strategies and load testing can play a pivotal role during power outages or emergencies. 
• Find out about best practices for generator testing, ensuring data centre operators are confident in their backup power systems.
• Learn about our wide range of resistive only and resistive-reactive loadbanks, as well as bespoke solutions, such as trailerised load banks for multi-generator sites. 

Paul Brickman, Commercial Director at Crestchic Loadbanks, commented: “The Data Centre World events provide an unrivalled opportunity to meet end-users, our customers, contractors and consultants and have these important conversations face to face.”

The post Crestchic to Showcase Loadbank Solutions at Data Centre World Paris 2023 appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Arriving onsite, Steven Jewell, service engineer for Crestchic, worked with the European naval team to inspect and commission the load bank built into a 10ft ISO container. 

Steven explains: “The ship’s crew were very interested in overseeing the commissioning of the load bank and before the formal training began, they observed the load bank being inspected inside and out. I conducted insulation tests on the main connection terminals and auxiliary supplies to ensure they were all above 550 megaohms at 500V, then connected the main cables from the ship. 

“There were five cables per phase and earth, and I recommended that the auxiliary supply was used to maintain power to the load bank in case the generator on test was to fail. This way there would still be power for the load bank controls and cooling. The auxiliary power was supplied from the jetty’s distribution panel nearby.”

Load bank training for performance and safety

Once connected, the Crestchic team and the naval crew boarded the ship to begin the formal load bank training. The presentation began with load bank familiarisation and specification, then covered electrical connections, control cable connections, control switches and indicators on the load bank.

The main body of the presentation looked at operating limits, how to successfully use the control systems and software, safety and maintenance. 

Hands-on load bank experience 

After the training, the naval team were given the opportunity to test out what they had learned, using the load bank against the ship’s generator with each attendee operating the software, applying loads, starting and stopping the load bank. 

The Crestchic team used this hands-on session to demonstrate further best practice whilst running tests on the vessel’s generator.

Steven concludes: “Load banks are essential for marine applications, none more so than naval and military vessels where performance can mean life or death. Regularly using a load bank to ensure the generators on board are capable of handling the required loads should form part of the vessels regular maintenance procedures, and knowing how to do this safely and accurately is of great importance. 

“This is why we finish our training sessions with hands-on learning, to ensure that those responsible for working with the load bank are competent in doing so and have the confidence to test with accuracy and in accordance with best practice.”

Load banks for naval applications

There are many electrical systems onboard naval and military vessels that must remain active in the event of a primary power outage. 

Propulsion systems, refrigeration, light, heat and air conditioning, and of course weapon systems. Load bank testing ensures the back-up generator is capable of handling these loads, and how they interact with each other in the event of a primary power failure. 

With over 30 years’ experience in the field, Crestchic’s highly specialised, containerised load banks are widely used by naval forces throughout the world for testing gensets, gas turbines, UPS and DV systems. 

For more information, contact Crestchic on +44 (0)1283 531 645 or complete the online contact form.

The post NAVAL APPLICATIONS: ELITE NAVAL FORCE RECEIVES LOADBANK TRAINING FROM CRESTCHIC appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

What is a load bank?

Wherever there is standby power, there is also a need for a load bank – a device that is used to create an electrical load that imitates the operational or ‘real’ load that a generator would use under operational conditions – ensuring optimal operation.

A load bank can be used for a variety of applications, whether testing a diesel generator as a standby power supply, verifying the condition of a battery or UPS, or applying a full load to keep equipment running at its optimum efficiency. In short, the load bank is used to test, support, or protect a critical backup power source and ensure that it is fit for purpose in the event that it is called upon.

Energy crisis – Increased reliance on power

According to the International Energy Agency, global electricity demand grew by almost six percent in 2021, driven by growing global populations, increasing digitalisation, and a greater focus on sustainability. The growth is showing no signs of abating, with McKinsey predicting that power consumption will triple by 2050 as electrification and living standards grow.

As a result, organisations across all sectors are increasing their reliance on a secure, constant power supply to keep operations flowing as expected. However, just as with any engine, maintenance is key to ensuring that generators will start when required – making it vital that anyone investing in a generator also explores the purchase or hire of a load bank.

Energy transition

Efforts to address climate change are leading to increased electrification across industry, the transport network, and beyond. This uptick in demand for power is coupled with the need to generate power from renewable sources – resulting in a rapidly-changing energy landscape. The rollout of renewable power sources such as wind and solar brings with it ongoing investment in the power generation mix, as well as a renewed focus on how power systems are designed and operated.

When harnessing natural sources of power, which are reliant on the wind blowing and the sun shining, managing a stable and constant supply can be challenging. For this reason, there is an increased need for backup power options, grid balancing solutions, and better-connected grids. This often involves the use of generators, which are used to increase or decrease generation, correct frequency deviations, and balance supply to demand. Often a stopgap measure, generators are typically installed to run as standalone alternatives to the grid to provide an alternative power source during grid outages. Yet, while their role as a reliable backup power source can keep consumers from being plunged into darkness, businesses from downtime, and hospitals from being unable to power vital equipment, generators are only a reliable source if properly maintained – and the only way to do that is to use a load bank.

The energy crisis

In the midst of the energy transition, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had far-reaching impacts on the global energy system, disrupting supply and demand patterns and impacting trading relationships. As well as causing a prolonged shortage of power (most notably in Europe) the crisis has also seen energy prices rise, impacting households, industries, and entire economies.

Where shortages threaten, governments may be forced to enact load-shedding strategies – a term used to describe the prioritisation of power allocation to hospitals and critical infrastructure. For businesses, this prioritisation process may mean being without power for period of time – impacting productivity and profitability. For this reason, many businesses are investing in backup power, ensuring that they can keep operating in emergency conditions if power cuts are implemented. In France in particular, the government has been clear: Businesses have been advised to make sure all emergency power generators are working, making load banks critical to meeting government recommendations.

A digital-first society

While the Digital Revolution has its roots in the 1960s and 70s, when technology started the transition from mechanical and analog to digital, the pandemic fundamentally shifted the way we live and work, necessitating a move to “digital first” almost overnight. A McKinsey study estimates that during the first eight weeks of the pandemic, digital channel adoption fast-forwarded seven years. As well as forcing companies to accelerate their digital strategy and adoption, this transition also reset expectations for customers, who now expect companies to offer an array of digital services and interactions – with 100% uptime.

To meet the challenges posed by an increasingly data-driven world, the data centre sector has experienced fast growth – with an anticipated 10.5% CAGR from 2021 to 2030. In a sector governed by strict SLAs and expectations of continuous uptime, the issue of downtime continues to dominate the sector. A report by the Uptime Institute (UI) at the end of 2022 identified that data centre outages were becoming increasingly costly – both in terms of downtime, reputational damage, and lost data. Crucially, data from the UI showed that the biggest causes of power-related outages were uninterruptible power supply failures, followed by transfer switch (generator / grid) and generator failures – reinforcing that implementing a robust load bank testing regime is key to data centre uptime.

Customer SLAs and zero-downtime

Research from Zendesk suggests that 80% of customers say they’d switch to a competitor after more than one bad experience. With customers demanding a fast and efficient service, regardless of industry, businesses can’t afford operational inefficiency. In a world where zero-downtime is a critical part of business success, having access to reliable power supplies is non-negotiable – and will continue to entail the deployment of generators and load banks.

The role of load banks in the energy crisis

The growth in demand for generators is a clear sign that businesses are reviewing their continuity and energy resilience plans. Load banks are a critical part of that planning – with issues around grid reliability, energy shortfalls, and the transition to more sustainable power sources, it has never been more important that operators test their backup power systems. By carrying out testing and maintenance, fuel, exhaust, cooling systems and alternator insulation resistance are effectively tested and system issues can be uncovered in a safe, controlled manner without the cost of major failure or unplanned downtime.

For more information, contact us here: Get In Touch

The post The role of load banks in 2023 appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Known for its successes in all high-tech shipbuilding sectors, including naval and offshore vessels, mega yachts and high-complexity ferries, this world-leader has built more than 7,000 ships to date. Working from 18 shipyards globally, the group uses load banks to test and commission power sources for new vessels before they are declared fit to sail.

The project specifics

The four load banks in question had been in situ since 2013 and were in need of complete refurbishment and substantial upgrading. With new vessels being built throughout the year, this was a time-sensitive project, with only a matter of weeks available in which to complete the full program of works.

Pulling out all the stops, a team of Crestchic’s specialist service engineers stayed in Italy for three weeks – completing the work on time, exceeding customer expectations, and ensuring the four loadbanks could remain in service and deliver optimised performance.

Proving power performance before vessels sail

Most modern vessels are built with all-electric power systems, comprising a single power network that is supplied by a primary energy source. This is often made up of multiple diesel generators or gas turbines.

Using a loadbank to simulate these conditions and test power supplies during the shipbuilding phase validates that, when the vessel makes its maiden voyage, it has a power system that can fulfill its propulsion and onboard power requirements without fail.

It also ensures that the backup power system can reliably power on-ship requirements like refrigeration, lighting, heating, or air-conditioning, keeping the vessel supplied with power in even the most arduous of marine conditions.

Josh Grant of Crestchic Service

Experience in action

With over 30 years’ experience in serving the marine and shipping sector, Crestchic was confident it had the expertise to fulfil what was a significant value project for its service team.

Ian Casson, Service Manager at Crestchic commented on the success of the project: “The shipyard in Venice is an always-on environment, so timeframes were tight. We worked strategically to ensure the four loadbanks received all the essential upgrades and refurbishments they needed and were recommissioned before the next ship was ready for power testing.

“This was a substantial project both in prestige and value and really showcased Crestchic’s ability to work at the forefront of the shipbuilding sector, testing and commissioning power sources for some of the most state-of-the-art vessels on the sea.”

For more information on Crestchic’s service division click here, or to discuss your requirements in more detail, contact us.

The post Shipbuilding industry: Crestchic completes load bank upgrade for one of the worlds largest shipbuilding groups appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

On 8th December 2022, colleagues from across the power industry gathered for the AMPS awards, with the Crestchic Loadbanks team taking home three of the eleven awards on offer.  As well as scooping Manufacturer of the year and Member Company of the year, the Engineer of the Year accolade was awarded to Ben Woodward.  

With AMPS member companies comprising global FTSE 100-listed companies to micro businesses, Crestchic was up against stiff competition. Winning the Manufacturer of the Year award is testament to the company’s recent and ongoing growth. Over the past year, Crestchic has made a huge investment in its manufacturing facilities, expanding its UK factory capacity by 50%. With global demand for load testing equipment on the increase, Crestchic exports its products to more than thirty different countries, and has experienced re cord orders for the fourth year running. 

Chris Caldwell, Managing Director at Crestchic, commented, “While many companies have suffered from the recent pandemic and financial slowdown, Crestchic has bucked the trend and is investing in staff and facilities both in the UK and beyond. We’re very pleased to receive recognition of our journey so far, and of our huge growth in recent years. We’re particularly proud that Ben has received recognition of his outstanding technical aptitude, dedication to innovation and willingness to share his knowledge – he’s a very worthy winner and we’re proud to have him as part of the team. A huge thank you to everyone who has played a part in our ongoing success – and to our colleagues from across the sector who voted for us.” 

Held by AMPS – the trade association and industry voice for the UK’s world-leading diesel and gas-engine power generating sector – the AMPS awards ceremony is one of the industry’s most anticipated events. AMPS was incorporated in 1989 to provide technical guidance, lobbying support, networking opportunities and best-practice assistance for its members. For more information about AMPS, visit www.amps.org.uk/

The post Crestchic scoops three AMPS Awards appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

At the end of November, the Crestchic depot in Texas (USA) fulfilled a large customer order in record time, helping to ensure that the customer in question could fulfil business critical power testing obligations. The speedy fulfilment of the job saw the customer return for a further eight units just a few days later. 

Steven Bacon, Business Development Manager for Crestchic USA, explains “The customer called us looking for an extremely fast turnaround. It was 2pm and they needed 17, 100kW load banks by close of business the same day. It’s a short turnaround time for any major equipment supplier, but our processes and the team’s can-do attitude meant that we fulfilled the order and the mission-critical testing was able to go ahead as planned.” 

Working with a major player in the data centre industry, the customer had scheduled mission-critical tests to take place the next day. A hiccup in their existing supply chain meant that they didn’t have the specialist load banks equipment required to complete the testing. 

In just two hours, the Crestchic team had sorted out all of the paperwork, processed payments, and arranged for customer collection of 17 units, including cabling and peripherals. 

Customer service and fast response time 

In an unforeseen turn of events, the trailer that the customer had ordered to collect the load banks from the Crestchic depot broke down on the way. With customer service at the forefront of the Texas operation, the Crestchic team waited out-of-hours for the trailer to arrive, before helping the driver to secure the load ready for the onward journey. 

Steven continued, “Our internal systems and processes meant that we were able to complete an incredibly fast turnaround on this urgent order. It was great to see the team spring into action and make it happen. This particular customer has a fleet of data centres in the US and beyond, used to power a number of global apps and services. For them, having their system go down due to a power outage is just not an option. The load banks supplied will be used to check their backup power systems and ensure they will power up effectively in the event of an emergency.”

Data centre industry sees costs of downtime rise

Findings from the Uptime Institute’s 2022 Global Datacentre Survey highlight the fact that downtime in the data centre industry is becoming increasingly expensive, with the main cause identified as power failures. Further research also identifies the biggest causes of power-related outages to be uninterruptible power supply failures, followed by transfer switch (generator / grid) and generator failures. Loadbank testing allows data centre operators to fully test their systems – mitigating the costly and devastating impact of a power outage. 

Second order placed with a week

Steven concludes, “The customer was extremely grateful and their director said that he would never forget how fast we worked and that he would return to us for any future load bank /power testing requirements. True to his word, the customer called for another 8 units just a few days later.” 

Founded in 1983, Crestchic is one of the world’s leading specialist manufacturers of load banks which are used in the testing of power supplies in the most demanding climactic and environmental conditions across seven continents. Operating from locations in the UK, North America, Singapore, Belgium, France, Germany, China and the UAE, the company is at the forefront of innovation and design, with thriving sales and rental operations and a loyal and growing customer base worldwide.

For more information about the role of load bank testing in data centre power resilience strategies, speak to our team.  

The post Unbeatable turnaround time ensures same-day supply of 17 load banks in Texas  appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Members of the Crestchic team will be available throughout the event on stand K20, to discuss Crestchic’s capabilities and product offering,

Data Center World Paris is the largest event in France dedicated to data centres, offering attendees an unrivalled line-up of world-class suppliers to the data centre sector together with networking and conference opportunities.

Jean-Philippe Gouvenel, Business Development Manager at Crestchic France, explains: “In a data centre environment, power outages can lead to unexpected and extremely expensive downtime. The data center industry’s standard for uptime is five-9s—or 99.999%, making it vital that backup power systems are fit for purpose if an outage occurs. Using load banks for commissioning and ongoing testing of backup power solutions, as well as for heat load testing, can mitigate this risk and help customers meet strict uptime SLAs. We’re looking forward to meeting customers and industry colleagues to talk about power continuity in the sector.”

Crestchic’s range of products include:

• Resistive-only load banks typically up to 300kW for heat load testing
• Rack mounted server emulators for heat load- testing
• Capacitive load banks to test with the leading power factor often associated with servers
• Large multi-megawatt, medium voltage load bank packages to test and synchronise multigenset systems on a common bus with a lagging power factor
• DC load banks to test UPS systems for close battery analysis and discharge performance
• Resistive-reactive load banks for testing the whole system operation in an emergency change-over scenario.

To register for this event, visit: www.datacentreworld.fr

For more information on Crestchic, visit https://crestchic.fr/

The post Crestchic France to exhibit at Data Centre World Paris appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Members of the Crestchic team will be available throughout the event on stand A06, to discuss Crestchic’s capabilities and product portfolio. The company will also be exhibiting an example of a DC Loadbank within the next-generation data centre product display area. 

Data Centre World is one of six exhibitions that make up the Madrid Tech Show. Others include Cloud Expo Europe Madrid, Cyber ​​Security World Madrid, Big Data & AI World Madrid and E-SHOW Madrid and Technology for Marketing. The event, which claims to be the leading data centre sector fair in Europe, will be home to 250 leading companies and more than 250 Keynote speakers in 15 auditoriums. 

Wodan de Quick, European Rental Director at Crestchic, explains: “In a data centre environment, power cuts can lead to unexpected and extremely expensive downtime, making it vital that backup power systems are working and maintained effectively. Using load banks for commissioning and ongoing testing of backup power solutions, as well as for heat load testing, can help customers meet strict uptime SLAs. We’re looking forward to meeting customers and industry colleagues to talk about power continuity in the sector.”

Crestchic’s range of products include: 

• Resistive-only load banks typically up to 300kW for heat load testing 
• Rack mounted server emulators for heat load- testing 
• Capacitive load banks to test with the leading power factor often associated with servers 
• Large multi-megawatt, medium voltage load bank packages to test and synchronise multigenset systems on a common bus with a lagging power factor
• DC load banks to test UPS systems for close battery analysis and discharge performance 
• Resistive-reactive load banks for testing the whole system operation in an emergency change-over scenario.  

To register for this event, visit: www.datacentreworld.es 

For more information on Crestchic, visit https://crestchic.es/ 

The post Crestchic to exhibit at Data Centre World Madrid  appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Datacloud USA is the newest event of its kind for the US data infrastructure market: connecting decision makers from across data center, cloud, edge, HPC, content, big tech as well as regional and international enterprise.

Members of the Crestchic team will be available throughout the event at table 6, where they will be available to answer industry questions about power testing and continuity.

Steven Bacon, Business Development Manager for Cresthic Loadbanks, explains “Testing of data center backup power under real working conditions is essential to ensure that power supplies cannot be interrupted. Power outages can lead to decreases in productivity, increases in production time, and an increase in costs. Using load banks for commissioning and ongoing testing of backup power solutions, as well as for heat load testing, can mitigate this risk. The event is a great chance to meet customers and industry colleagues and talk about how we can assist with power continuity in the sector.”

With over 40 years of experience in the power testing industry, Crestchic has operations on the West and East Coast and has recently opened a new depot in Texas. The company designs manufactures and rents AC & DC load banks with built-in transformers for the safe and accurate commissioning and maintenance of power systems, including diesel generators, gas turbines, and UPS. With extensive experience in the global data center sector, Crestchic specializes in providing tried and tested power resilience solutions, including cooling/heat load testing and ongoing generator maintenance.

Crestchic’s solutions include:

• Resistive-only load banks and rack-mounted server emulators for heat load testing
• Capacitive load banks to test with the leading power factor often associated with servers
• Large multi-megawatt, medium voltage load bank packages to test and synchronise multigenset systems on a common bus with a lagging power factor
• DC load banks to test UPS systems for close battery analysis and discharge performance
• Resistive-reactive load banks for testing the whole system operation in an emergency change-over scenario).

Crestchic’s solutions can help mitigate the risk of unexpected power outages and downtime and help ensure that your backup power performs when needed. To find out more visit table 6. Click here to register to attend the Datacloud event.

The post Crestchic Loadbanks to showcase power testing solutions at Datacloud USA appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.