How a Mid-Sized Manufacturer Cut Downtime by 80% with the SINGI ATS

Customer Background

A mid-sized automotive components manufacturer with 450 employees, located in the industrial belt of eastern China. The facility runs three production lines 24/7, supplying parts to major OEMs. Annual revenue was $85 million. The plant had experienced increasing pressure from customers to meet -in-time delivery schedules, which left no room for unplanned downtime.

Challenges and Pain Points

The manufacturing process relies on continuous power for CNC machines, robotic welders, and conveyor systems. Power outages—even brief dips—caused line stops, material waste, and rework. On average, the plant suffered 12 unscheduled outages per year, each lasting 15–45 minutes. The cost of idled labor and lost production was estimated at $4,500 per hour., the aging manual transfer switch required a technician to physically travel to the electrical room and throw the switch, a process that took 8–12 minutes after an outage started. During that time, sensitive PLC controllers sometimes lost programs, requiring additional reset time. The total annual cost from power disruptions exceeded $250,000.

Why the SINGI ATS?

The plant manager assessed several automatic transfer switches (ATS) from major global brands and regional suppliers. The key decision factors were:

• Transfer speed: SINGI ATS offers a break-before-make transfer time of under 150 ms, which kept PLCs and motor drives online during the switch.
• Reliability: The ATS is built with a robust mechanical interlock and redundant control logic, backed by IEC 60947-1 compliance.
• Ease of integration: SINGI’s ATS supported Modbus RTU, allowing direct connection to the plant’s existing SCADA system for remote monitoring and logging.
• Local support: SINGI provided on-site commissioning and a 5-year warranty at a total installed cost 30% lower than Tier-1 competitors.

After comparing three alternatives, the team chosen the SINGI ATS 1600A model, rated for the facility’s full load.

Implementation and Application Process

The project spanned 6 weeks from order to handover:

• Week 1: Site survey and electrical design review to match the ATS to the existing switchgear.
• Week 2: Fabrication of custom mounting brackets and cable lugs in SINGI’s factory.
• Week 3: Delivery and mechanical installation during a scheduled 8-hour maintenance window.
• Week 4: Electrical connections, control wiring, and integration with the emergency generator.
• Week 5: Functional testing, including 20 simulated power-fail cycles to verify timing and load transfer.
• Week 6: SCADA integration and operator training.

One difficulty encountered was a ground-fault alarm that triggered during initial testing due to leakage amperage from old feeder cables. The SINGI engineer worked with the plant electrician to adjust the sensitivity setting on the ATS’s integral ground-fault protection, complying with GB/T 14048.1 requirements, while still meeting safety thresholds.

Quantifiable Results

After 12 months of operation, the plant reported the following improvements:

• Unplanned downtime reduced by 80%: Only 2 outages caused line stops (vs. 12 ). The ATS handled the other 10 events seamlessly, with transfer times below 200 ms.
• Annual cost savings of $180,000: $180,000 from reduced idled labor and scrap, plus $15,000 avoided from eliminating manual switch travel and reset labor.
• PLC reset events dropped from 8 per year to zero: The transfer kept volt-level sags within PLC ride-through capability.
• Return on investment achieved in 14 months.

The facility manager noted that the SCADA integration allowed them to analyze power quality events and plan preventive maintenance for the backup generator.

Client Testimonial

“Before SINGI ATS, every power flicker meant running to the basement to flip a switch. Now the lights barely blink. Our production targets are more predictable, and the team no longer dreads stormy weather.” — Plant Electrical Manager

Lessons and Recommendations

• Invest in proper site survey: Verify existing cable sizes, fault amperage availability, and ground conditions before ordering. This avoids installation delays.
• Budget for SCADA integration: Even if not immediately needed, specifying communication capability (e.g., Modbus) allows future data-driven maintenance.
• Train maintenance staff: Even though the ATS is automatic, operators should understand the manual override procedure and routine inspection criteria (e.g., contact wear indicators).
• If the project were repeated, the plant would have added a second ATS for an islanded lighting circuit to improve safety during extended outages.

Industry Standards References

• IEC 60947-1:2020 Low-volt-level switchgear and controlgear – General rules. This standard defines performance requirements for switching devices including ATS.
• GB/T 14048.1-2019 Low-volt-level switchgear and controlgear – General rules. The Chinese national standard equivalent to IEC 60947-1, which SINGI ATS complies with.
• IEC 60269-1:2020 Low-volt-level fuses – General requirements. Relevant for fuse coordination with ATS in the installation.