The products produced by HIPOWER Systems, a Yanmar company, perform an important task—they supply electrical power when power is unavailable.
The North American company’s standby products power critical operations such as 24/7 data centers, warehouses offering refrigeration, and financial institutions, while its mobile units provide power to construction sites and other remote applications.
“Our products are used where there is no electricity at all,” says Rino Sbriglia, vice president of sales and client experience for HIPOWER. “The source of power and its reliability is extremely important for our products because our customers invest a large amount of money in a generator set since they cannot afford to have the power go down.”
Because customers count on them for constant power, HIPOWER depends on reliable engines for its generator sets. The Olathe, Kansas, company found a dependable power source in Volvo Penta.
Sbriglia says the partnership made sense because Yanmar already had a relationship with Volvo Penta and knew the engines offered unmatched fuel savings, performance and reliability.
HIPOWER specs Volvo Penta’s TWD1672-1673, known as the D16, Genset Engine for its products. The Tier 4 Final engine is a powerful, economical and reliable power source for HIPOWER’s 500 kilowatt (kW), 550 kW, 1 megawatt (MW), and 1.1 MW generator sets.
But it’s the engineering support Volvo Penta offers that makes the partnership standout. Volvo Penta tests the industrial engines for the application to ensure they stand up in demanding applications. Sbriglia explains that 70% of the time when generators fail it’s because the engine couldn’t handle the application.
“When customers buy our packages, they know the manufacturer has approved the entire system and that the engine manufacturer has approved the application,” he says. “Volvo Penta tells us the engine is good for this enclosure and ensures it will perform as it should. Many of our competitors do not offer customers that assurance.”
Volvo Penta tests the engines for temperature levels, fuel consumption, back pressure, air flow, cooling system, etc. to the application. “These tests establish how far we can push the unit,” he says.
The engines arrive on a pallet with all the components needed for a complete install, which Sbriglia explains is also a plus. HIPOWER doesn’t need to source the engine from Volvo Penta, and the components from other sources.
“This allows us to develop products faster than competitors,” he says. “It helps us reduce downtime and improve efficiency on the production line. And we are assured that all components will work seamlessly in the finished product.”
The power of Volvo Penta’s service network also contributes to HIPOWER’s success story. The company boasts a global dealer network with approximately 900 industrial dealers and offers 24/7 engineering support.
“We treat them as a partner and they treat us as a partner,” Sbriglia says. “I think that’s key to our successful relationship.”
