PENBRO KELNICK: Tailormade Solutions to Optimise Performance

Renowned for tailor-made solutions assisting its doting customers with often niche, specialised requirements, Penbro Kelnick has a long operational history dating back to its foundation in 1951 and is now a fully autonomous, leading, and established South African supplier of specialised electrical products that play a major role in sectors including railway, telecommunications, utilities, mining, and industrial.

Today, this offering spans battery chargers, UPS, large resistors, transformers, and magnetics; anything and everything under the umbrella of power electronics and electromechanical components for industry. “100% of our equipment and products are custom-made for specific applications and customer needs, which means that we have a dedicated engineering department working hand-in-hand with the customer to find the best possible solution in each instance, in terms of both performance and price,” sets out MD Felice Massaro.

To complement its existing range, 2016 saw Penbro Kelnick acquire Strike Technologies, a leading developer, manufacturer, and distributor of medium to high voltage protection relays, surge protection, and protection test equipment predominantly for utilities and large power users such as mining and industries, integrated as an independently operating division.

LOCAL LOYALTY

The astronomical growth of the business and an ever-broadening customer base sparked a significant change in 2015, with the arrival on board of an international partner to align the business even more closely with world-class standards. In stepped the Italian Telema Group to purchase a 76% share in Penbro Kelnick and implement a more streamlined product strategy, together with stringent business processes and procedures.

“We felt that this was a good time to also execute the change in direction that we knew would help to realise growth and future potential that we saw in the business,” Massaro explains. “We enjoy the best of both worlds in the fact that we are a standalone, independent entity but equally know that we can always count on the support of the Group, and have access to new and alternative products and resources.

“We run our own business here, with our own processes, solutions, and technology, but still have the backing of a big group. Everything that we can find locally is sourced and manufactured locally, and as a general rule I would say that our products are at least 65% local content – sometimes even 100%. Continually, we strive to develop and manufacture innovative and high-quality world-class products, which are competitive locally and suitable for export.

“All our products are designed and manufactured in-house in South Africa,” he furthers. “We are committed to continuous improvement and our philosophy is, simply, ‘Quality’. This is central to our business because we value our customers and all employees have a responsibility within their own areas of work to help ensure that this is embedded within the whole of the company. We strive to provide our customers with products and services which meet and even exceed their expectations.

“We are very fortunate to have a highly-skilled research and development division that has kept us at the forefront of innovation and design. In today’s world it is imperative to move with the fast pace and adapt our products and services to the ever-changing needs of our customers, and our products are re-engineered at regular intervals to keep them at world-class standards for all our customers on all continents.

“It is very rare still, in South Africa, for a company to reach this grand old age,” beams Massaro. “I strongly feel that our key to success lies in attracting, retaining, and developing top quality people; our low staff turnover, meanwhile, speaks to the fact that we don’t only pay lip service, but truly care for our people and look after them well.”

NEXT GENERATION BMS

Despite an obviously extremely challenging set of recent circumstances, Massaro is able to share hugely positive reports regarding Penbro Kelnick’s resilience and current position. “This is the fourth consecutive year in which the business has experienced growth,” he relays. “Due to both Covid and the state of the market, we underwent some reorganisation and are now reaping the rewards with growth of upwards of 20% each year.” This trend-bucking success is in no small part down to Penbro Kelnick’s unique ability to find opportunity in crisis.

“The current energy situation is a national and international problem,” Massaro identifies, “but the flip side of it is the openings it creates for renewable energies and energy production. These take time to develop, and we are not yet involved in these spheres, but it has also created immediate opportunities for energy storage and battery management systems (BMS).”

Responding to this cry, Penbro Kelnick has just launched its next generation BMS – PENBRO NG-BMS – designed to optimise the performance and longevity of Pb and Ni-Cd battery systems and ensure that they run as best they can at all times. “PENBRO NG-BMS allows you to monitor and manage batteries in UPS systems at industrial level,” Massaro unpacks, “as well as to make use of cloud-based, digital infrastructures to transfer all of that data and monitor what is happening in remote areas at any time. In this way, users can identify any issues early on and take appropriate action to prevent damage and prolong the life of batteries.

“From mission critical applications to renewable energy systems and more, our NG-BMS^TM is the perfect solution for anyone looking to maximise the performance of their battery systems.” Maintenance challenges associated with lead-acid and Ni-Cad batteries number water loss, corrosion, overheating and temperature sensitivity, all of which can significantly reduce battery life and performance if not properly addressed. To overcome these challenges, Massaro further details, a specialised system such as the PENBRO NG-BMS^TM can be implemented to effectively monitor and manage the battery’s performance and prolong the battery’s lifespan.

This is a unique product, Massaro highlights, and no competition exists in its space. “It affords the assurance that batteries are operating at peak efficiency, both saving money and reducing the risk of downtime,” he stresses. “Its development came from our identifying a gap in the market; the entire planet is focussing on lithium batteries, and most people seemed to have forgotten that the biggest power installations make use of old, lead acid battery technology, the most common installed all around the world, which is exactly where we are focussed with our product.”

Seeing the inevitable onset of the current energy crisis some years ago, Penbro Kelnick set about formulating its response to best help the industry whilst seizing a sizeable opportunity itself. “That is where, and how, this product came to be, that had never existed before in the form that we created,” Massaro proudly states. “Besides filling the void that existed in the market prior to our launching the PENBRO NG-BMS^TM it is, at its root, a personal passion of the engineering team, and truly a fun, enlightening and edifying thing on which to embark.

“At Penbro, we pride ourselves on our highly skilled and experienced engineering and service team, and our team is extensively trained and equipped to handle the design and installation of batteries and BMS, as well as other related equipment,” says Massaro with understandable contentment. “We have the expertise and knowledge to ensure that battery systems are installed correctly and efficiently, minimising downtime and maximising performance.

“The Penbro team understands the importance of proper installation and maintenance of battery systems. We work closely with our customers to understand their specific needs and requirements, ensuring that the system is tailored to meet their unique needs. Overall, this expertise and commitment to customer service makes us trusted to provide the best possible solution for all backup power needs, ensuring that systems are installed, maintained and operated correctly.”