Server Technology Distinguishes Itself with 100 Percent Product Performance Testing

By Carrie Schmelkin TMCnet Web Editor

When TMCnet recently sat down with Edi Murway, head test engineer for Server Technology (News - Alert), one thing was clear – the company’s decision to 100 percent product test is working.

“Our processes are very well established,” Murway said. “We’ve always had a very low failure rate, but things do fail. People are involved in the process and whenever people or machines are involved in the process there are always going to be failures. So, having the confidence that when we ship that product it’s going to be 100 percent of what it’s designed to do and what the customer expects makes it worth it.”

For the past 25 years, Server Technology, a global leader in power distribution products and power monitoring software, has tested product performance prior to shipping. The process in the past few years has become even more robust and the company that creates solutions related to data center power and telecommunications prides itself on offering 100 percent performance testing.

The results speak for themselves as the data center power solution company rarely hears about product failures once the finished product ships.

“Our failure rates are very, very low,” Murway said. “We have had issues with process that show up immediately before they ever get close to the product… we don’t get 1,000 boards into the field to find out we might have a problem with that.”

“I have been doing this for 40 years and in my experience with customers they really appreciate the due diligence being done prior to them getting it,” he said. “The worst thing for them is to open a box, plug it in and it doesn’t work.”

The overarching reason for doing the power testing is simple – to make sure that any product that leaves the building functions as per designed and meets all the criteria of the customer. Server Technology performs thermal, shock and vibration, compliance and ATE tests, among other tests.

Products are tested at all stages, starting from when the product is in its infancy to when it has become finalized. Any changes that are made along the way to the product, particularly electrical changes, mean that the product will have to undergo the same rounds of testing all over again. Perhaps the most important stage of testing is when the product is deemed ready for consumer use, according to Murway.

“Just before it goes out the door after the final modification, we test it once again,” he said. “We don’t just test it by plugging it in and making sure the lights come on, we plug it in and we load every receptacle. We just want to make sure that functionally, the product fully works under the conditions it will see in the future.”