Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Siemens for Customer Value Enhancement in the North American Medium Voltage Power Distribution Market

--The company has shown strong commitment to offering vertically tailored solutions, innovative products and product package refinements

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its ongoing analysis of the medium voltage power distribution equipment market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Siemens Medium Voltage business unit with the 2012 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Customer Value Enhancement.

Medium voltage power distribution equipment, such as switchgear, circuit breakers and transformers, represents an important component for guaranteeing smart grid reliability. In a highly competitive market where the slightest power failure can lead to heavy monetary losses, Siemens' full range of power distribution equipment combined with complementary automation and software solutions give its customers a sense of confidence that a reliable power distribution network is available for mission critical operations.

"The company has seen tremendous success in the market due to its ability to introduce market relevant products, its ongoing focus on product innovation, advancing distribution networks, organization realignment to better serve its customers, and lowering operating costs and passing on those savings to its customers," said Frost & Sullivan Principal Consultant Farah Saeed. "Our research on the global smart grid market found that Siemens accounted for 6.8 percent of the global smart grid market in 2010 and was the third largest industry contender of the market due to its diverse distribution automation and medium voltage equipment offerings."

To maintain and grow its position and to enhance customer value, the company has been actively adding new offerings and introducing customer-centric technologies.

The company has enhanced equipment assembly to improve customer convenience and reduce transportation costs. Its Packaged Power Solutions specialize in custom packaging of electrical equipment into a single enclosure. These metal fabricated buildings can house low and medium voltage switchgear with transformers and battery systems, and lowers installation time because all the necessary equipment is assembled and tested before it arrives at the customer site.

Siemens, which currently invests more than five percent of its revenue in research and development each year, has developed innovative products that feature arc resistance and a gas insulated medium voltage switchgear. Its medium-voltage metal clad arc resistant switchgear GM-SG-AR is compliant with IEEE C37.20.7, which requires the arc resistance tests to be conducted with an arc duration of 0.5 seconds, and caters to the industry growing deployment of arc resistant power distribution equipment for safe handling of the equipment as well as protection of personnel.

Siemens also specializes in gas insulated designs for medium voltage switchgear and is considered a market leader for gas insulated switchgear. These products are considered ideal for locations that have space constraints, such as in substations that are located in urban areas.

To better align its products and offer complete solutions to its customers in different vertical markets and industries, Siemens has also gone through a major organizational restructuring. As a result, its low and medium voltage power distribution business was moved from Siemens Energy to the newly formed Infrastructure and Cities sector. This group now combines transportation and logistics, power grid solutions and products, and building technologies into one single entity. The team has dedicated manufacturer and sales representatives for each city and vertical market.

"This change is expected to allow Siemens to provide end-to-end solutions to its customers who are looking for complete infrastructure, whether it pertains to the electric grid, a mining site, or an industrial facility," noted Saeed. "The company already has strong brand within the power distribution sector, which is matched by its unprecedented ability to tackle multi-size projects that can range from a full scale turnkey project to a simple product replacement."

Siemens has ambitious plans to further grow in this sector by continuing to enhance its product offerings. In recognition of these efforts to enhance value for its customers, Frost & Sullivan is pleased to present Siemens with the 2012 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Customer Value Enhancement in the medium voltage power distribution equipment market.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers with a focus on improving the return on the investment that customers make in its services or products. This award recognizes the company's inordinate focus on enhancing the value that its customers receive, beyond simply good customer service, leading to improved customer retention and ultimately customer base expansion.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About Siemens Low and Medium Voltage

The Siemens Low and Medium Voltage Division serves the entire product, system and solution business for the power distribution infrastructure of residential, commercial, industrial and utility markets. The division offers a wide-ranging portfolio of power distribution and circuit protection products, covering the range from 120 V to 38 kV. It includes circuit breakers, switches and MV motor controls as well as switchboards, switchgear, busway and busduct, power panels and standby power products. The division's protection and control offering encompasses power monitoring systems, electronic circuit protection, distribution automation and Smart-Gear® - Power Distribution Solution. Additionally, the division supplies energy-efficient solutions for the integration of renewable energy. For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com/lowmediumvoltage

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan