YORK, PA - “It was the beginning of a great tradition that continues to this day….. We revolutionized refrigeration control in the early 1980‟s by introducing microprocessor control technology to the industrial refrigeration industry,” stated Gary Schrift, Vice President of Standard Refrigeration Products. At that time, the Micro-II and Micro-IIE were the most advanced control platforms in the industry. Now, 26 years later, we are about to close the book on the Micro-II panels.”
GEA FES, Inc. introduced the Micro-II platform in 1983. What else happened in 1983? The final episode of M.A.S.H. aired, George Brett‟s famous „Pine Tar Incident‟, the U.S. invaded Granada, and the final year for AT&T Bell.
At the beginning of this year, GEA FES, Inc. has approximately 300 Micro-II and IIE processor boards in stock.
“GEA FES, Inc. has been selling these boards at a rate of approximately 100 per year. This sales rate is expected to increase with this „retirement‟ notice,” said Schrift.
“When this inventory is depleted, we will not be able to provide new Micro-II or Micro-IIE processor boards. We will, however, continue to repair existing boards if possible, and provide technical support for these panels. Other Micro II , IIE components, such as keypads, displays, I/O racks are still available, but at increasingly limited supplies.”
“In addition to compressor control, the Micro-II was used extensively for evaporator, condenser and chiller control. The Micro-II was succeeded by the Micro-III control panel in 1995 and the GForceTM control panel in 2007. “The Micro-II platform is a huge success story for FES….Try to name another piece of electronics used on a continuous basis for 26 plus years,” stated Schrift.
“We recommend that you evaluate the quantity and use of Micro-II processors in your facility and purchase spare processor board(s), and/or consider upgrading to the newer GForceTM platform. You will be pleasantly surprised with the new features in GForceTM and with how easily operators can adapt to its new user interface. We would be happy to assist in your evaluation, and provide recommendations and equipment budgets as necessary,” added Schrift.
Also, because it uses many of the same components, the FES MicroMaster control system will also be included in this retirement package.
GEA FES, Inc. is part of the GEA Refrigeration division and is incorporated in the GEA Group AG, headquartered in Bochum, Germany. The GEA Group has 20,000 employees located in 50 countries.
Today, GEA FES, Inc. is a recognized leader and innovator in the industrial refrigeration market providing quality engineered products for the chemical, petrochemical, food, beverage, pharmaceutical and energy related industries.
For additional information regarding this news release or for other information regarding GEA FES, Inc., please contact Jeff Cook, marketing manager.
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