Ralph Lauren is a multibillion-dollar global enterprise that produces mid-range to luxury fashion products. In addition to offering multiple apparel brands, the American corporation sells home products, accessories and fragrances.
The Tech Decision
With more than 300 stores throughout North America, Ralph Lauren’s retail locations include flagship sites, outlets and temporary storefronts.
The fashion giant was struggling with a lack of visibility into the power protection solution it had deployed throughout its North American stores. A mix of different manufacturers’ uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) were tasked with protecting network operations, individual cash registers and point of sale (POS) devices at each location.
However, the UPSs were routinely failing from bad batteries and other service issues — a problem Ralph Lauren had no way of ascertaining until it was too late. Equally challenging was trying to oversee regular maintenance and service on the units.
The Solution
Completely overhauling its previous power protection solution, Ralph Lauren selected the Eaton 9PX UPS to safeguard network operations, while all of its cash registers are protected by Eaton 5PX UPSs.
Each store also features an Eaton Environmental Monitoring Probe (EMP) for backup power UPS, which collects temperature and humidity readings while enabling Ralph Lauren to monitor the data remotely, providing an additional layer of security and peace of mind.
But what sealed the deal for the retailer was Eaton PredictPulse remote monitoring service, a cloud-based monitoring and management service that gives Ralph Lauren the vision it needs into its network infrastructure.
Collecting and analyzing data from connected power devices, PredictPulse provides Eaton with the insight to make recommendations and take action on behalf of the organization.
At regular intervals, connected devices send parametric data to Eaton’s monitoring center and if anything is out of the ordinary or an issue arises, Eaton notifies Ralph Lauren and recommends the best way to address it.
The Impact
PredictPulse remote monitoring service has completely changed the landscape of backup power UPS management for Ralph Lauren, providing decision-makers with a list of units with their respective serial numbers, model details, warranty period and store location — making it infinitely easier when it comes time to service or replace units.
The solution also gives IT personnel the ability to make decisions on the fly, based on the needs of a particular store.
The complete Eaton solution has performed so well that Ralph Lauren opted to roll out a near-identical package in its temporary stores. Establishing 40 to 60 of these sites each year, the interim locations allow consumers to continue shopping while a primary store is being renovated, which typically lasts from one to 12 months.
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With the Eaton solution, Ralph Lauren is now able to gain complete visibility into its power protection solution and proactively respond when needed. It can keep operations up and running without interruption at both permanent and temporary stores.
It also ensures its salespeople remain focused on selling, rather than on power protection. Finally, they can easily keep track of and manage all service and warranty details through PredictPulse while remotely monitoring and managing equipment.
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