CASE STUDY OVERVIEW
For large grocery retailers, power reliability is essential. Even short disruptions can put refrigerated inventory, store operations, and customer trust at risk. With nearly 3,000 locations across 36 states and territories in the US, this national grocery retailer group must ensure that backup power solutions are available quickly, installed correctly, and ready when needed.
To address stubborn challenges with lead times and delivery reliability, this national grocery retailer group partnered with Power Temp Systems (PTS), an expert in permanent and portable power connection solutions.
What began as a targeted fix for delayed equipment quickly grew into a scalable, multi-location deployment, demonstrating how speed, expertise, and power systems designed with serviceability in mind can deliver massive value for facilities operations.
THE CHALLENGE
Historically, the grocery retailer group sourced generator-related switchgear directly from a major generator manufacturer as part of a bundled approach. The reason for this is simply brand awareness; if the end user has a “generator issue,” they often start with the manufacturer.
While the manufacturer was a trusted business partner, this sourcing model became increasingly difficult to manage as demand grew. OEM lead times stretched as long as 20–30 weeks, ship dates slipped, and pricing became less predictable.
These delays created downstream impacts. Store openings and upgrades were harder to schedule, and facility operations teams had limited flexibility when timelines changed. In addition, the grocery retailer group’s decentralized procurement model meant that individual locations often purchased equipment independently, compounding the impact of a delay and keeping lessons learned siloed.
Facilities and procurement leaders needed a solution not limited by factory queues.
THE SHIFT: LOOKING BEYOND THE GENERATOR MANUFACTURER
As delays stacked up, the grocery retailer group began to rethink the assumption that generator manufacturers were the best source for all supporting equipment. Generator OEMs focus on generator technology itself, and backup power connection systems require a different type of expertise, one centered on:
Installation
Safety
Speed of deployment
PTS entered the conversation as a specialized partner, referred to the customer through its trusted relationship with the generator manufacturer. The manufacturer’s direct solution attached cam-loks to the generator, whereas PTS employed a proprietary modular design that simplified installation.
With established industry relationships and a track record of supporting large retailers, PTS offered the grocery retailer group an alternative approach: purpose-built, integrated switchgear designed to arrive quickly, install cleanly, and scale across locations.
THE SOLUTION: INTEGRATED, STOCKED, AND INSTALLATION-READY PANELS
The national grocery retailer group selected PTS’ 200-amp rotary transfer switch docking station with temporary generator connections as a faster, more reliable option. Unlike patchwork solutions that bolt components together, PTS’ panels are fully integrated within patented enclosures, improving safety, durability, and ease of use.
Key elements of the solution included:
Integrated, modular enclosure design instead of add-on components
Built-in safety features and seismic-tested construction
NFPA and OSHA-compliant systems designed for consistent installation
Inventory stocked specifically to support rapid delivery
This approach allowed PTS to ship equipment in as little as 1-3 days when the units were in stock. This lead time is a ~15x improvement over the extended OEM timelines the customer had previously experienced when working directly with the manufacturer.
IMPLEMENTATION: SCALING ACROSS 30+ LOCATIONS WITHOUT SLOWING DOWN
Rolling out equipment across a national retailer is never simple. The grocery retailer group’s decentralized procurement structure meant onboarding multiple buyers and navigating store-specific processes. Early on, account setup required close coordination between procurement, accounting, and facilities teams.
PTS adapted to the customer’s operating model rather than forcing a centralized workflow. Each location received the following:
Consistent Quoting
Rapid turnaround on purchase orders
Predictable delivery timelines
Once equipment arrived onsite, installation was coordinated alongside generator work, sometimes completed the same day or at other times staged as part of broader construction schedules.
As confidence grew, deployments accelerated. What started as a limited engagement expanded to more than 40 locations across multiple locations, with repeat orders becoming routine.
THE OUTCOMES: FASTER PROJECTS, LOWER RISK AND A GROWING PARTNERSHIP
The results of the partnership were impactful:
Lead times reduced from roughly 20–30 weeks to as little as 1–2 weeks for stocked equipment
30+ store locations successfully equipped across multiple locations
Improved schedule certainty for store openings, upgrades, and retrofits
Reduced operational and inventory risk tied to delayed electrical equipment
Beyond the initial scope, the national grocery retailer group began exploring PTS for additional switchgear, including automatic transfer switches with isolation bypass, an area where prior solutions had fallen short. The relationship evolved from a single product fix into an ongoing collaboration.
CLOSING
The customer’s experience highlights a key lesson for large, multi-site operators: backup power infrastructure benefits from specialized partners. By working with PTS, this national grocery retailer group gained faster access to equipment, installation-ready designs, and a partner equipped to scale alongside its footprint. The success of the relationship has expanded to PTS subsequently supplying automatic transfer switches, as well.
For procurement and facilities leaders, the value was not just lower lead times; it was confidence, lower cost, and enhanced safety due to seismic testing. Confidence that projects would stay on track, equipment would arrive when promised, and power readiness would no longer be the limiting factor in store operations.
Power Temp Systems delivered time, expertise, cost improvement, and a simpler path to reliable power.
Ready to eliminate lead-time risk and bring faster, safer backup power to your multi-site operations? Talk to a PTS expert today.