APT is one of the most commonly specified TVSS manufacturers in the Nation. Over the past 15 years APT has supplied over $250 million of TVSS to the new construction bid market either direct or indirect through our private label partners.

APT was founded in 1984 with a long-term philosophy of old fashioned ethics, integrity and service. Surge suppression is our only business! We manufacture a complete line of products for low voltage, medium voltage, data/communications, din-rail and residential applications. Three times in recent years we have been awarded the “Market Engineering Customer Focus Award” from Frost and Sullivan, which recognizes our customer support expertise. In 1999, Power Quality Assurance magazine ranked APT as the #1 supplier of three-phase TVSS devises and APT as a top 50 power quality company.

APT manufacturers’ high performance, safe TVSS/SPDs. Independent UL testing continually ranks APT at the top with low Suppressed Voltage Ratings (SVRs). You are probably aware of greatly increased regulatory presence in the TVSS/SPD arena. Safety and problem avoidance are the primary advantages of our products.

Today’s surge market can be bewildering as Codes & Standards change, products evolve and manufacturers & reps come & go. The mystique & marketing of yesterday’s TVSS has given way to mainstream acceptance.

To assist you APT employs a staff of engineers that are a great resource to the Consulting Engineering industry. These engineers are factory based non-commissioned, SPD experts. They sit on all standard committees that govern the surge industry and as a result have access to the most relevant and up to date information. APT’s engineers pride themselves on providing accurate, straight to the point technical information with no marketing fluff, which enables consultants to make educated decisions. Expect a trusted source who will work for you.

Some of our services:

• Toll free telephone assistance
  • Factory DIRECT access to APT Engineers Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm EST
• Design, application and product selection guidance
  • APT Engineers have the knowledge to assist you in selecting the correct SPD for any distribution system or application.
• Specification assistance & review
  • Our engineers are knowledgeable of current Codes & Standard. We can make sure your specification is up to date and reflects the most recent information available through specification revisions/rewrites.
• Product/vendor comparisons
  • APT maintains a database which allows us access to instantly make side by side comparisons of all the major competitors.
• Up to date information on industry codes & standards
  • Our engineers sit on all standards committees that govern the surge industry
• SPD training including online services
  • APT provides the most extensive training programs in the industry including on-site factory training and online lunch and learns and webinars. Click here for more information.
• Specifying TVSS - A Quick Reference Guide (pdf)

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why should I specify APT?

• Service – You can talk to a factory engineer in seconds
• Quality Product – High performance, safe units
• Faster Response – You deal directly with the factory, which saves time
• Stability – APT has been in business since 1984 under the same ownership
• Field tested and proven products with over $250 million sold to the new construction bid market

How does APT differentiate itself?
Surge is all we do. We are privately held and debt-free. We were set up at the get-go to better serve engineers, supply distribution and end-users. Where mega-conglomerates tend to report to shareholders, we report to customers. Examples:

• Larger product selection to ensure that we offer what you need.
• Oddball voltages & less common applications – some companies offer only mainstream products. APT is a specialty manufacturer and offers a full line of products.
• Where Wall Street dictates high inventory cycles that produce out-of-stock situations, we enjoy ‘Just-In-Case’ inventory. This helps when you need something tomorrow instead of 6-8 weeks.

The surge industry has its share of marketing. I can’t figure out what’s real and what’s vapor. Can you help?
Yes, if you would like a sounding board on various issues, please contact us. APT Sales Engineers are uncommissioned and here solely to support specifying engineers. We will explain the facts as written in standards and let you make your own decisions & conclusions. Caveat emptor. With respect to vapor, if you can’t see or touch the technology, then it’s probably vapor being hidden under the context of ‘proprietary technology’.

How do you offer better products for lower costs?
By having the entire operation in one building, we control the process more efficiently. We are not paying debt-service, nor paying Division or Corporate margins, overrides & adders. That reduces our burdens and allows us to include more content in products.

Do you offer guidespecs or can you help me with my specification?
Yes, we can offer a boilerplate specification that provides honest & open competition. We can also comment on your specification.

I don’t like it when people try to whiz one past me to sole-spec their products. What is APT’s approach?
We have a long term approach and believe that we will get our share of business in an open competitive market. Consequently, we do not promote spec gadgets or specmanship issues. We focus on substance: high performing, safe products.

How does APT handle its Sales Reps?
As a generalization, in the USA, we market direct from the factory. That allows us to control our marketing, which is beneficial in at least two ways: 1.) Reps are difficult to manage and range from weak, to great, to overzealous. Weak reps don’t get the job done and overzealous reps are arguably blamed for most of the misleading marketing in this industry. As long as reps produce sales, surge manufacturers tend to plead ignorance, saying reps are independent and outside manufacturer control. In our opinion, this is short-sighted. As reality sets in, customers are becoming more savvy and the industry continues to mature. The ‘overhype’ business models are failing and various surge manufacturers are being sold, consolidated, collapsed or losing market share. 2.) It became obvious years ago that gear companies would play a large role in surge. APT strategically moved to align with gear companies and OEM for them, including technical support. Having a field rep interfering with a gear rep did not make any sense. Consequently, APT markets from the factory to avoid undue interference in the field. 3.) As TVSS/SPD continues becoming mainstream, we believe that the role of TVSS/SPD field reps will fade. These devices are not field adjustable or tunable. Any electrician can install them correctly. Service consists of installation and/or identifying the root problem and replacing affected components. In such cases, factory engineers should be consulted anyway. As surge keeps progressing into the mainstream, more of the ‘mystique’ will fade away. In turn, as reps’ margins are squeezed, their interest will fade too. By our maintaining a strong centralized service presence, we believe that you and your customers benefit.

Are APT products UL Listed?
Yes, APT uses UL as our certification agency. Please check our files at www.UL.com.

Are there other Listing agencies?
Yes. UL 1449 is the TVSS/SPD safety standard. However, there is a separation between groups that write standards and groups that certify to those standards. Other labs can evaluate and certify TVSS/SPDs to the UL 1449 standard. Until recently, most suppressors were listed by UL. As changes to UL 1449 become more strenuous and testing becomes more costly, some surge manufacturers are using non-UL certification labs to meet the UL 1449 standard.

APT believes that UL’s certification is the most meticulous and most difficult. Be aware that UL issues internal certification decisions whereby they are known to investigate various matters beyond the written text of the UL standard. This can make UL certification substantially more rigorous. Consequently, this is one reason why some manufacturers are electing non-UL certification. We believe that UL certification is more rigorous and more desirable.