Using his garage as a workshop, Ralph Liebert built the first prototype precision air conditioner in 1964. He designed a self-contained system that could precisely control air temperature, humidity and cleanliness in a computer room to tolerances of +/- 1 degree Fahrenheit and +/- 2.5 percent relative humidity. It also had the high sensible heat ratio ideally suited for cooling electronics, the ability to run continuously and built-in redundancy -- features essential for data processing operations.
He previewed the prototype for IBM and the computer company made arrangements for Liebert to present the new system at the World Computer Conference in Philadelphia in 1965. Show attendees were excited by the idea and the orders flowed in.
Liebert Corporation was founded on this air control product that same year with just five associates.
Just two years later, in 1967, Liebert made its first international move by setting up a Canadian distributor network. The company has been expanding and finding new markets ever since.
In 1968, the company moved into a new facility in Worthington, Ohio. As its business continued to grow, the company broke ground once again and moved into a 150,000 square foot facility in Columbus, Ohio. This building, expanded several times to add manufacturing space, continues to operate as a precision air production facility and the corporate headquarters.
Moving into power
In the 1970s, the data processing industry was faced with inconsistent power problems, which led to downtime, scrambled data and equipment damage. In response, Liebert formed Conditioned Power Corporation to provide economical, flexible, mobile and secure systems to monitor, distribute and condition electrical power for computer rooms and other sensitive electronics. Its first product was the Datawave magnetic synthesizer, a system that still holds a dominant share of the power conditioning market today. Conditioned Power Corporation operated as a wholly owned subsidiary until 1981, when it became a division of Liebert.
Expansion continued as Liebert broke ground for a second major manufacturing facility in Delaware, Ohio, in 1980. This facility houses the Liebert Research and Development, Heat Transfer and Power Conditioning divisions.
Growing with the industry
Another important milestone for the company was reached in 1981 when Liebert became a public company. The company was taken public under the leadership of Larry Liebert, Ralph Liebert's son, who took over as president in 1980 and served in this position until 1989. The company was represented by the symbol LIEB on the NASDAQ until its acquisition in the late 1980s.
Liebert entered the monitoring market in 1982 with the introduction of Sitemaster. The product allowed for the monitoring and control of multiple Liebert units from a single panel, providing faster response to potential problems and higher uptime for business critical systems.
To further its ability to serve the needs of their computer room customers, Liebert acquired Programmed Power from Franklin Electric in 1983. This brought Liebert into the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) industry. The Power division was expanded and remains a leader in the design and manufacture of UPS systems. That same year, the company opened its first overseas production facility in Cork, Ireland. Continuing its 1983 expansion, Liebert formed its Customer Service and Support division. Today, it is the industry's largest such group.
As Liebert grew, the company never forgot the importance of its dedicated associates. To that end, Liebert opened its own Training Center in 1984. Since that time, thousands of Liebert associates and customers have completed coursework and gained hands-on experience in the operation and maintenance of Liebert air, power and monitoring systems.
Continuing to seek solutions for its customers, Liebert launched SiteScan, a comprehensive site management system, in 1985. This interactive system links all computer support systems in a total network, establishing Liebert as a single source for total, integrated computer support.
In 1987, Liebert Corporation marked yet another milestone when it was acquired by Emerson Electric Company of St. Louis, Mo. With the financial backing of Emerson and the addition of its products and systems, Liebert continued its quest to provide single source, computer support protection.
Leveraging strengths
Already a strong force in the uninterruptible power supply business, Emerson's new acquisition not only expanded an already strong power protection offering, but combined with its leadership in precision air conditioning, the new Liebert provided a unique combination of total systems protection to critical systems of all sizes.
Liebert then continued to expand its ability to protect critical facilities through the acquisition of Control Concepts in the late 1980's. Control Concepts brought a high-quality TVSS (transient voltage surge suppression) product offering to the table.
About this same time, businesses were distributing computers throughout their organization, essentially decentralizing information technology. Liebert responded to this new decentralized and networked model through the establishment of its Distributed Processing Group. This group not only oversaw the manufacturing and marketing of single-phase UPS systems, but also the development of the revolutionary new Little Glass House (later renamed the Foundation MCR), introduced in 1994.
The LGH was the first integrated network support system, allowing smaller but still critical computer systems to be protected with air conditioning, UPS, monitoring and security in a special enclosure. That same year, the company earned ISO 9001 certification standards, further supporting its reputation as a quality supplier.
As computer technologies grew and moved into new industries, Liebert, with the financial backing of Emerson, tailored products to deliver environmental and power protection to computer users, networks and distributed processing applications, industrial processes, lab settings and telecommunications applications.
Channel expansion
As distributed processing needs expanded, Liebert complemented its prestigious and experienced local sales offices with new reseller sales partners. Rather than instituting a competitive channel, Liebert orchestrated a unique relationship between these sales partners that resulted in benefits to all parties.
Continuing its commitment to its customers and its sales partners, Liebert established eCommerce sites for its sales partners in 1998. These sites have become important links between Liebert and its partners, and have enabled them to provide better support to their customers through major enhancements in quoting, order processing, training and selling tools.
Solutions from the grid to the chip
In 2000, Emerson formed Emerson Network Power to bring together its divisions that provide solutions for network and computer protection. Featuring industry-leading brands like Liebert and ASCO and Astec, Emerson Network Power has become a one-stop source for network protection, from power components, power systems and service to climate control and critical space monitoring.
As part of the Emerson Network Power family, Liebert offers a broader range of solutions through its representative network and can more easily extend into new markets. And the organization has not lost its commitment to innovation.
In 2002, the Liebert XD supplemental cooling system was introduced. This solution anticipated the challenge IT organizations would face as they implemented newer, high-density equipment, and served as a blueprint for the industry on how high-density servers could be effectively cooled. The Liebert XD system is also playing an instrumental role in helping IT organizations increase data center efficiency.
This development was followed by the launch of the Liebert DS, the fourth-generation precision cooling system that traces its roots back to the company's earliest days. The Liebert DS introduced variable capacity compressors to the data center and marked the first application of Liebert iCom technology.
New power distribution and UPS solutions have also been introduced. The Liebert FPC and Liebert FDC changed the face of power distribution while delivering the flexibility and scalability data centers with rapidly expanding server populations require. The Liebert NX is a three-phase UPS that features a compact design and high efficiency while pioneering new ways to scale and parallel UPS systems.
As it delivers reliable, flexible and efficient solutions for business-critical systems to customers around the globe, Emerson Network Power is driving the future of mission-critical power and cooling technology. Organizations worldwide depend on Liebert technology to maximize reliability, availability and economy of systems, applications and data in their data centers, computer rooms, network closets and other critical areas. Liebert and Emerson Network Power will continue to provide unmatched quality, superior expertise, local and global service and support, and technology leadership.
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