Find out which of the 4 Maturity Levels your Electrocenter operates at: Reactive, Safety, Vigilante, or Predictive. Learn how to evolve toward maximum reliability.

Is your Electrocenter just “turned on” or truly reliable?

First and foremost, it is essential to understand that an electrocenter is not just an “electrical room.” Above all, it represents the heart of your operation. However, most managers underestimate the actual maturity of this critical component.

At first glance, keeping the system “on” seems sufficient. However, this simplistic view ignores the different levels of electrocenter maturity that separate basic operations from truly reliable facilities. In this sense, assessing where your electrical infrastructure stands is the first step in eliminating risks and maximizing availability.

The Maturity Scale: From reactive to predictive in Electrocenters

Based on our nearly 50 years of experience, we have developed a methodology to classify industrial electrical centers into four distinct levels of maturity and reliability. This makes it possible to accurately diagnose the current stage and chart a roadmap for technological evolution.

Drawing an analogy with the evolution of medicine, which has moved from reactive to preventive and predictive, modern electrocenters follow a similar trajectory. In other words, it is not enough to treat failures; it is necessary to anticipate and prevent their root causes.

Maturity Level 1: The Reactive Electrocenter (Conventional Protection)

Unfortunately, this is the stage at which many electrical centers still operate. Maintenance teams consistently act only after failure events have already occurred.

Reactive Electrocenter Features:

The focus is on answering the basic question: “Is it on?” Thus, conventional protection acts after the electrical failure has occurred (overcurrent/short circuit), with circuit breakers that only interrupt the circuit after the event.

In addition, maintenance comes into play when the event has already occurred, following a corrective model where teams literally “put out fires” after accidents. As a result, there is a high risk of unavailability, failure costs are unpredictable, and human safety is compromised.

For example, in a level 1 electrocenter, a hotspot can evolve to cause a catastrophic failure without anyone noticing. This definitely does not represent technical maturity; it represents pure operational risk.

Maturity Level 2: The Safe Electrocenter (Active Arc Mitigation)

Companies committed to operational excellence invest in the first significant upgrade: active electric arc mitigation. In this sense, the focus evolves to: “Is it safe?”

Developments in Secure Electrocenter:

Systems such as ZYGGOT^® Arc implement an additional layer of protection focused on human safety and catastrophic event reduction. The technology offers detection and activation in microseconds when integrated with an appropriate interruption device, identifying the formation of an electric arc before it causes massive damage.

Equally important, human safety becomes a priority at this level. Therefore, technicians who need to work close to electrical panels gain an additional layer of protection against arc flashes.

However, even with active mitigation in place, the level 2 electrocenter still does not continuously monitor degradation. In other words, it protects against rapid failure (the catastrophic event), but does not predict slow failure (progressive degradation).

Maturity Level 3: The Vigilant Electrocenter (Continuous Online Thermography)

Next, maturity takes a qualitative leap. Currently, the focus shifts radically to: “Will it fail?” Thus, the vigilant electrocenter implements continuous 24/7 thermography, monitoring temperature and combating the first symptoms of degradation.

Electrocenter Vigilante Technology:

Continuous online thermography systems such as ZYGGOT^® Temperature monitor each critical component 24/7. As the temperature gradually increases in a connection or insulator, the system detects the evolution of hot spots and “slow” degradations long before failure occurs.

As a result, this approach reduces blind spots between inspections and enables true predictive maintenance with planned intervention. From the same perspective, the team does not wait for failure or act only after it occurs, but intervenes at the ideal moment, when repair is simpler and less costly.

Likewise, continuous thermographic monitoring eliminates the need for periodic manual inspections with portable cameras. Therefore, there are no more “blind spots” between inspections where critical degradation can go unnoticed.

For example, a hot spot that would take weeks to cause failure is identified in days, allowing for scheduled maintenance without operational interruption. This definitely represents a significant evolution in the maturity of the electrocenter.

Maturity Level 4: Predictive Electrocenter (Environmental/Dielectric Precursors)

Finally, the highest level of maturity completely transforms the operational philosophy. Above all, the focus shifts from “What will fail?” to “Why will it fail?”

The Predictive Electrocenter Revolution:

Advanced systems such as ZYGGOT^® TOH monitor conditions and signs that precede failures, dramatically expanding the window of action before critical overheating or catastrophic events occur. In this sense, the technology identifies:

• Humidity/risk of condensation and sealing/IP: Monitoring of humidity that can compromise insulation and indicate sealing problems.

• Ozone as a marker of corona/ionization: Detection of ozone generated by the corona effect and partial discharges that indicate dielectric deterioration.

While Level 3 detects “fever” (hot spots), Level 4 identifies environmental and dielectric precursors (conditions that precede failures) before they produce detectable heating. Therefore, the window for intervention expands dramatically.

In addition, ozone and humidity monitoring allows problems to be identified at stages where correction is trivial, before they turn into complex thermal failures or catastrophic electric arcs.

In summary, the predictive electrocenter not only predicts failures; it understands their formation mechanisms and allows correction at the source. As a result, reliability reaches previously unimaginable levels.

How to evolve the maturity of your Electrocenter with ZYGGOT^® technology

Finally, Varixx's ZYGGOT^® product family was developed to enable industrial electrical centers to scale from basic to predictive in a structured manner.

Evolution of the Electrocenter:

First, organizations operating at Level 1 (reactive) should prioritize the jump to Level 2 (safety) by implementing active arc flash mitigation. This immediately adds a layer focused on human safety and reducing catastrophic events.

Subsequently, with safety established, the natural next step is to evolve to Level 3 (vigilant). Likewise, the installation of continuous online thermography transforms corrective maintenance into predictive maintenance, monitoring the evolution of slow degradation 24/7.

Finally, electrocenters such as those found in steel mills, mining, and continuous processing should aspire to Level 4 (predictive). In this way, integrated environmental and dielectric precursor monitoring systems (humidity, sealing/IP, and ozone as a corona marker) provide full visibility into electrical health, extending the window of action before critical conditions develop.

Intelligent Integration in Electrocenter Maturity:

Equally important, the ZYGGOT^® architecture based on relays, gateways, and smart sensors allows for seamless integration. Therefore, each level of maturity builds on the previous one, without the need to replace investments already made.

By analogy, it is like building floors in a building: each level adds capacity without compromising the previous structure. Simultaneously, all data converges to centralized management platforms, offering a holistic view of the infrastructure.

Maturity Diagnosis: At what level does your Electrocenter operate?

Honestly, it is essential to conduct a sincere assessment of the current situation. In this regard, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you only have conventional protection (overcurrent/short circuit) and only act after failures? Then your electrical center is at Level 1 (Reactive).

• Have you implemented active arc mitigation but do not continuously monitor hot spots? Then you have reached Level 2 (Safety).

• Do you have 24/7 online thermography but do not monitor precursors such as humidity and ozone (corona)? Then your electrocenter operates at Level 3 (Vigilante).

• Do you monitor temperature, humidity/sealing, and ozone (corona/ionization) in an integrated manner? You have definitely reached Level 4 (Predictive) maturity.

The evolution of reliability in Industrial Electrocenters

In conclusion, it is not enough to simply keep your electrical center “turned on.” After all, modern facilities must be vigilant and predictive, anticipating problems before they impact operations.

Therefore, the question is not if to evolve the maturity of your electrocenter, but when and how to make this transition in a structured way. Thus, each level achieved represents a tangible reduction in risks and operating costs.

Finally, Varixx's ZYGGOT^® technology offers the complete path: from active arc mitigation (Level 2) to predictive monitoring of environmental and dielectric precursors (Level 4). So you choose the pace of evolution that makes sense for your operation.

Want to find out exactly what Maturity Level your electrocenter operates at today?

Contact our application engineering team for a detailed technical assessment and learn about our customized solutions to achieve maximum reliability in your electrocenter.