New Racking Beam Design Reduces Both Cost and Assembly Time of Solar Infrastructure

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, October 11, 2011 — Unirac, Inc., North America's leading provider of infrastructure for solar power systems, today announced the newest generation of its premier product for commercial installations, the ISYS Ground Mount racking system. Available now for order, ISYS Ground Mount (IGM) 2.0 is stronger, lighter and installs more quickly than its predecessor. Engineered to accommodate virtually every foundation option, IGM 2.0 easily adapts to any project site by allowing customers to select the most cost-effective foundation system for their specific project site.

This improved version of IGM is constructed of roll formed C-channel beams rather than the roll formed and toggle-locked I-beams used for the earlier version of IGM. This clever design cuts down on material use while maintaining the same structural integrity for which Unirac is justly renowned. Manufacturing time is slashed by as much as 50 percent through the use of C-channel beams, drastically reducing project ramp-up time. The new beams can also be stacked interlocked, saving valuable space and allowing more beams to be transported on fewer trucks. On a typical 1 MW project, the shipping weight of the new IGM rails can be reduced by as much as 14 percent over the earlier design.

"Our team of dedicated engineers have worked tirelessly to make IGM lighter, faster and more conducive to shipping and packaging," said Juan Suarez, Unirac's senior director of engineering and program management. "With these improvements we are able to provide even greater value to our customers, by improving cost-efficiency without compromising on product quality. We believe the ability to quickly install superior products that perform under the harshest conditions are imperative to the success of the solar industry."

The Unirac ISYS Ground Mount 2.0 allows for the pre-assembly of module columns prior to installation, or parallel installation of foundations and racking simultaneously. Contractors can build the subassembly or grade land while assembling all modules to Unirac's rails in controlled environments. These options offer a shorter project turnaround time and reduce field labor, saving customers money and allowing for faster return on investment.

"We evaluated the manufacturing time needed to roll form the new ISYS Ground Mount 2.0 beams versus the previous design," said Rob Touzalin, president of Painesville, Ohio-based American Roll Form, a full-service custom metal fabricator. "By eliminating the toggle lock — traditionally a bottleneck — in the new design, we're able to double our output of the new rails, effectively cutting production time in half and delivering twice as quickly to project sites."

Unirac's full line of innovative PV mounting solutions, including the ISYS Ground Mount system, will be on display in booth 3037 at the Solar Power International (SPI) trade show to be held October 18-20 in the Dallas (TX) Convention Center.

About Unirac®
Unirac, a Hilti company, is North America's leading provider of infrastructure for solar power systems. Recognized as an industry innovator on both the product and process side, Unirac is one of the fastest growing companies in the solar industry. Unirac has achieved certifications for both ISO 9001:2008 for QMS and ISO 14001:2004 for EMS. Its industrial-grade solar mount solutions meet ‘Made in America', ‘Buy American', ARRA and Ontario Power Authority FIT and microFIT criteria. For more information about Unirac, please visit http://www.unirac.com