American Power Conversion, the world's largest manufacturer of computer transformers, has opened a permanent office in Russia, according to John Bojanowski, head of the company's East European division.


He said that demand for his company's transformer, which ensures that vital data is not lost in the event of a power outage, has skyrocketed as Russian firms and banks acquire computer systems.


With power outages a frequent occurrence in Russia, Bojanowski said that demand for the transformer had outpaced the ability of his company's Russian distributors to supply them.


Established in 1981, APC has become one of America's fastest growing companies, having cornered a full one-third of the American market share for such transformers during the computer explosion of the mid 1980s.


But Bojanowski said that only now have Russian firms begun computerizing their operations on a large scale, creating a sudden demand for a system that protects


sensitive information from the vagaries of the Russian power grid.


He said that APC began distributing its transformers here in 1990, in conjunction with the Moscow firms Microage and Lanit. But he said that only recently had the Russian market grown sufficiently to justify opening its own operation here, he said.


"The real demand appeared only in the last year with the conversion of many Russian firms and banks to network computer technology", he said. "Now, sales of APC transformers in Russia are such that the company's management took the decision to open an office here".


APC began its corporate life as a manufacturer of solar batteries. But in 1985, with the end of the energy crisis, the company decided to shift its focus to the booming computer sector.


Bojanowski said that since then, the company's profits have grown steadily every year, with sales last year approaching $100 million.


He said that a recent Fortune magazine survey of the 100 fastest-growing companies in America ranked American Power Conversion 39th.