This is the charger for a very old swing gate motor, which had been working for many years without any major issues. That was the case until a surge caused by faulty wiring found its way into the motor.
If the customer had surge protection installed, there is a very good chance that the damage would have been relatively minor, as opposed to what he to deal with.
Remember, surge protection is “cheap insurance”, designed to protect equipment against over/under voltage conditions. These surges can often be caused by problem with the power supply to your premises, a big culprit these days are loadshedding, as it causes extreme spikes and dips as the lines are switched on or off in different areas.
Always get the best you can afford, although something is better than nothing, and replace them every few years or after a major surge, as the components inside surge protectors do have a limited lifespan.
Importantly, surge protection will (often) not protect your equipment against a direct lightning strike, but can reduce the damage caused by distant strikes, which actually account for most of the damage in any case.