The need for speed - Data Centre World 2023

Standfirst
In its predictions for 2023, Data Centre magazine considers the sector's ever-increasing demands for capacity. It cites the benefits of pre-fabricated and pre-integrated units as one way of making the design and construction less complex, while ensuring faster delivery. [1]

In our latest blog, Mark Halsey, our Global Product Director explores the benefits of off-site, modular construction for the data centre industry and how our new aisle containment system can help operators to speed installation time on site.

Making use of every advantage
While aisle containment systems generally follow a similar set of routines, their installation is considered as one of the more complex tasks in data centre construction, requiring the skills of an electrician or other mechanical trades. 

From cutting metal at various angles, drilling, layout and levelling as well as following generic instructions which may not have been tailored to the specific end design, installation can be both a time-consuming and complex task. This complexity can be increased further when accommodating higher ceiling heights or mechanical obstructions, as well as factoring in any congestion caused with other trades on-site.

Coupled with the huge lengths of cable runs that need to be routed and supported, it's no surprise that operators are looking for every advantage they can to build at speed without compromising on quality or increasing cost.

This concern is echoed in the 2022 report from construction consultant Linesight, in which it lists data centres as one of the key industries best placed to benefit from off-site construction, with 25 per cent of respondents citing speed as one of most important project outcomes.[2]

So, if off-site manufacture is indeed the answer, what are some of the key criteria that data centre operators should be asking their suppliers?

Speeding up installation
First, is to establish the basic design principles.  Modular design can be defined in a number of ways and, while component parts may have been cut and prepared off-site, some designs may still require significant on-site works, such as welding in order to complete the installation.  

If the intention is to limit, or even eliminate traditional on-site stick-building methods, then it is important to ensure that the modular design chosen has been configured to achieve precisely this.  Removing as many of the tasks typically associated with on-site construction as possible is vital if the project is to achieve the fast turnaround promised.

With our new aisle containment system, for example, all component parts arrive pre-cut and require no onsite preparation or welding, eliminating the hazards of hot works.

Avoiding rework
Industry averages suggest that rework can cost between five to nine per cent of the overall project cost.  So, when deciding if off-site construction could be the answer to a faster and easier aisle containment installation, it is worth assessing the quality attributes of the system chosen first.  Operators should consider the supplier's quality credentials to provide assurance of repeatability.

All products incorporated into the Atkore Unistrut Aisle Containment System meet global data centre specification and are designed according to DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) methods. This provides a guarantee that they are both high-quality and fully standardised. 

Built in our quality-controlled manufacturing facility, every component is cut to the desired length in a controlled environment and is therefore of a proven standard.  All Unistrut components will also be manufactured in the UK or Europe and stamped with a batch number. This acts as a guarantee of their quality and enables them to be traced back to the steel manufacturer in the event of any issues.

Standardising the design to streamline the supply chain
The length of time to project completion is not only impacted by the speed at which installation can be completed on site. 

Working with providers to standardise designs and equipment also has the added benefit of reducing potential supply chain delays.  With multiple orders being handled simultaneously, it is likely that the manufacturer will be purchasing stock ahead of schedule, making it easier to handle orders ‘on demand.’

In addition, intelligent, repeatable, modular designs will also be engineered to minimise the amount of different components parts required; another positive factor which can enable a faster order-to-install completion.

Biography
Mark Halsey is Global Product Director, Cable Management and Protection at Atkore.  You can listen to Mark at this year’s Data Centre World Exhibition on the 8^{th of} March at 10:45 in the Energy Efficiency, Cost Management & DCIM Theatre. He will be discussing how Atkore Unistrut’s prefabricated containment and cable management solutions for data centres can be configured to accommodate the custom needs of your project.

He will demonstrate how this can minimise complexity, reduce installation time, increase quality and performance and in most cases reduce costs.