Posted: November 19, 2024
By: Editorial Team
There’s no question we live in the age of data. Did you know? It’s projected that between 175–200ZB (zettabytes) of data will be created in 2025—over six times what was created in 2018!
As demand for AI, cloud-based services, VR, and 5G continues to grow, so does the demand for new data center construction to process this information. There are currently over 5,000 data centers in the US, with many more in construction.
The scale and pace of constructing a new data center exceeds most other commercial projects. Ensuring that these facilities are built efficiently and completed on time is crucial to supporting the growing demand for data storage.
Here are three areas of expertise your electrical distributor needs to help drive success on mission-critical data center projects.
1. Understanding Complexities in Data Center Projects
Electrical contractors are experts in data center construction, and they need an electrical distributor who understands that the highly technical and mission-critical nature of data centers makes them far more complex and specialized than typical commercial construction projects.
Key Focus Areas for Mission-Critical Projects
Performance: immense power loads
Reliability: 24/7 operations
Scalability: future expansions & innovations
Security: highly sensitive information
Data center projects differ from other commercial construction due to their scale and pace, but also for their unique focus on performance, reliability, scalability, and specific infrastructure requirements. They require complex electrical and mechanical systems—with backup power sources and redundant infrastructure—to continuously handle immense power loads and maintain precise temperature and humidity controls.
Additionally, data centers are built to support highly sensitive IT equipment, requiring stricter specifications for fire suppression, physical security, cyber security, and cabling. This sets data center construction apart from typical commercial projects that typically prioritize aesthetics, functionality, or space utilization.
2. Best-in-Class Data Center Project Management
The Project Management Institute (PMI) reports that poorly managed electrical projects have a 67% higher failure rate than those managed properly. Even when the project is ultimately completed correctly, poor project management leads to an average investment loss of 11.4%!
This represents a direct hit to your potential profits.
An electrical distribution partner, understanding the unique requirements of data center construction, should also provide professional project management services for meticulous planning and reporting, on-site efficiencies, and precise execution.
Material storage & kitting: store materials & stay ahead of supply chain issues
“Drop-shipping from a manufacturer to a jobsite is not always practical. Sometimes, there just isn’t enough room, or there are concerns of material getting broken or going missing,” says Scott Sarno, Executive Director at Loeb Electric.
When that happens, having a distributor with warehouse capabilities to bring material in-house is important. “That’s a big project management piece that has a lot of value,” he says. “Not many distributors can provide this service because you need warehousing, scale, trucks, and manpower, which many don’t have.”
In addition, the ability to kit electrical supplies (assembling and packaging a set of electrical components) and deliver them ready for easy and error-proof installation is especially crucial to adhering to strict data center construction timelines.
Just-in-time delivery: material delivered based on your construction timelines
The distributor is storing your material. Now what? A key piece of the project management process is a dedicated Project Coordinator to release material based on your construction timeline. You worry about the installation. The distributor ensures the correct material is there when you need it.
In addition, you should have access to advanced shipping notifications to know when your material has shipped, is a certain distance away, and data on who signed for it.
Onsite material efficiencies: services to make you more efficient
Rural areas are quickly becoming hubs for data centers due to the amount of land, affordability, and ability to handle data centers’ massive energy requirements without maxing out the grid. However, rural areas have limitations, such as a limited labor force and complicated transportation.
An experienced data center electrical distributor will help you solve these issues.
Over 40% of an electrical contractor’s time in the field is spent on material handling. Vendor-managed inventory services, such as material cages, Conex trailers, and laydown yards—which bring the material directly to the installation site—help increase the time spent on installation. Say goodbye to losing labor hours by running to the supply store multiple times or to get restocked.
A trusted electrical distribution partner will do more than track inventory on a computer screen; they will implement agile project management processes, streamline procurement, increase jobsite efficiencies, and proactively determine the best risk mitigation strategies to meet deadlines without sacrificing quality or safety.
3. Experts on Data Center Supplies
Resourcing quality electrical supplies, while adhering to a construction timeline, is at the core of what makes an electrical distributor go from good to great.
An electrical distributor with direct relationships with best-in-class manufacturers ensures you are ahead of supply chain issues, receive better bulk-buying terms, and have access to experts who are trained in the latest technology to meet—and beat—industry standards and your competitors.
The number of SKUs may not be large, but managing the sheer mass of data center supplies is complex. You need product expertise and logistic capabilities to execute these large-scale purchases.
Quality data center supplies include:
Your Trusted Partner: Data Center Supplies & Project Services
As the demand for data center construction continues to grow, overcoming challenges like material procurement, labor shortages, and complex project management is crucial.
Many of Loeb Electric’s data center customers choose to keep their practices private—and we take their privacy and security very seriously. So, while we can’t shout from the rooftops who we’ve worked with, our deep data center industry expertise and strategic manufacturer relationships are why the largest brands in the world choose Loeb as their go-to partner for data center electrical supplies and services.
Contact us online or call us today at 800.686.6351 to learn more about how Loeb can manage these large-scale data center projects, increase productivity, and add value at every opportunity.
Speak with lighting & electrical distribution experts today.
Related Posts:
Recent Posts
