Transforming Data Center Deployment: Faster, Smaller, Safer BMS Panels [Case Study]
HARTING is revolutionizing data center efficiency through innovative design
Pioneering a Global Standard for BMS Panel Installs
Nowhere in the world is the bar higher for efficiency than a new
This is true for every greenfield facility built by a global market leader in data center and colocation services. Each of their facilities operates under the Six Sigma standard (i.e. uptime to the reliability of 99.9999%). A standard they aim to maintain even during rapid growth.
After receiving this hyperscale customer's call for streamlined control panel design, HARTING engineers designed a connector that enabled a 30% smaller building management system (BMS) control panel that takes days instead of weeks to install.
In this case study, learn how we achieved faster installs for a key piece of equipment. Together, we're one step closer to achieving faster deployment for data center facilities around the world.
A Call For Faster Commissioning
As a leader in global colocation data centers, this customer's team is no stranger to growth. But there’s always the pressure to get online in record time.
Every week, every day, every hour they’re not online, millions of dollars are at risk.
For instance, look at the wiring process for building management system (BMS) control panels. Traditionally, this is a large, somewhat bulky cabinet that can take weeks to hook up. And control engineers are billed at a higher hourly rate than an electrician, adding further to installation costs.
Their Director for Global Controls Design envisioned a simpler way to get these new panels hooked up. But the products didn’t exist yet.
And the results of this cross-organization engineering design for the control panel of the future?
A control panel 30% smaller than the original size.
Considerably faster installs.
And a safer, more sustainable product to support sustainability initiatives.
The data centers engineers saw the value that [connectors] could provide, but they weren’t sure how to do it. That’s where HARTING stepped in.
Casey Spitz
Vice President of Development & Innovation at HARTING
The Question: How Can Connectors Speed Up The Install Process?
The answer: Plug-and-play equipment. An easier-to-install panel would not only speed up construction on new facilities, but speed up equipment refreshes down the line.
“If 10, 15, 20 years from now, we need to replace a panel, we could pretty much pop it off the wall, put the new one on, plug everything back up and be done,” explained the customer's Senior Manager of Controls Engineering. “Even if the control’s design changes internally to the panel, the connections would remain the same.
"It allows us to speed up a lot of that process," he adds.
Rapid Deployment of One Standard Product
The proposed product would eventually turn any BMS panel — controlling rooftop air handler units, chillers, pumps, or CRAC/CRAH units — into a standard product.
One standard product simplifies the construction process for both procurement and installation teams. No matter where they break ground, they know it’s the same standard panel.
Manufacturability is also key in data center auxiliary product development, as new facilities are constantly coming online.
This is one of the world's largest colocation data centers. We need to be going zero to sixty very, very quickly, and we want to build a product that's ready for that.
Casey Spitz
Vice President of Development & Innovation at HARTING
It was important to design the product for mass manufacturing, and we kept this in mind from the beginning.
HARTING runs on a culture of engineering. Throughout the process we facilitated a collaborative exchange of ideas and two product iterations before landing on the final design.
Hands-On Prototyping to Ensure Manufacturability
We tapped into our in-region product development and advanced R&D teams to develop ideas for the new panel.
Putting everyone together on the shop floor, handling the materials and sharing each department's perspectives helped the cross-pollination of ideas.
For instance, the beta build of the panel originally had hand-bent metal pieces to grip onto the fuse. But this proved unsustainable for a large-scale production run.
After hand-building out about 20 parts and deciding to try a different approach, we collaborated with the supplier for design feedback on which option worked best. In the end, we developed a solution that saved 45 seconds per device — without any radical design changes.
Having a hands-on view really makes a difference. When you work with engineers and build something for the first time, you learn so much about how it's put together.
Casey Spitz
Vice President of Development & Innovation at HARTING
We had about eight people, including myself down on the production floor building a few hundred pieces. We would build tests and track time, and that's how we were able to home in on further design improvements that were needed.”
And the resulting overall design hit on the important targets of compact, robust and manufacturable at scale.
Throughout the process, other tweaks were implemented to better the design, such as:
Switching from an RJ45/ethernet style plug to the
Han® 3A series connector for ease of use.
Avoiding moving parts, as those break down more easily over time.
Adding an external indicator light to quickly show technicians whether the fuse is working.
Reaching The Final Design
The engineering team completed a sufficient prototype that contained all desired functionality. But, the question of reducing the actual size of the panel remained unanswered.
The final touch of inspiration came a few months into the collaboration. Spitz ended up sketching a design on a napkin.
“I wish I still had it. I drew a picture because we have M12 inserts, so in my head I was like, ‘Could we use an insert that we already have?’” Spitz said. “And I had in my head that we would put it into a larger connector.”
"I handed it over to Sarah and she took this weird idea that didn't really work and turned it into something beautiful, into this tiny little form factor that you see today."
Like any good designer, she then showed the idea to another engineer to take it to the finish line.
The HARTING solution is a simple plug-and-play panel with the new
Quality checks stay in the controlled environment of the panel shop.
And the 30% smaller panel design is a win for the customer as well. Sleeker products are easier to transport and free up valuable square footage within the data center for more processing.
The final design is the
Additional Benefits to Smaller Control Panel
More sustainable design
The customer reported a 37% reduction in plastics and 42% reduction in metal for the new product design. Less material spent on the cabinet contributes to sustainability and fuel savings from transporting a product that weighs a third of the original cabinet.
Componentry is better protected
During new build phases, there tends to be a lot of dust and dirt floating around where the panels get installed. It’s the nature of a construction site, of course. The more the panel is opened on the job site, the greater the risk of exposure to the environment.
No on-site panel opening required
HARTING's pre-tested solution ensures the panel and bulkhead are fully tested at the panel shop prior to shipment.
Connect With Our Experts
Our team of Technical Application Consultants is available!
If you’ve got questions about connectorization or our solutions' capabilities, our experts are ready to answer them.
Contact our in-house engineers for technical guidance or design help and let us be the connector specialist extension of your team.