Eaton’s Large Systems Group to meet mega data centres’ needs

Eaton has launched the new organization, the Large Systems Group (LSG), to support mega data centre projects in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The concept comes from the US, where it has been operational for several years. The group has been formed to create tailored solutions for large customers that have sophisticated power requirements for their mega data centres.

“The global LSG initiative was first discussed at the end of 2006 and the plan was driven by the development of Powerware 9395 UPS as a building block, which is a truly global state-of–the-art product that gives us the opportunity to be a market leader,” says Angelo Mandarino, Global Manager, Large Systems Group.

“With Eaton’s innovative product and service range we are able to conduct project-based work and offer more comprehensive solutions for our customers. This is exactly what LSG is about; we are not simply a UPS company anymore, but have evolved into a power quality solutions provider,” tells Juha Lantta, EMEA Manager, Large Systems Group.

Tailor-made solutions for large and specialist needs

LSG’s customers are mainly financial institutions and large manufacturing companies, for example the Ford Motor Credit Corporation, and so-called technology space companies including large software and hardware suppliers as well as internet service providers. Their data centres are typically large, between 10 000 and 15 000 square meters, and require heavy capacity, as they move critical and often secure sensitive data.

Every LSG project is tailor-made for the customer, and the new LSG team is in charge of designing and delivering the power quality system configurations to meet customer expectations and requirements. “I think that the best term to describe us is a systems integrator. We bring application engineering capability to the different regions in EMEA and ultimately across the globe. We design, test and deliver solutions or systems that give our customers the features that their data centres require. The main idea is that they don’t have to go to seven different companies to get what they need,” Mandarino says.

The Large Systems Group also partners and works with suppliers in different regions and countries, especially with battery and switchgear vendors. Many countries in EMEA have already established partnerships, and they are in the process of getting more familiar with their capabilities. “There are fewer options for partners when projects get bigger. It is extremely important to choose your ‘friends’ carefully, because we are only as good as our partners,” Lantta says.

Going global

“The main challenge for LSG is finding the right people. The skill set required for this group is not easy to find, as it is important to be able to combine technical capability and knowledge as well as understand the customer interface. We have an excellent team in place in EMEA, and as we expand the group to other regions we will have equally competent teams driving the group forward. There are certain things you need to fully grow into before launching the LSG. EMEA has already gone through this evolution,” Mandarino says.

“It is important that we have functions globally, as many of our customers operate around the world and they might require our solutions for their data centres located in Singapore and New York, for example. The aim is that a customer won’t see any difference in the quality of service and expertise, despite geographical locations of their data centres,” he continues.

Although the objective is to offer high-quality customer service and solutions around the world, Juha Lantta acknowledges that customer and market base demands vary from country to country. Applying the North American model directly to EMEA would not work; the diversity of languages, cultures and legal requirements have to be taken into account.

“The LSG is about adjustments and nuances. There are certain types of applications and configurations that dominate the North American market, such as central bypass, whereas here in Europe we have adopted a distributed bypass approach. The LSG extends to how you do business; it is not only about delivering technically fine equipment to the customers,” Lantta says.

No end to data centre growth

Date centre deployment is on the rise globally, and customer requirements are getting more complex. This also means a shift in the size of opportunities available for LSG and for Eaton as a whole. Customers are demanding bigger systems, and the overall value and size of each project has risen tremendously, approximately doubling from the ‘90s.

“The growth of LSG has been around 30 percent per year. For example, in the USA alone we have provided our solutions for around 100 sites in three years. We are expecting similar or even higher numbers from EMEA. And when looking at overall trends and developments in the future, it is certain that many growing markets such as India and Asia will need more reliable energy due to the exploding Internet penetration,” Mandarino says.

Eaton’s green initiative is also a driving factor: by reducing energy usage of its products and solutions Eaton is able to offer its customers significant cost reduction. In particular, customers of the LSG are able to save considerable amounts of energy and money due to the size of their data centres. The supreme technical capability, innovation and significant investments in green efficiencies taking into account the whole product life cycle make Eaton a true pioneer, and one which is well-equipped for a bright future.

Backbone of Large Systems Group - Powerware 9395 UPS

With an unprecedented level of power performance, reliability, and energy savings, the state-of-the-art Powerware 9395 UPS has raised the bar in three-phase power protection technology. As IT managers, facility managers and chief information officers feel increasing pressure to achieve zero downtime and availability requirements rise, the search for the most reliable and efficient power protection system has become even more critical. The Powerware 9395 UPS, which operates in the power range of 225 to 550 kVA, has been designed for mega data centres. It delivers unmatched green power performance operating at greater than 94 percent efficiency, thereby reducing utility costs and extending battery runtimes. Increased system efficiency also results in cooler operating conditions, which in turn reduces facility air conditioning cost, extends the life of UPS components, and increases overall reliability, availability, and performance.