The demand for new data centers presents an unparalleled opportunity for owners and construction firms, along with pressure to build fast, protect budgets and meet sustainability goals.
Every aspect of data center construction is critical and complex. Partnering with an experienced, one-stop temporary equipment provider gives data center construction companies an edge at each stage of the process, from dewatering the jobsite to flushing the pipes. A new white paper from United Rentals, Driving Efficiencies in Data Center Construction and Maintenance, explains how.
A dedicated partner with an extensive inventory of equipment and a robust offering of services and solutions can help companies right-size fleets, solve data center construction challenges, remove friction from processes and more. The white paper outlines four areas in which the right partner can help drive efficiencies, reduce data center construction costs and facilitate the data center commissioning process.
Optimize equipment planning
An equipment rental company with deep data center construction experience can help guarantee that companies have the right equipment, and the right amount of equipment, at the right time.
United Rentals leverages proprietary data around equipment utilization to help contractors predict their equipment needs at each project stage and avoid underutilization, overutilization and equipment-related downtime. A vendor-managed onsite equipment yards ensures equipment is available as soon as it’s needed.
Right-sizing tool inventories can dramatically reduce tool spending. A vendor that offers tools solutions will help plot tool needs against the expected craft bell curve. For long and complex projects, a managed tool trailer can slash the tool spend and shrink tool-related downtime.
A partner with expertise in trench safety, fluid management and power and HVAC adds further value, helping to identify the right equipment and methods for the application. A full-service vendor will perform the installation of a dewatering solution if requested and provide load banks to mimic the heat generated by servers in order to optimize server placement.
Reduce fleet costs with digital tools
Digital fleet management tools make equipment work harder for every dollar spent.
With a mobile app tied to a vendor’s fleet management solution, managers can see the real-time location of each telematics-enabled piece of equipment. Finding “hidden” equipment reduces underutilization and hoarding. Mobile apps that offer due-date alerts, easy equipment returns and visibility into money-saving leniency windows help reduce overspending on rental equipment.
With cloud-based fleet management software, companies can generate utilization reports that show how efficiently every piece of equipment is being used and return or sell equipment that isn’t working hard. Utilization reports help managers reduce fleet as project phases are completed.
With the partner’s help, companies can also track tools. A tool tracking system that uses Bluetooth tags reveals the location of any tagged tool, whether it’s rented or owned, as well as tool usage data. Overstocked item alerts present opportunities to save.
Curb fuel use and emissions
More data center construction companies are being called upon to meet sustainability goals. A partner with a strong focus on sustainability and a large inventory of alternatively powered equipment can help them meet their targets.
The vendor can offer insights on electric and hybrid equipment as well as alternative-fuel power generators, including propane generators and hydrogen fuel cell generators. Integrating a battery energy storage system with a generator dramatically reduces fuel consumption and emissions.
Data center construction companies that partner with United Rentals can keep tabs on their rental equipment’s estimated greenhouse gas emissions with the Emissions Tracking feature in Total Control®. Access to emissions data helps them make strategic decisions around equipment selection and usage. The Estimated Emissions dashboard shows at a glance which categories of equipment and which jobsites are generating the most emissions so companies can focus their emission reduction efforts on the biggest opportunities for improvement.
Remove friction from data center commissioning
The right partner can facilitate an efficient, frictionless commissioning phase.
For example, data center construction companies can save time and money on load bank testing by partnering with a vendor that uses a fully networked load bank solution. These solutions allow a single user to monitor and control all the equipment from a laptop, potentially freeing up dozens of engineers.
Pipe flushing is a critical step in commissioning. A partner with expertise in flushing and filtering can design and engineer a closed-loop flush system to effectively flush and filter piping as well as provide all necessary equipment. United Rentals can bring in advanced measurement devices to ensure every flush and filtration is done to spec.
Facilitate cost-effective maintenance
Once a data center is operational, regular maintenance is necessary to prevent unplanned outages. Load bank testing of stand-by power systems is essential. An experienced partner can customize the load bank solution for the project.
If the cooling system underperforms or needs replacement, the partner can design an effective cooling and dehumidification solution to keep the environment within temperature and humidity specs.
During cooling system maintenance and upgrades, a vendor with an expansive inventory of cooling towers and chillers can design an efficient temporary cooling system to take over the job of chilling the cooling water.
When the stakes are high, companies that succeed not only do things right but do them better. Partnering with a world-class equipment provider that offers value-added solutions and services gives data center construction companies a sure advantage.
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