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Leadership - MERCURY
Mercury – Procurement
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ercury is a leading European Contractor that builds and manages complex engineering projects that reimagine how people work and live in the built environment. Their determination and focus enable the delivery of leading-edge construction solutions across a range of key sectors including Enterprise Data Centres, Advanced Technology & Life Sciences, Hyperscale Data Centres, Fire Protection, Technical Support Services (TSS), Data Centre Facility Management, Healthcare & Building Services. Mercury employs over 2,600 people across over 10 locations in Europe and had an overall turnover of €1bn in 2020. Mercury employs the best people, invests heavily in training and education, and ensures that the highest standards of health, safety and governance are applied throughout the organisation. Johnny McFadden joined Mercury as Group Head of Procurement in 2018. A life-long career within the construction sector has seen Johnny cut his teeth from regular residential building sites to Oil & Gas mega projects across Europe, Middle East, Africa, and North America. Mercury’s continued rise created a need for a redefining of structure. Johnny and his procurement team have
made significant steps over the past three years and he kindly offers an insight into the ongoing evolution of the function as well as providing his own outlook on procurement in general. Johnny, what does your role as Group Head of Procurement cover? Primarily, I was recruited to put a supply chain structure in place that is robust, flexible, and smart. We are a support function that endeavours to keep Mercury projects running smoothly, which can be very demanding as construction projects are often pressurised situations. Added to this is the complex nature of executing projects across Europe. In Mercury, the procurement department are responsible for purchasing of Goods/ Equipment, Material Control and Fleet, Tool and Plant requirements. This can only be done in conjunction with our Commercial and Operations teams. Initially, we updated and released new processes and procedures in Q3 2018, which was very important in order to lay down solid procurement foundations. These were very different to what had preceded, so the change management was considerable and is ongoing. Once created, documents should be dynamic and change as the
The Business Profile
Rising
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Leadership should be dynamic and change as the company changes and matures. In many ways, they were probably overzealous, which I trace back to my experience in the more stringent Oil & Gas industry. Working with the leaders in Mercury, I think we are finding the right balance between compliance and flexibility in the construction sector in order to execute accelerated projects. You joined the business in 2018 and set about redefining the procurement function and aligning its structure to mirror that of the business. What was involved in this process? How did you overcome initial resistance? What instant benefits did this structural change create? When I joined Mercury, it was already in a phase of restructuring from a business unit model to a divisional model, of which there were four, with each division having a Managing, Operation, and Commercial Director respectively. The divisions, though similar in many ways, had distinct differences, which procurement had
to be able to support and to which we had to provide specifically dedicated personnel. This was based on moving from a centralised procurement model to giving each division a dedicated divisional procurement manager who would support the procurement changes I wished to roll out. This was primarily based on getting procurement personnel closer to the projects and having buyers on site so that they were closer to being part of the project team. This is where I personally felt I learned the most at the outset of my career, gaining site experience and understanding the pressures and constraints of live projects.
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Leadership
Anord Mardix and Their Role in Boosting Global Digital Infrastructure
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The increase in digital demand has been critical over the last 12 months. The power of digital infrastructure has enabled the world to continue, but have you ever asked yourself how critical power is manufactured and delivered? COVID-19 has been the catalyst for a lot of digital change and transformations over the last 12 months. Operational barriers were pushed to the extreme to make way for reactive digital change; adopting new technologies that have had to transcend the traditional ways of working we’d
become accustomed to.. Mobile phones, tablets, laptops and a myriad of devices have become the core infrastructure to business, enabling us to host meetings virtually, attend networking events from afar and have conversations with colleagues, all without being physically present. But with rapid growth in online communications, how did the industry keep up with demand? The answer in a nutshell: critical power and data infrastructure. The Criticality of Power
Premier Sponsor Feature Critical power solutions provide businesses with uninterruptible power and critical data infrastructure to ensure commercial operations run seamlessly. As a society, being quick isn’t good enough, downtime can create tremendous operational losses for businesses. Anord Mardix specialises in the design, production and installation of critical power. Throughout the last 12 months, demand has sky rocketed for Anord Mardix as they continue to underpin the growth of digital infrastructure, ensuring the world can continue to turn in such unprecedented times. Re-Defining Critical Power Infrastructure With data centres fast becoming the foundation of digital infrastructure, Anord Mardix’s modular critical power solutions have really come into their own. As the industry continues to grow from strength to strength, so has the popularity in modular designed solutions. Delivering solutions across EMEA whether it be Power Pods or SKID mounted power solutions, the demand and reach continues to grow from northern Scandinavia through to Southern Africa. In the world we live in today everything we
see feel and touch is ultimately translatable into a digital footprint. Something as simple as posting a photo online now relies more and more on the cloud, storing data, moving data, protecting data. With data centre growth set to continue, Anord Mardix’s impressive and global client base has near doubled over the last 2 years as organizations demand more data retail space. Anord Mardix, explains they’re currently working on multiple hyperscale projects across two of their facilities in Lancashire to provide a data centre spanning the equivalent of seventeen football pitches! Overcoming Challenges Through Innovation Unlike many businesses the demand in the data centre sector remained strong throughout 2020, and as a result the company had to work out how to maintain output in a number of ways. First, in terms of sourcing raw materials despite the disruption to global supply chains and, secondly, continuing production while remaining within the various rules on social
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Leadership distancing. Both, in many respects, were challenging tests of management that the company not only passed, but exceeded in. However, for many customers, processes will have changed, and Anord Mardix had to change with them. Pre-pandemic, clients would visit the company’s facilities prior to the products leaving the factory. “If we’re building a hyperscale modular data centre our clients need to see it working and test it.” Says James Peacock, CEO at Anord Mardix. “We want to showcase our products functioning as they would onsite; testing our product in real time gives our clients the confidence that, when it leaves the factory, it’s as close to plug-and-play as possible. We’ve been reactive and effectively adapted to our client’s needs, that’s comprehensive engineering excellence.” This of course had to go virtual throughout 2020, and still is for many clients. “We introduced a lot of new technologies and processes over the past year so that, now, customers can do virtual factory tests. This means that clients can still have the full purchasing experience despite travel restrictions; they get to see their products in action and get a feel for the quality and product specifications they asked for”. Looking ahead to the future Whilst Anord Mardix as a business have adapted to the COVID challenges, maintaining client relations and utilising their technological advances, the demand on globally scaling will certainly present its own challenges. “We recognise that with such global acceleration, we must continually seek sustainable ways of working to
ensure we’re not only supporting critical infrastructure, but also the criticality of carbon reduction and sustainable sourcing.” “We’re working with our hyperscale clients towards a net-zero carbon strategy to achieve carbon neutral practices, not only within our realm of control, but to lead the way within our full supply chain process. Sometimes it’s the smallest changes that make such a difference when applied at a hyperscale so we’re driving an all-encompassing strategy.” Anord Mardix have already led the way in their field by reviewing the logistical process around shipping their modular data centres, pioneering new practices to reduce operational waste. “Our competitors are still building SKID based modular designs traditionally, delivering them under tarpaulins that require a large support frame. We’ve
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ANORD MARDIX MODULAR FACT FILE now developed a process where we use recyclable shrink wrap to encapsulate the individual modules before shipping without the use of the unnecessary frame, reducing the carbon footprint by half as we demolish the need for return shipping.” Ultimately, the growth in global dependency on data, data storage, and therefore Data Centre construction, has catapulted Anord Mardix into a spiral of growth – but it hasn’t been a journey without its challenges. Anord Mardix’s ability to think globally whilst remaining agile to respond to localized change has been crucial to the business’s compounding success. As the company looks to the future, their sights are set firmly on continuing with the quality product and services that their clients have become accustomed to - all whilst driving true sustainable change to their internal infrastructure and external business decisions.
Anord Mardix have dived deep into the data centre industry since merging in 2017. With over 100 years of combined critical power manufacturing experience, they’ve curated a global workforce of industry elite, enabling them to focus on modular builds that bring a multitude of benefits to clients. The 14m x 7m SKID mounted modular units are designed with the ‘plug and play’ concept that most construction companies dream of. Built offsite at the Anord Mardix hyperscale fabrication facility, these all-encompassing, self-contained Power SKIDs save up to 70% in onsite deployment, a monumental 84% saving in installation due to the build process taking place offsite, as well as up to 65% in lifting operations.
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Leadership - MERCURY This is still very much a work in progress with the change management and the acceptance of what changes the new procurement management team want to bring. There are different views on what supply-chain is within the organization, given the long-held views on the methods by which the construction industry have historically procured and built in the past. We laid out some fundamentals in engaging in commercial negotiations with vendors directly, who can then make commercial commitments on behalf of the company, endeavouring to reduce the amount of maverick buying on projects. There are many stakeholders involved in the procurement process in any industry and so we are
working toward finding the right balance. The executive management team have been supportive and recognize that the required changes don’t happen overnight. There are elements you wish would change quicker, however resistance to change means you have not won over or perhaps targeted the right stakeholders. Conversely though it is those elements you expect to be a lot trickier to get buy-in which actually sail through. Creating a diverse and inclusive function was high on your priorities with the majority of your team now being female. Did your previous experiences working within a large multinational drive your
The Business Profile
2020 saw the 100th anniversary of the Niedax Group as one of the world’s leading cable management systems manufacturers. Despite the pandemic and all planned celebrations & events being cancelled, it proved to be another very successful year. Niedax was facing new challenges, which they mastered with “anticyclic” decisions, and this ensured 2,500 jobs were secured, success continued, which led to new company acquisitions being made and the Group growing further. In 2009, one of these typical “anticyclic” decisions for Niedax, was the starting point for the Irish subsidiary. During the recession, Niedax took a risk in starting up Niedax CMS in Tralee, Co. Kerry. What started as a small operation has developed into a formidable force not only on the Irish construction market, but also in the UK, continental Europe and further afield. The venture paid off! Niedax CMS not only distributes cable management products, but also assembles & manufactures to service Irish & UK electrical engineering companies. While Niedax CMS has grown with their partners it is still relatively small in comparison, which we believe is the key to our success. Each client gets a very personal service with flexibility, agility, and quick ADAPTATION to any challenges that might come their way. Mercury Engineering is one of our main key accounts for the past 10 years. We are proud to be their partner on projects all over Europe from the Swiss Alps to as far as the artic circle. Together we strive to continue & strengthen this relationship into the future. 11
Leadership - MERCURY
Riwal Kazakhstan
DEPOTS
Your Partner in International Projects Riwal International Rental T: +31 (0)88 618 18 18 - E: international_rental@riwal.com
Above all. Riwal riwal.com
The Business Profile
desire to create a more diverse culture or was this a personal point of preference? How beneficial has adding a younger dynamic to your team been? I do like to have diversity in my team, it makes life more interesting and the right dynamic of inclusion makes for a stronger team. This would primarily come from my time working in very diverse teams in the Middle East, Africa and Canada. It has happened organically in Mercury as I inherited some very strong personnel both male and female. Then as the new roles came up, we just seemed to find some very strong female candidates. The goal is always to find the best fit for the candidate and the team. Now we have a strong balance with
Irish, British, Mexican, Italian, Brazilian, Romanian, Indian, German and Polish nationals working together in our Mercury procurement team from junior to senior levels, female and male. The nature of the Construction business is evolving fast, and Mercury is changing accordingly. The Mercury mantra is to be brave and lead the way in all that we do. We are focused on creating diverse teams for a multitude of reasons. We want female leaders in our team, and we want to be able to converse easily in native languages and promote not only our company, but the industry. Changing the perception of how construction is viewed by younger
Your Partner in International Projects Operating successfully across borders demands a high level of knowledge and experience. It calls for strong project management, technical skills, and cost transparency. Conducting business across borders also requires good cooperation, which is why you choose your partners selectively. You need partners capable of adapting to the way you work and who are willing to go the extra mile for you. Riwal International Rental is that partner. Challenges like language barriers, local regulations and business environments are a part of operating across borders. When working with Riwal International Rental you will be assisted with all of these challenges. From our headquarters in the Netherlands, our experts arrange machinery for entire projects. The machines are supplied through our Riwal depots in the Riwal countries, our network of suppliers and our own International Rental niche fleet. With Riwal as your partner, you will have only one point of contact during your project, which ensures you have the equipment and support you need to get your job done.
Working With You to Achieve Your Goals Riwal has an extensive international network with a fleet of over 20.000 machines, that are spread across depots in 16 countries. Also, we are conducting business in over 70 countries worldwide. Because we are organised as one company, we are able to deliver the best customer experience wherever you are. Additionally, we provide centralised invoicing as well as a global damage protection plan. These elements combined provide you with peace of mind, knowing that with Riwal, conducting business is always simple and easy.
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Leadership - MERCURY generations is vitally important to attracting the best talent. We have hired some younger personnel who are so keen to learn, which drives us all forward to better define what is expected and map out career paths that keep them interested is very important. My belief is that to get the best out of procurement personnel, they need to be on site to appreciate the urgency. This helps a buyer become part of the execution team which is important for them and the function. Smaller projects absolutely still require the centralised office support, but on the scale of projects Mercury were now executing it made sense to have site buyers and material control personnel. This is starting to pay dividends and build the trust
that is required to buy into the supply chain method we are trying to deploy. What are the primary challenges of overseeing a procurement function of a projects driven business operating across Europe? There are so many factors that can impact projects and the function on any given day. Especially now in the clutches of a pandemic and Brexit which complicates everything further. There are the external factors as stated previously around how aggressive schedules are now for projects. We would have faced struggles with language barriers in certain countries, which means that getting through the
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bureaucracy can be difficult sometimes. That has been alleviated somewhat by having so many different language speakers in our procurement and construction team. Dealing with the urgent requirements on projects present difficulties, as well as getting the balance between forward planning and a flexible supply-chain. Given that lead times of most materials because of commodity disruptions (copper, steel, rubber and plastic) have been stretched to a critical point, places additional pressure on everyone. Supply-chain has a major part to play in Mercury navigating through the next few quarters especially. The shortages in
the market mean that due diligence and relationships with suppliers becomes critical to delivering successful projects. As such we need to create an environment where projects are not siloed, for their own benefit and Mercury. Our purchasing personnel are dynamic with a focus not solely on purchasing, but also the expediting and logistics. With the direction we are heading the skills and knowledge required for the movement of goods is increasing rapidly. Our aim is to have a department that is flexible and innovative to all the supplychain needs. You operate in an innovative sector. How important are strategic supplier
Prefabricated Power Supply Modules are the solution to a faster project delivery The global demand for data center (DC) capacity is increasing almost daily. At the same time, the demand for power and infrastructure in the prominent global DC locations is fast approaching full capacity. This poses huge challenges for investors and data center builders. The question now is how DC constructors can achieve their growth plans in regard to the power and infrastructure limitations in these locations. Rapid deployment in the construction of the DC is fast becoming a competitive edge. Simplified construction synergies can reduce the overall risks on DC delivery. The traditional construction of a DC requires more than 800 skilled workers on site at peak times – The challenge is how can covid restrictions be adhered to without jeopardizing the schedule? Prefabricated power supply modules from Siemens can simplify project synergies, improve project time lines, reduce the number of installation and commissioning specialists required on site. If Siemens expertise is engaged during the projects conception, then potentially - additional savings and technical innovation via value added engineering can be achieved. Prefabricated modules are aligned with customer needs, i.e; 100% custom designed, off-site manufactured and fully pre-tested. Prefabrication not only shortens installation times and thus the overall project duration by up to 50% on site, but it also reduces investment costs by up to 20%. For more information, please visit: siemens.com/datacenter-tip 15
Leadership - MERCURY relations in driving innovation? Are there processes in place to involve suppliers at the onset of projects? How have supplier relationships developed since you joined the business? Would you say that the success of a project and the potential to win further contracts is often dependent on the level of cooperation with a given supplier? Yes, it is a very innovative sector with a lot of smart people working on next generation methods of construction (i.e. 4D modelling or virtual site walks/ inspections) to meet the schedule demands. I would attribute a lot of the success to the performance of our subcontractors and suppliers on projects. The repeat business comes from Mercury and our supply-chain collaborating well together and successfully delivering projects for our clients. Projects are holistic and the sum of all parts, and construction is tough and fast paced. There are always issues on projects and equally for supply chain, but it is how a company deals with a problem that is the true acid test. Thankfully we have good partners who, like Mercury will always own up to mistakes and ensure that we find solutions. Quite often, it can come down to a specific project team, or a specific country where a company who has otherwise performed well can struggle. We continue to try to develop and take heed from lessons learned. This is easy to write, but more difficult to put into practice with the pace and nature of projects these days. As well as Mercury leading the way in data centre construction, Mercury enjoy
continued success in the life sciences and pharma industries along with our fire protection and new TSS division. None of which would be possible without Subcontractors, suppliers and partners who can support our aspirations to deliver best in class projects. The schedule pressures are getting more and more compressed as the demand for data increases. The procurement function has a significant role to play in driving the sustainability ambitions of a business. Your clients demand for sustainability to be positioned at the heart of their projects is becoming paramount. As a business you are aware of the need to stimulate sustainability within the supply chain. What steps are your taking at present? Sustainability is such a broad topic covering everything from diversity to the environment and how we treat the planet and other human beings. Whether it is looking at environmental product declarations for carbon emission calculations or diversity in the workforce, procurement will be at the forefront working with our supply chain to bring the new changes about. There are so many different new initiatives that we have got to be pragmatic about setting the priorities and the approach. Mercury focused on what pillars mattered most to our personnel, communities, clients, and suppliers. We set up a committee of which I am part to lead sustainability in the group. We have recently conducted a sustainability survey with our supply chain which returned an excellent 60% response
The Business Profile
rate. Based on that, we will get some key actions for the future. But the carbon footprint is vitally important to us all so that is getting a lot of focus and support from the business. It is important for me to do the right thing as an individual because then I can speak to my team who can influence others in Mercury so that we truly live the Mercury Mantra of “Our Planet, Our Duty”. It’s fair to say that since 2018 your function has progressed significantly and has embedded itself as a key partner to stakeholders throughout the business. If you could point to one reason that your plans have come to fruition, what would it be? I believe there are 2 keys reasons for this. Firstly, the department has progressed enormously, and a considerable amount of that progress is down to the hard work of the divisional procurement managers and
their teams. They work on a daily basis with our commercial and construction teams to bring good solutions. Having a consistent and simple message is important and I had probably over complicated certain elements when I first came in. I think when I initially introduced the full procedure suite of documents it was too much too soon. Secondly, changing the focus to working with the divisional directors to simplify and collaborate more on the direction they need procurement to go is proving far more beneficial to all concerned. There is still frustration and arguments on both sides, but it is a lot healthier and more proactive in nature. We all want what is best for Mercury and it is important not to lose sight of that when evaluating conflict situations. The last twelve months have been the most turbulent in recent times. What
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Leadership - MERCURY have you learnt about your function during this time and how have you adapted? It has been an incredibly uncertain and difficult time for all concerned. All Mercury personnel working on projects never stopped and have been working through incredibly difficult and unprecedented times. Those working in Europe had to leave their families for months at a time to ensure that projects meet the ever-present aggressive schedules. Between Covid and Brexit many of the impacts have pushed procurement to be constantly on alert and providing solutions to problems that never existed on projects in Europe before. What I have learned is that our people are so resilient and very dedicated, which in a working from home scenario for many is very difficult. The procurement personnel have
brought many smart solutions throughout the pandemic. The human impact to a lot of what the last year has brought is humbling. We all share the same frustrations with the limitations placed on our lives. We just have to look out for one another as some deal better with stresses than others. The trust in systems and technologies to work remotely has increased dramatically which I think stands us in good stead for the future.
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JOHNNY MCFADDEN
IN HIS OWN WORDS My early career was working on construction jobs as a labourer in the summers. This led me into carpentry progressing on to leading crews on residential and commercial projects. I worked in Dublin, Melbourne, Chicago and New York over a period of 10 years, which certainly gives me an understanding of what site life is like. I then took up a position with Kentz Engineering in Saudi Arabia in 2007, thanks to my older brother Alan – though I was not thanking him at the time! To say it was a culture shock, and an extremely challenging baptism of fire is an understatement. Expat life and working on Oil and Gas projects is not for everyone, I did grow to enjoy it. Working with people who are by proxy the same people you socialise with, may seem claustrophobic, but this was not the case for me. There were strong bonds that made people vested in teaching you all they know. Since there were no clubs, pubs or cinema you tended to work a lot, so the learning process was accelerated, and I really enjoyed it. I had excellent mentors who gave me the foundations to build a career in procurement, and more so the opportunity to do so. Over the next 10 years I worked all over the Middle East, Africa and North America progressing through the various procurement management levels from Project – Divisional – Country – Regional (Continent). I gained experience in every aspect of supply chain, from site set up, to procuring the most expensive stainless-steel vessels or equipment upon which the project critical path schedule depended. I enjoyed the pressure and the interaction with all the different stakeholders. In 2017 we moved back to Germany for a year working with Brand Industrial Solutions before making the move to Mercury Engineering and the current role I occupy. It was an offer with a company I could not turn down, and the opportunity to live back in Ireland now that I have a family was an important element for sure.
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Leadership
Eaton: Enabling the transition of power
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any businesses like talking about sustainability these days - but intelligent power management company Eaton believes it’s time to start acting. Eaton is already committed to ambitious sustainability goals for the next decade, including halving its carbon emissions and achieving zero waste-to-landfill status at all its manufacturing sites. It’s also allocated $3 billion over the next 10 years to develop more sustainable and energy-efficient technologies and services. As a multi-billion-dollar business with customers in more than 175 countries, Eaton is striving to help the world solve urgent and complex power challenges. From factories and warehouses, to homes and hospitals, the company is dedicated to improving peoples’ lives and the environment with power management technologies that are more reliable, efficient and safe. Tim Darkes, president, Corporate and Electrical Sector, EMEA, reveals how Eaton is leveraging its industry leadership and technical expertise to drive lasting sustainability.
Tim, what does sustainability mean for Eaton? Sustainability lies at the heart of our mission to improve quality of life and the environment. As our world is challenged by climate change, population growth and more, our power management portfolio can help build a sustainable future. We’re empowering our customers to drive long-term sustainability by creating a positive environmental impact with our products and services. In 2020, 47% of our revenue came from products that meet rigorous positive-impact criteria. However, our commitment to sustainability means we don’t just measure the success of our company by financial results alone. We believe we have a broader
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responsibility to society than our bottomline; a responsibility to protect our planet and the well-being of all the people on it. As such, we also define success through our environmental stewardship, social responsibility and strong governance. That’s why we’re also striving to lessen the footprint of our own operations, to engage all our employees in an inclusive environment, to give back to our local communities, and to do business right everywhere we do business. All of these facets make up our sustainability vision. How is sustainability changing Eaton’s approach to market? Right now, we’re going through the most significant transformation in our 110-
year history. We’re rapidly transforming our portfolio of power management technologies and services to support the accelerating transition to a more sustainable, low-carbon future. Driven by renewables replacing fossil fuels, clean air regulation, and widespread electrification of different industries, this energy transition is creating huge complexity as well as enormous opportunities. The power delivery model we all know is being upended. Electricity will no longer flow in one direction from centralized power plants to end users. Instead, people will produce their own energy locally, use or store what’s needed and, in many cases, resell excess power back to the grid. Distributed renewable power generation and storage, two-way electricity flows across the grid, and the electrification of everything from cars and buildings to heavy industry, all demands smarter, more flexible power networks than ever before. We’ve put enabling this energy transition at the heart of everything we do because we believe it’s vital to creating a more sustainable future for each other and our planet. It holds the key to addressing both climate change and pollution, as well as to enabling more reliable, efficient and affordable power. What is Eaton’s strategy to support the energy transition? Our approach to reinventing the way power is distributed, stored and consumed is called ‘Everything as a Grid’. Our core capabilities in electrical and mechanical power management mean we’re well21
Leadership placed to help customers across a wide range of industries navigate the transition to a low-carbon future. We’re helping our customers understand the challenges and opportunities in the new energy value chain, enabling them to embrace electrification and to integrate renewables effectively. We’re also applying our expertise in microgrids, digitalization, energy storage, and power management to help build a grid that’s more intelligent, adaptable and stable. While decentralized renewable power brings complexity, it also creates exciting potential - future where homeowners can use vehicle batteries for backup power during blackouts, where data centers operate using renewable energy stored on-site, and where manufacturers lower running costs by selling electricity back to the grid. Can you give some examples of how Eaton is accelerating this transformation? Buildings Through our Buildings as a Grid approach, we’re helping commercial and industrial building owners transform their properties into energy hubs by making it easier to
The Catholic University of Lille
French postal service La Poste
integrate renewables, energy storage and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. This allows them to optimize energy costs, lower carbon emissions, and enhance power resilience, while also capitalizing on new revenue streams from EV charging or the sale of energy back into the grid. The energy storage system we deployed for the Catholic University of Lille, France, is a great example - accelerating its journey towards becoming a zero carbon campus by enabling solar power to be harnessed much more effectively. Our 250 kWh system stores power from the university’s 1,300 m2 photovoltaic panels, enabling it to be consumed on demand - even when the sun is no longer shining. By integrating charging infrastructure into buildings, we’re also supporting the rapid move to EVs during the energy transition enabling charging to be both more widely available and dominated by local green power generation. For instance, as part of a trial project we recently helped La Poste, the well-known French postal service company, meet up to 80% of the electricity demands of its EVs by integrating solar panels with our energy storage solutions and smart charging capabilities.
Advertisement Feature Data Centers We’re also enabling the data center industry to capitalize on the energy transition. Data centers are expected to account for over 3% of the EU’s energy consumption by 2030, so helping these facilities meet more of their power requirements from renewables is crucial to a low-carbon future. Uptime and reliability are critical for these facilities, so uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are already a prerequisite for doing business. For instance, Dutch hosting provider Worldstream relies on our UPSs to ensure continuity, scalability and energy-efficient operations. However, energy storage can also enable data centers to capitalize on renewables that would otherwise be too unreliable to power their operations. Our EnergyAware UPS solution can go even further - turning a necessary investment into a revenue stream. It effectively monetizes a data center’s ‘sleeping’ assets by enabling power to be sold back into the grid. The solution is already in use at our corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.
more sustainable power infrastructure. For instance, most switchgear today uses SF6 as an insulator - a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 23,500 times higher than CO2. We manufacture SF6-free switchgear that eliminates the risk of this gas escaping into the atmosphere. Most recently, we supplied Bane NOR, the company responsible for Norwegian railway infrastructure, with our SF6-free Xiria switchgear for the newly completed Ulriken tunnel.
Utilities Our approach to grid modernization is also helping utilities build more resilient, efficient, sustainable and secure power networks ready for the energy transition. We’re harnessing digital technologies connected devices, data models, insights and analytics - to let utilities anticipate consumers’ real-time energy requirements and to enable the flexibility to integrate an ever-larger share of renewable generation. We’re also seizing opportunities to rollout
All these examples only scratch the surface of the change that’s coming. From air conditioning to zero-emission vehicles, power now affects every area of our lives - and so will the accelerating energy transition. The potential for flexible, intelligent power is limitless. The value for our customers is enormous. And we’re proud to be taking the challenges of the energy transition head-on to help the world seize these new opportunities.
Ulriken tunnel. Photo credit: Bane Nor/Eivind Larsen
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