Schneider Electric, an energy and automation digital solutions provider, has revealed that its EcoStruxure Micro Data Center R-Series for rugged indoor environments will be available in Europe by June 2021.
The new micro data centres are said to offer a resilient and quick-to-deploy solution to help manage edge computing infrastructure within challenging industrial and manufacturing environments.
As more industrial operators deploy Industry 4.0 technologies to increase productivity, safety and automation, micro data centres have become increasingly popular, making IT on the factory floor more reliable and simple to deploy. As part of the launch, six new models are available in 16U, 24U and 42U sizes to allow for flexibility and scalability.
Rob McKernan, SVP, secure power division, Schneider Electric, Europe, said: “As Industry 4.0 and advanced automation technologies continue to drive transformation within industrial environments, IT must be deployed closer to the point of use, enabling increased productivity and efficiency.
“The availability of our new IP and NEMA rated EcoStruxure Micro Data Center R-series solutions will help industrial manufacturers and distributors across the region truly reap the benefits of improved performance and reliability on the factory floor.”
EcoStruxure Micro Data Center solutions are configurable, pre-packaged, enclosed rack systems that include power, cooling, security, and management. Schneider Electric claims they can save up to 40 percent in field engineering costs, get systems to market 20 percent faster and reduce maintenance costs by seven percent. Micro data centres take advantage of existing infrastructure and can potentially reduce capital expenses by 48 percent over a traditional build.
The new R-series reinforces these benefits and helps customers alleviate difficulties because they are built to withstand harsh indoor environments and applications with minimum ingress protection ratings of IP54 and NEMA 12.
They can be managed remotely with Schneider Electric’s portfolio of software and digital services when there’s limited-to-no on-site IT staff. EcoStruxure IT, an open, vendor-agnostic platform, provides the power and flexibility for users to manage critical infrastructure on their own, with a partner, or to allow Schneider Electric’s service engineers to manage the assets for them.
They are also equipped with security features, such as access control, intrusion detection and security camera for unsecured locations.
