A piece of corrugated cardboard on beige background

Eichhorn - DC IT Container as a backup data center

Corrugated cardboard specialist Carl Eichhorn relies on security made in Germany
References | 23.11.2017

Corrugated cardboard as a packaging material is indispensable in the industry and in transport. The corrugated cardboard company Carl Eichhorn KG, headquartered in Jülich, was founded in 1855 and is now owner-managed at the fifth generation. The administration is located in a beautiful old villa, which was renovated and restored in 1999. On the other side of the street, near the old paper factory, where everything started in 1855, flows the re-exposed mill pond. The production site is located there. Here and at the second location in Limburg, about 250 people are employed who produce about 180 million m² of corrugated cardboard per year. The company‘s goal is to expand this number to more than 200 million m² over the next few years. The corrugated cardboard produced is mainly used by transport companies, in the manufacturing industry, but also in the food and beverage industry. From an ecological point of view, Carl Eichhorn KG is a pioneer: 80 % of the corrugated carboard produced is made from wastepaper and its own photovoltaic plants that generate part of the electricity required for this purpose. 

“Because the first project with Data Center Group was so successful, we asked them again."

According to Achim Zeitz, Head of Organization and Data Processing at Carl Eichhorn KG, a lot will happen in the next years. Above all, a new logistics area is to be created in Jülich. “Because of the growing structures, and in order not to endanger our operations, we urgently needed a backup-solution. Because if our IT fails, it can lead to a production shutdown within 10 minutes, leading to huge losses “, says Zeitz. “Moreover, a problem within IT-infrastructure, like the Internet access, would also shut down the production very quickly, because not a single pallet could be identified and no one would know after a few palettes, what belongs where. “

To ensure reliability, an outdoor data center was built in Jülich in 2017 as a backup, which is now located in one of the large warehouses. “We researched online who can offer finished server rooms and, in the end, we decided to go with the Data Center Group offer. The concept and the price simply convinced us “, says Zeitz. The outdoor data center is a flexible solution that can be moved easily, if needed, and can also stand outdoors. "When it comes to flexibility, this solution is unbeatable. Simply disconnect the cables, move the container, and re-attach the cables. Besides, we do not know if we will need the space in the hall at some point and we are glad that we could simply put the data center outside if we have to “, says Zeitz. The outdoor data center of the DC IT Room Quaartzite 9.0 model was set up as an IT server room. The container has three 19“rack systems with 43 HU, cooling on cold base 1 + 1 with 100 % redundancy as well as a DC IT Monitoring Agent 32.2, a fire extinguishing system and an early fire detection. Outside the hall there is an Emergency Standby Power System (ESPS) for emergency power supply.

Currently, the site in Limburg is being rebuilt. Among other items, a brick room will be converted into a server room. Marco Hoffmann, Head of Project Sales North of Data Center Group, points out that just like Carl Eichhorn KG, most of the customers still have structures from many years ago that need to be adjusted. Zeitz: “At the moment, we only have a temporary solution, and it was about time for some changes. Since the first project with Data Center Construction was so successful, we asked them again. “In the course of the year, a DC IT safety panel system, type Quartzite 9.0, will be built in Limburg. It is equipped with two 19“rack systems of an air conditioning and refrigeration split system with 100 % redundancy and an emergency power supply system. It also includes a NOVEC 1230 extinguishing system, a fire detection system, and the DCM IT Monitoring system Agent 32.2.

“The conditions for both projects were ideal, in Jülich only a few lines had to be laid and in Limburg it is even easier. The flexible container solution could be implemented easily, and we are very satisfied with the final result. The cooperation with Data Center Group went really well from start to finish “, says Zeitz about the handling of the projects.

 

Picture: © lotus_studio / #379083243 / stock.adobe.com (Standard licence)

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