The Cologne-based family business Gödde has been a successful and independent tool dealer since 1960 with approx. 250 employees. Gödde has its own demonstration and test center. Together with the Hoffmann Group, Gödde is Europe's market leader in B2B sales of quality tools. A total of 4,000 employees and international partners inspire large corporations as well as medium-sized and small companies in over 50 countries. The healthy growth is also reflected in the global annual turnover of more than one billion euros in 2022.
The company had originally opted for a classic enclosure, a conversion against hazardous areas, to protect the two server rooms against natural hazards. However, after contacting the Data Center Group due to Gödde's solutions house, a more suitable, better solution was found: the DC IT Safe, a micro data center that offers the highest protection in the smallest space.
"Without knowing it beforehand, the DC IT Safe was the ideal product we were looking for. A real bull's eye! Thus, the decision for the Data Center Group was easy for us," reports Michael Forschbach, Head of IT at Gödde.
Gödde's IT landscape was already set up redundantly before the project, i.e. double-protected. However, one of the server rooms is located in the basement. This has grown historically. Many internal connections converge there and most of the lines coming from outside end there. Thus, there was an increased risk of flooding due to heavy rain as well as coming from the gas line and the heating pipes. These are possible sources of danger against which the DC IT safe provides extensive protection. An additional base on which the safe stands additionally minimizes the danger of water penetration due to heavy rain. For these reasons, the decision was made in favor of DCG.
After the project was decided in 2021 and the order was placed in mid-2022, the construction and installation succeeded in December of the same year. The Data Center Group took over the complete package of planning and realization as well as the subsequent maintenance contract.
In the course of the project, the two companies discovered some synergies. For example, both supply individual solutions for the customer. Gödde customers can have everything from workshop cabinets to shipping containers individually equipped. Each individual workshop drawer can be individually prepared in this case by producing precisely fitting foam molds for the tools. It is the same with the Data Center Group. Each product can be individually equipped in a wide variety of parameters, thus guaranteeing the ideal protection for each customer.
Additional security is provided by protection against unauthorized access, reduction of dust and dirt. Further certifications can be easily tackled in the further course due to the excellent product.
"The summary is very positive. All deadlines as well as the schedule were met. The team worked very cleanly and I was able to take over the data center turnkey. If I had any questions, I could always get in touch with my contact person and I felt that I was taken absolutely seriously as a customer. Overall, a 9 out of 10. A 10 out of 10 could only have been achieved if the DC IT safe had been delivered in red and white instead of red and silver. I was a little disappointed there. (laughs)", Michael Forschbach sums up.
Editor's note: Red and white are the club colors of 1.FC Köln in Cologne. Gödde's company building is located only a few kilometers away from the stadium of the 1. FC Köln. Special paint schemes are of course possible and we are happy to implement them on request. What are your club colors?
