7:30 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
7:40 am Driving Early Planning & Collaboration With Your Owner, Trades & Suppliers to Prevent Schedule Delays
Synopsis
- Underlining the importance of onboarding trades and suppliers early to create a coordinated schedule of delivery and installation dates
- Executing a plan for all stages of the project with deliverables and milestones clearly signaled to meet client demands and forecast against the schedule
- Ensuring team collaboration from day one to create a more integrated supply chain and better mitigate risk across the project
Optimizing Collaboration & Coordination
8:20 am Audience Discussion: Harnessing Lessons Learned Through COVID-19: How Do We Prepare for Future Curveballs?
Synopsis
- Maintaining an agile and resilient supply chain during volatility to mitigate supply chain disruption and improve Just-In-Time delivery
- Automating data center construction services and integrating software to reduce non-essential visits and minimize safety risks
- Discussing the most effective methods discovered during COVID-19 to optimize productivity and efficiency during times of volatility
8:20 am Understanding the Impact Trades Have on Supply Chain Agility and Speed to Market
Synopsis
- Combining trades increases supply chain agility and predictability
- Understanding the impact of supply chain delays on trade partners and how to mitigate those delays
- Exploring the importance of innovation and questioning traditional methods to enhance data center construction
8:50 am Audience Discussion: Breaking Down Silos & Addressing the Disconnect Between Company Types
Synopsis
| Breakout 1: Trades & General Contractors This breakout will bring trades and general contractors together to realign on expectations for delivery and how to connect the disconnect between project teams. |
Breakout 2: Owners & Designers This breakout will bring owners and designers together to discuss what owners look for in their design partners and how to meet their expectations. |
9:00 am Morning Refreshments
Exceeding Client Expectations
9:40 am Exploring the Key Considerations When Selecting the Location of Your Data Center
Synopsis
- Considering the criteria of selecting a new data center: How 5G, taxes and proximity to other locations should be studied
- Rethinking the challenges associated with urban vs rural data centers and how to solve them to optimize efficiency
- Involving designers and contractors during site selection so they can determine due diligence and constructability
10:20 am Harnessing Predictive Analytics to Give Owners Visibility Over Potential Hurdles & Risk Mitigation Strategies
Synopsis
- Creating a clean data source to understand common themes on projects and give leading indicators on potential challenges
- Assessing project health with dashboards to model to owners to address upcoming concerns and improve confidence that contingency is built in
- Ensuring a clean data lake to prevent tainted data: Discovering what, how and when to use data effectively
11:00 am Panel: Understanding Client Requirements to Achieve the Optimum Balance Between Standardization & Customization
Synopsis
- Building the business case for standardization: Discovering how standardized components can mitigate supply chain disruption, increase speed to market and prevent late design changes
- Working with designers to build consistent products for delivery across a client’s whole portfolio
- Uncovering how SLAs change the relationships for customized vs standardized data centers
- Understanding the risk profile of different clients to identify whether standardization is the best option or customization is more desirable
11:40 am Best Practices – Select Flooring For A Data Center
Synopsis
- Load Considerations – Select a provider whose panels can support the load you intend to place upon them. A provider whose flooring is available in a range of load limits provides you with options and flexibility.
- Use Airflow Panels Strategically – As data centers strive to meet efficiency goals, providers whose portfolios include directional airflow panels are an asset.
- Fits-All Panels Can Provide Cost Savings – If you’re adding onto an existing build, a provider with fits-all panels is an asset. That means their panels will fit seamlessly into almost any existing flooring structure.
- Choose a Vendor Who Can Provide an Entire Flooring Solution – There are a lot of separate parts involved in a raised floor. If your vendor can provide you a complete flooring solution, you’ll save time, money, and headaches.
12:10 pm Lunch
Delivering Quality Excellence
1:10 pm Involving Commissioning Teams Earlier in Design to Minimize Rework & Streamline Project Close-Out
Synopsis
- Defining construction deliverables and project milestones to determine the earliest time commissioning teams can be involved
- Uncovering why early involvement from commissioning teams is essential to reduce costs and prevent rework
- Developing an understanding of data center components to better understand the commissioning process
1:50 pm If It Isn’t Broken, Try Break It: Creating an Integrated Quality Management Plan to Mitigate QA/QC Problems Occurring Onsite
Synopsis
- Improving due diligence with manufacturers prior to buying componentry to ensure the quality is of the highest standard
- Starting the QA/QC process early to ensure a procedure is in place to work with vendors
- Implementing a coherent quality controls plan to ensure that all componentry is checked throughout all stages of equipment installation
- Utilizing advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and robotics, to minimize negative QA/QC repercussions
2:30 pm Afternoon Refreshments
The Future of Data Center Construction
3:10 pm Panel: Forecasting the Future of the Data Center Landscape: Where Will We Be in 10 Years?
Synopsis
- Evaluating strategic priorities for construction in the data center market to understand how project teams can support the owner achieve their goals
- Addressing the transition to edge data centers: Why have some of the largest industry players shifted to edge?
- Uncovering technologies and methodologies at the forefront of data center construction
- Reacting to changing industry demands to innovate future practices