CUSTOMEr CASE: MIND PARK
Country: Central Serbia

Serbian systems integrator has peace of mind with Legrand

Resilient IT infrastructure and an on-site data center are key components of a major engineering and logistics project being developed in South Eastern Europe. Legrand Data Center Solutions technology has been specified by Technosector, a key partner for the site’s owner, MIND Park.

Discover the full story:

MIND Park is an integrated production, technology and logistics hub for the rail, high-tech and aerospace industry. Situated in Kragujevac in Central Serbia, the site covers 160 hectares. 60,000m2 of office and production space has already been developed. The airport and the terminal are in the design phase (900m2 airport runway is open), with a further 5.5 hectares logistics center under construction.

Technosector has been a key MIND Park partner since the original plan to develop the greenfield site into a technology park and logistics hub. Slavisa Miletic, Technosector’s CEO, explains: “We are an integrator company, carrying out the complete fire safety, security and IT infrastructure at the MIND Park complex. Our relationship started with the first construction design, awarded to us by MIND Park’s Head of IT, Ivan Mandic, and has carried through to the subsequent installation of the equipment, and we provide ongoing maintenance as well.”

Slavisa continues the story: “The initial project design included a few server rooms, but the customer quickly understood that, in order to meet the demands of the businesses being attracted to the site, it was important to construct a dedicated data center in the main building, which has now become the core of the overall complex.”

Technosector has been a Legrand partner ever since the Serbian systems integrator was founded back in 2010. As Slavisa explains: “We recognised that the successful development of our company would be much more likely if we worked with a big manufacturer like Legrand. So, we started working with them, receiving extensive training which enabled us to better sell, install and maintain their portfolio. From that time onwards, we started to cover the omplete market with Legrand.”

At the MIND Park site, Technosector supplied Legrand equipment for the initial server rooms – the racks, the cables, the connectors and the like. So, it was a natural extension of this work for the systems integrator to put forward Legrand technology for the data center as well.

There were other competitive bids for the project, but once Technosector had taken the MIND Park team to the Legrand factory in Holland, the decision was taken to go with the suggested Minkels-based solution. Slavisa comments: “We had to organise not just the contract offer but, let’s say, a complete roadshow for the investor. We went to the factory in Holland, so that they could see the quality of the proposed solution. This was an important part of the process.”

The Legrand products supplied for the MIND Park data center included Minkels racks, Archimod UPS systems in the racks, DX cooling, cable ducting and PDUs. The customer wanted a ‘pay as you grow’ modular solution. That’s why, for example, for the cooling, chilled water with two small coolers were chosen (as part of a cold aisle containment system), with the ability to extend as MIND Park expands the data center to meet the demands of the rapidly expanding site. Technosector also supplied the fire prevention system and the fibre optic cabling.

Slavisa believes that the Legrand technology was a key reason for Technosector’s success at the MIND Park site – both in terms of building out the first server rooms and winning the data center contract. He says: “Legrand is not only a sales company, but they are a company involved in developing new ideas and new solutions. And they cover the complete data infrastructure field, from the socket right up to the UPS system – everything you need. And that’s the most important aspect. If you want to offer customers a complete solution, then you must find a company that can offer that.

“For example, some of Legrand’s competitors don’t offer structured cabling, which means using somebody else for this. But, with Legrand, you have everything – low and high voltage cabling and systems. And, their Serbian representatives are very friendly and very open to discussing new ideas and opportunities. Usually, they can offer not just the right price and delivery date, but many other things, such as demos, training and the like. And then there is the option of taking customers to the factory, to organise meetings with the people who develop and manufacture the equipment that will be supplied to their data center.”

Thanks to its relationship with Legrand, Technosector has an opportunity to expand its work in the Serbian data center market. Slavisa sees possibilities both in the public and private sectors, not least with the rapid expansion of the cloud, underpinned by a requirement for new data centers. Such work will add to the company’s smaller scale project portfolio, with computer rooms, cabling systems and fire prevention technology as the major focus.

And, of course, there’s more work to be done at the MIND Park site. Further buildings are in the design stage, with Technosector heavily involved, as it will be with the subsequent construction and installation work.

Legrand technology is sure to be a key part of any of this IT or data center infrastructure expansion work, with Slavisa a major enthusiast. As he outlines: “Legrand really has the best PDUs that you can get, that’s my opinion and also feedback from our MIND Park customer. And they don’t just sell the same solutions, they develop – they are a growing company with new technology. It’s really nice to work with them and to benefit from their knowledge.”