Case StudyData CentersBMS PanelsOEM Outsourcing

$1.2M Annual Cost Avoidance
for a Hyperscaler Data Center Developer

A top-5 hyperscaler data center developer eliminated their in-house panel shop across a 3-campus rollout by partnering with Outsourced Controls on a fixed-price BMS control panel program — zero change orders, 100% UL acceptance, and $1.2M in documented annual cost avoidance.

Client name confidential per NDA · Industry: Hyperscale Data Centers

$1.2M

Annual Cost Avoidance

0

Change Orders on Fixed-Price Program

60+

BMS Panels Delivered Per Campus

100%

UL 508A Acceptance Rate

The Challenge

In-House Panel Shop Couldn't Scale With Campus Rollout

The client was managing a 3-campus hyperscaler data center rollout across the US Southeast and needed 60+ BMS control panels per campus — each requiring UL 508A certification, BACnet/IP integration, and signed FAT documentation. Their in-house panel shop was consuming significant overhead: floor space, tooling, UL compliance staff, and component procurement management.

The core problem was scalability. The in-house shop could handle 15–20 panels per month at peak. The campus rollout required 25–30 per month across three simultaneous builds — with zero tolerance for late deliveries or UL rejections.

The client also faced a secondary problem: their panel shop overhead was being allocated to the data center construction budget, creating a cost visibility problem that made it difficult to benchmark panel costs against market rates.

The Solution

Fixed-Price OEM Program With Dedicated Production Cell

Outsourced Controls stood up a dedicated production cell for the client's BMS panel product line — including a fixed BOM, dedicated assembly documentation, and a trained 3-person build team assigned exclusively to this program.

  • Fixed unit pricing locked for the 3-campus program duration — no change orders on standard builds
  • Dedicated production cell with 3-shift capacity — 30 panels/month sustained output
  • Allen-Bradley ControlLogix 1756 and 5094 FLEXHA distributed I/O — client's specified platform
  • BACnet/IP and Modbus TCP integration tested and documented on every unit
  • Signed FAT reports and full UL 508A documentation shipped with every panel
  • Real-time production dashboard — client PM team had live visibility into build status
Program Timeline

From Program Kickoff to Full-Rate Production

Week 1–201

Program Kickoff

First article review, BOM lock, and production cell assignment. AutoCAD Electrical drawings reviewed and approved.

Week 3–602

First Article Build

First 5 BMS panels built to drawings, tested to UL 508A, and shipped for customer FAT review at the data center site.

Week 7–1003

FAT Approval & Production Ramp

Customer FAT sign-off received. Production cell ramped to full-rate output — 8 panels per week.

Ongoing04

Full-Rate Production

Dedicated production cell running 3-shift operations. Real-time production visibility dashboard shared with customer's project management team.

The Results

Documented Outcomes After 18 Months

Cost Impact

  • In-house panel shop overhead eliminated$1.2M/year
  • Floor space recaptured for core operations4,200 sq ft
  • FTEs redeployed to higher-value work3 FTEs
  • Change orders on fixed-price program$0

Quality & Delivery

  • UL 508A acceptance rate (zero rejections)100%
  • On-time delivery rate across all 3 campuses100%
  • BMS panels delivered across program180+
  • Signed FAT reports issued180+

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