British manufacturer of precision air conditioning, IT cooling, chiller and comfort solutions, Airedale International has embarked on a data centre design and maintenance training programme in the Middle East as part of its continued commitment to supporting customers and business partners in the region.
The three day pilot programme was attended by more than 100 individuals from its end user client base, consultants, contractors and business partners. They were joined by HVAC Technical Works Managers from the British Embassy in the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who welcomed Airedale’s proactive approach. Stuart Fenwick, regional technical works officer, British Embassy Dubai said: “It is refreshing to see manufacturers taking an active interest in training their customers in this market”.
As a result of the pilot’s success, Airedale will be rolling out an extensive programme throughout the Middle East which will initially focus on Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
The sessions were carefully tailored to the differing needs of the audience and ranged from installation, commissioning and service requirements to strategies for data centre design to support those involved in business development as well as specifiers and consultants.
Designed to support field engineers and technicians working with Airedale equipment, the first day covered topics such as key components of data centre cooling systems, requirements for installation and commissioning in addition to fault-finding techniques and maintenance requirements.
The second two sessions provided a forum for sharing the latest best practice in data centre design with specific emphasis on how to configure data centres for maximum energy efficiency and resilience, load calculations, design principles and unit selection, controls strategies and integration with Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) and Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM).
The 2015 programme will also see the British manufacturer roll out a series of CIBSE accredited Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions for a number of the world’s largest consultancies with names such as AECOM, Arup and others committed to further training early in 2015. Typical CPD modules cover energy optimisation strategies including free-cooling technology and aisle containment, energy efficiency metrics and how they are considered as part of system design, in addition to low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and a large number of other topics.
Following the sessions Airedale training manager Keith Nicholls said, “The training was intended to provide a comprehensive understanding of Airedale’s precision cooling products, coupled with specialist training for each discipline attending on the day. Judging by the lengthy discussion that went on at the end of the formal training, the sessions were extremely well received with many positive comments as to content and relevance. This is the start of an on-going process with our partners and clients in the region.”
Commercial director, Mark Viner, who attended with managing director, Clive Parkman, and Middle East regional manager, Andrew Walker, added: “Airedale has been a major driving force in the cooling industry for some 40 years now. This has seen us pioneer many of the advances in cooling technology and build significant knowledge of data centre cooling in challenging climates. With the launch of our programme in the 1980s we were first to recognise a need for training to ensure systems continue to operate at their peak once they leave the factory. We are as committed now to ensuring customers know how to get the best out of their applications in terms of energy efficiency and resilience. This ensures they meet their regulatory obligations, keeps energy costs down and helps clients manage their environmental objectives and overall risk.”
