Project Overview
BORA, a manufacturer of high-end integrated kitchen appliances, needed a new data center for its new factory in Niederdorf, Austria. They were searching for a solution that was both environmentally friendly and energy-efficient while also ensuring reliability, security, scalability, and high availability. So, how did BORA achieve this seemingly impossible goal? By collaborating with Rittal and its partners!
Twenty years ago, BORA founder and CEO Willi Bruckbauer has been dedicated to creating living spaces that meet people's needs and bring joy. To this end, he developed a revolutionary cooktop extraction system that not only meets the highest technical standards but also enhances the kitchen's aesthetic ap
peal. Subsequently, BORA expanded its product line with the launch of the BORAXBO professional steam oven for home use, along with refrigeration and freezing systems and a range of specialized accessories. The company has since become a global, award-winning manufacturer of high-quality built-in
kitchen appliances.
Today, BORA's employee base has surpassed 800, and business expansion is rapidly reaching the capacity limits of its existing data center. The company foresaw that its existing IT infrastructure would no longer be able to meet growing demand and future growth. Therefore, when planning a new building at
its headquarters in Niederdorf, Austria, the company reserved more space specifically for its IT department.
BORA has a number of policies in place to achieve these two fundamental principles. For example, the building itself is designed to use renewable energy, and the heat pumps are powered by an on-site photovoltaic system. "We try to get most of our resources from nature," explained Christian Dewina, system administrator.
Furthermore, achieving high-performance and stable power supply requires redundancy and high utilization. BORA prioritizes customer interests and cannot afford any interruption in service. Therefore, when building a new data center, the company sought a partner who understood and effectively addressed these requirements.
Ultimately, BORA chose a chilled water cooling solution from Rittal. The Inn River flows through the company's factory, and the site already has a well that could be integrated directly into the data center's cooling circuit. "Using well water cooling reduces the electricity required to operate the chillers by up to 70%," emphasizes Sebastian Sautter, CEO and founder of SautterZT, who was responsible for planning the new energy system. The data center uses Rittal's Liquid Cooling Package (LCP°), which effectively dissipates heat accumulated in the cabinets while providing sufficient cool air for the servers. Rittal also installed a chiller on the building's roof for emergency cooling; this system can autonomously provide cooling for the data center.
In the past, integrating these two cooling technologies was unimaginable. Now, through previous experience and actual testing, we have determined the optimal balance between the two and developed an ideal solution: using well water for cooling as much as possible to achieve the highest cooling efficiency, but at the same time ensuring that the chiller can start immediately when the temperature rises abnormally.
Furthermore, the cooling system serves another important purpose at BORA: recovering nearly 100% of waste heat for building heating. Even in the harshest winters, this method can meet 20% to 40% of heating needs.
To verify whether these solutions can withstand harsh real-world conditions, Rittal and BORA also simulated power outage scenarios. Dewina added, "This simulation was extremely valuable, not only confirming the feasibility of the solution but also revealing details that require optimization."
Antonio Giffuni, a member of Rittal's field sales team, explains: "We invited BORA to our production facility in Herborn and presented them with the proposal and the components they needed. This involved a lot of detailed work, but it was crucial in helping us configure the VXIT enclosure to the customer's specific needs."
In addition to all the technical components, information technology also involves sensitive data, making a reliable partner crucial. Rittal's consistent approach (from temperature control to energy supply) and excellent collaborative spirit ultimately won BORA over.
"BORA is a manufacturer of high-quality integrated kitchen appliances. They understand the true meaning of quality and appreciate the excellent service we provide."
