Networks Europe May-Jun 2018 | Page 43

INTERVIEW 43
N G S I N C E 1 9 7 8

INTERVIEW 43

Millepede Managing Director John Butterworth explains how he believes the data centre industry could evolve ...
Millepede was built around designing a tie specifically for data cabling . All other formats were adaptions from other uses . Like all new technology it always takes significantly longer than you ever imagine , so Millepede has been around since the 1990s in a variety of formats . The company now covers several cable management formats with the Data management Mille-Tie and newer Quickstrip forming the core of their operation .
What have been the most significant industry changes over the past five years ? As we tend to work with manufacturers rather than installers , it ’ s the number of mergers and acquisitions that have taken place . I can think of several of our customers who have changed their name three or four times . Datacom has always been a global reach business , but like so many other areas it ’ s consolidating to a very small number of main technology players .
What are the main challenges for your sector ? As we see our business being in high-performance cabling , that word is education again . Fibre is now becoming the go-to format for almost all areas but how best to handle and use these systems needs to permeate to all installers and users . So , further education and knowledge are still required .
Where do you see the data centre industry heading in the future ? In the short term , I ’ m sure every UK business will say how Brexit will end up looking like it ’ s the dominating issue . But similarly , the potential tariff elements from the USA could also affect how we operate as we have an operation and manufacturing there as well . A stable and equal playing field is key for all businesses , and as our industry is a global platform that needs the ability to work across the world without barriers . I see politics as a key element to all our futures at the moment .
What will be the market drivers for the future ? I think the drivers will be the same as we ’ ve seen in the last decade : faster speeds and more data capacity . It appears to be a never-ending cycle . How interfaces operate will be key – what happens to make software more adaptable or translatable between systems and industries will affect how fast changes will be seen . We still have too many areas that can ’ t link or data formats that can ’ t talk to each other .
Should data centre industry companies specialise ? As I commented above , I think diversification through the mergers and acquisitions we ’ ve seen may have made some companies too large or less able to adapt or move quickly to changes . As a result I think we ’ ll see specialisation or rather new technology create new companies , so yes , I see more specialisation happening in the future .
What does the data centre of tomorrow look like ? I could answer by saying if I knew that I ’ d be the one making a million ! I think in the future technology will be driven by smaller niche companies – it ’ s in this area where diversity will grow as the customer base shrinks .
What lies ahead for the Millepede ? Education has been our biggest challenge and I don ’ t feel any of our customers have yet been able to fully embrace all the benefits of safety , economy and speed over the other cable management formats . Therefore , awareness and knowledge will continue to be key aspects for us .
Interestingly , like the other formats we ’ ve been discovered by other industries we had no idea could use our benefits . For example , we have a major business in bundling cut flowers in the USA ! They ’ d always struggled to have sufficient stock for their peak of February ( Valentines ) to May ( Mother ’ s Day ). Our no crush benefit has allowed an extended life beyond all other bundling systems , so perhaps our future lies in an industry we ’ ve never even considered ! But no matter where our business grows , we ’ ll continue to innovate . n

N G S I N C E 1 9 7 8

/ CANNONT4 in / CANNONTECHNOLOGIES
Micro & Mini Data Centres
Modular Data Centres
Data Centre Design , Build & Construction
DCiM Monitoring & Control
R LATEST BROCHURES : SALES @ CANNONTECH . CO . UK OMISING STANDARDS | AWARD WINNING
+ 44 ( 0 ) 1425 632600