RJE Global has delivered the first of two Modular Data Centres (MDC) as part of the Sea 1442 Phase 6 JP 9103 program, only three months after commencing construction.
The company was engaged by Thales Australia in December 2019 to complete the design, construction and installation of two state-of-the-art MDCs to support the RAN's Protected Satellite Communications (SATCOM) capability.
The construction phase of the project has taken the team only three months to complete after receiving full client approval, with the first module to be handed over from the company’s Lonsdale facility on Friday. The second module is due to be handed over before the end of the year.
RJE Global Director Dean Cook said the MDCs are a pioneering concept, allowing them to be delivered to the Department of Defence as a plug-and-play facility with single modules.
“Each module exceeds 30 meters in length, 7 meters in width and 4.5 meters in height and are able to be placed side by side,” Cook said. “The facilities can be designed to achieve security ratings stipulated in ASIO Tech Notes and the Defence Security Principals Framework, while achieving acoustic ratings of Dw50 radio frequency shielding, fire rating, ballasting rating, blast rating and suitable for cyclonic conditions.”
RJE Global’s Lonsdale facility has provided a manufacturing base for the company since its purchase in 2009, allowing the team to enhance their inhouse capabilities for the manufacture and assembly of transportable switchrooms.
“We use an innovative system of glass reinforced concrete (GRC) that comprise glass fibres embedded in a concrete medium which is utilised in a custom design system to clad transportable secure facilities” Cook said. “This unique cladding system provides advantages for clients who require a high-quality transportable building. A strong, ductile, non-corrosive smooth concrete finish to a transportable building such as this is unique and has distinct benefits for these particular applications.
“The GRC cladding system also protects sensitive equipment within the building from potential harsh external environmental considerations including fire.”
Cook said providing turn key solutions into fast growing Defence market has allowed RJE Global to draw upon its in house design capability and maintain 15 full time positions through one of the most difficult periods the company has faced since it was established in 1996.
“It is fantastic that a highly regarded international company such as Thales has placed their trust in our privately owned SA company to build and deliver such a critical piece of Defence infrastructure, which has injected around $1.2 million in wages into the state,” he said.
“We are able to self-deliver all aspects of the design, construction and transport in house, allowing us to reduce risk and fast track these state-of-the-art secure facilities for our valued customers.”