BHP Olympic Dam Underground Server Room
When mining giant BHP needed a data cabinet solution for its underground server container rooms at the Olympic Dam site in South Australia, it turned to B&R Enclosures (B&R) for help. The project presented a unique challenge: each cabinet had to be less than 600mm wide to fit through the reduced-width doorways leading to the underground rooms. Despite this restriction, the cabinets still needed to accommodate standard 19” data and ICT equipment once inside.
B&R had already worked with BHP on other Olympic Dam projects through MPS, the chief installer, who had successfully installed above-ground cabinets designed and engineered by B&R. Building on that trust, BHP approached B&R again to find an innovative way forward.
This was the first time B&R had faced the problem of fitting a full 19” racking system through a narrower door space. After careful consideration, the team proposed using the iLINQ product – a versatile, bayable, and multi-configurable enclosure system designed for data and ICT infrastructure. Typically, iLINQ cabinets are fully assembled before delivery, but B&R identified an opportunity to deliver the enclosures flat packed instead.
By manufacturing the cabinets as normal and shipping them in flat pack form, each component could easily pass through the narrow doors and be assembled on-site using a detailed instruction manual. This approach maintained the structural integrity and functionality of a standard 19” cabinet while solving the space constraint challenge.
B&R worked closely with BHP to refine the iLINQ configuration and ensure every specification was precise before beginning production. The design phase was completed within two weeks, and once approved, B&R built and delivered the made-to-order flat pack solution within six weeks, a rapid turnaround for a custom engineering project of this nature.
Each cabinet arrived on-site in individual crates, complete with a comprehensive pictorial assembly guide. To make installation even smoother, B&R enhanced its existing manuals by including step-by-step photographs taken during a test assembly at the factory. This visual documentation, combined with improved descriptions, made the instructions exceptionally clear and easy to follow.
The results exceeded expectations. The installer, MPS, praised the clarity of the manual, describing it as “absolutely marvellous” and noting how straightforward the on-site assembly was. MPS project manager Matt White echoed this sentiment, saying, “I’m extremely happy with B&R’s approach and how the company supplied the product with ease. Putting the cabinets together couldn’t have been any easier. Well done on the flat pack solution.”
BHP was equally impressed, commending the practicality and efficiency of the design. The success of the project prompted BHP to recommend B&R’s flat pack solution to other clients facing similar space constraints.
What began as a challenge of fitting high-performance ICT infrastructure into a confined underground space became a showcase of innovative thinking, collaboration, and precision engineering – demonstrating B&R’s ability to adapt and deliver tailored solutions for even the toughest environments.
