Miller Electric Company Case Study

At a Glance

Company

Miller Electric Company

Region / Country

North America

Industry

Government

Panduit Solution

Fault Managed Power System
Uninterruptible Power Supply
TrueEdge Wall Mount Enclosure
Category 6A Class 4 Copper Cable
Category 6A Copper Jacks and Patch Cords

Powering Innovation: Panduit and Miller Electric Collaborate and Deliver Advanced Power Solutions

Panduit and Miller Electric Company have combined their decades of experience and innovation to deliver a cutting-edge power distribution solution. Miller Electric, a leading electrical and technology solutions contractor, selected Panduit's innovative, UL-Certified Fault Managed Power System (FMPS) to overcome complex power distribution challenges. The successful outcome of this project underscores the strength of their ongoing partnership and exceptional customer support.

Challenges

Installing new cameras, distributed UPSs, PoE switches, and media converters across several buildings
Nearest power source was up to 1000 feet away
Managing power shutdowns
Distribute power across each 85,000 sq. ft. building

Solution

The Panduit FMPS emerged as the ideal solution,
Offering long-distance power distribution capabilities
Enhanced safety features
Simplified installation

Outcome

Miller Electric Company achieved 22% savings on this project by using Class 4 FMPS instead of traditional Class 1 A/C circuits.
>50% Material Cost Savings: Class 4 Circuits do not require conduit, resulting in savings on conduit, junction boxes, and gang boxes.
>42% Labor Cost Reduction: Since Class 4 circuits do not require conduit installation, Miller Electric ran the Panduit Class 4 cable together with fiber at no additional cost
In addition to initial capital savings, Miller Electric estimated a 78% reduction in yearly operational costs due to the limited number of UPSs to maintain.

"By far this was the easiest electrical install we have done so far. What would have taken several days to weeks, requiring prescheduled shutdowns, thousands of feet of conduit, new breakers, junction boxes, etc., was done with 1 single shutdown for 2 hours, and completed in just under two days."

– Chis Cuyler
Sr. Project Manager – Integrated Solutions, Miller Electric

Challenges

Miller Electric was tasked with installing new cameras, distributed UPSs, PoE switches, and media converters across several buildings. Typically, a project like this wouldn't challenge Miller Electric's capabilities. However, in this case, the nearest power source was up to 1000 feet away. The cost and complexity of installing new panels and conduit, as well as managing power shutdowns made the deployment significantly more demanding. By using FMPS to distribute power across each 85,000 sq. ft. building, Miller Electric completed the project with minimal shutdowns and reduced the installation timeline from two weeks down to two days.

Solution

Known for its expertise in technology solutions, Miller Electric recognized the need for an innovative approach. The Panduit FMPS emerged as the ideal solution, offering long-distance power distribution capabilities, enhanced safety features, and simplified installation. It was the first fault management system certified to UL 1400-1 standard, delivering reliable Class 4 Power. The Panduit Class 4 Transmitter Chassis was connected to a centralized UPS to power distributed PoE switches, eliminating the need for hard-to-manage distributed UPSs. The distances to each remote location ranged from 100 to 1000 feet from the centralized transmitters. For an efficient and future-proofed power network, 3-pair 16 AWG Panduit Class 4 cables were used to connect the Class 4 Transmitters Modules to the Class 4 Receiver in various remote locations.

Chris Cuyler, Senior Project Manager at Miller Electric, explains,

“When we started looking, the Panduit Fault Managed Power System came up. Panduit and Miller Electric have maintained a partnership for many years. It made perfect sense that we partnered with them for this project too. The most compelling factor that drove this decision was that it is UL-certified. That was huge because that gives me the confidence to install a system which I know is vetted, tested, and approved by UL to meet the standard.”

In addition to the UL-Certification, our commitment to customer support was evident throughout the project. Our robust network offerings provided a comprehensive power distribution solution, including Panduit UPSs and PDUs, copper and fiber patch cables and connectivity, racks and cable management, and various electrical and grounding accessories.

Figure 1: Project Timeline for Miller Electric FMPS Installation that shows Class 4 power taking 2 days to install compared to 14 days for Class 1 power.

Implementation

The FMPS was the key driver for this project, seamlessly integrating with the Avigilon camera system, allowing the deployment to stay on time and under budget. Chris Cuyler highlighted the synergy between the two systems: "We used Avigilon for servers and cameras, and everything else was Panduit. We used Panduit cabling, fiber and copper connectivity, racks, etc. This was a Panduit solution!"

Integrating FMPS with Avigilon cameras addressed the challenge of powering high-resolution cameras, which required significant power, over long distances. Cuyler noted, "The client wanted cameras on a one-thousand-foot building at an airfield, but the Ethernet standard was 100 meters, which couldn't support high-powered cameras, some needing 50+ watts."

The FMPS enabled Miller Electric to extend power to high-resolution Avigilon cameras across vast distances, allowing the installation team to run copper and fiber cables simultaneously. This significantly reduced installation time and complexity with minimal shutdowns, preventing operational disruptions. Enhanced safety, reliability, and scalability for future expansions made Panduit FMPS an easy choice.

“Anybody can sell a product, but it’s how you back it up and support your client that really makes the difference. Panduit did, and they were excellent!” Also sharing, “By far, this was the easiest electrical install we have done so far. What would have taken several days to weeks, requiring prescheduled shutdowns, thousands of feet of conduit, new breakers, junction boxes, etc., was done with 1 single shutdown for 2 hours, and completed in just under two days.”

Chris Cuyler, Sr. Project Manager – Integrated Solutions, Miller Electric Company

This approach demonstrates how Panduit's FMPS complements and enables advanced security systems like Avigilon, providing a comprehensive solution for complex environments.

Figure 2: TrueEdge Wall Mount Cabinet populated with an FMPS Reciever, DIN Mount Patch Panel, and copper and fiber cabling that makes up part of the installation

Outcome

The collaboration between Panduit and Miller Electric exemplifies how innovative technology, strong partnerships, and customer support can overcome complex challenges in large-scale projects. This project not only highlighted the established partnership but also set a new standard for power distribution solutions in challenging environments, paving the way for future collaborations and innovations.

Miller Electric Company achieved 22% savings on this project by using Class 4 FMPS instead of traditional Class 1 A/C circuits. The savings breakdown compared to traditional installations includes:

>50% Material Cost Savings: Class 4 Circuits do not require conduit, resulting in savings on conduit, junction boxes, and gang boxes.
>42% Labor Cost Reduction: Since Class 4 circuits do not require conduit installation, Miller Electric ran the Panduit Class 4 cable together with fiber at no additional cost, unlike traditional Class 1 circuits that require pulling three wires through conduit, separate from the fiber.

In addition to initial capital savings, Miller Electric estimated a 78% reduction in yearly operational costs due to the limited number of UPSs to maintain. A Class 1 circuit installation would need 20 distributed UPSs, whereas the Panduit Class 4 offering required only three centralized UPSs—one per building. FMPS also offers faster power troubleshooting with remote monitoring and control capabilities.

The Panduit FMPS further enhances operational efficiency, allowing a troubleshooting event to be addressed within 30 minutes versus four hours for a Class 1 circuit, which would require physical labor on-site.