Power management company Eaton is increasing investment in its presence in the Triangle area of North Carolina to support market trends in data center optimization and the accelerating transition to a low-carbon, sustainable future.
The company recently redesigned its 90,000-square-foot Raleigh office to meet the changing needs of a hybrid work environment while adding operational flexibility at its three local manufacturing facilities. These moves are designed to enable Eaton to further support increasing customer demand for data center management technology and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure solutions.
“Nearly one in three data centers worldwide are powered by equipment that is designed, manufactured and monitored right here in the Triangle. We’re proud of our longstanding presence in a region that is known for driving innovation and that continues to grow as one of the foremost technology hubs in the U.S.,” said Chris Butler, president, Critical Power and Digital Infrastructure Division, Eaton. “As Eaton works to solve new, complex challenges driven by the energy transition, we are able to apply our talent, facilities and expertise in developing mission critical IT infrastructure to manufacturing materials for EV charging infrastructure and energy storage technologies.”
North Carolina is home to Eaton’s largest U.S. employee base with nearly 3,000 employees across 20 facilities. The Triangle is the development and manufacturing home to several key Eaton product lines, including three phase uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), power distribution units and energy storage technologies like the EnergyAware UPS. As recently announced, Eaton has expanded collaboration with Microsoft on grid-interactive UPS technology. With this technology, data centers that harness the energy storage capabilities of the lithium-ion battery-powered UPS have the opportunity to support grid stabilization and provide energy services back to the grid.
Eaton’s newly reimagined location, known as The Hub @ Raleigh, is the business headquarters for the Critical Power and Digital Infrastructure division, including personnel that remotely monitor, manage and service customers’ data center operations in the U.S. and beyond. Working collaboratively with leading commercial real estate firm JLL and architecture firm Redline Design Group, Eaton collected employee insights and made intentional design decisions to create an office space that accommodates the new realities of today’s work environment, the company says.
“Eaton came to us with a vision for creating a next-generation workplace, one that fits the way employees’ needs have evolved through recent years of virtual and hybrid work experiences,” said Bill Sandridge, managing director, JLL. “It’s been extremely rewarding to help enable a work environment that supports the needs of current and prospective employees.”
Jason Byrd, principal, Redline Design Group, added: “With floors dedicated to different working styles, including open concept, teamworking spaces and designated quiet areas for focused, individual work, The Hub’s new layout is crafted to offer employees a new level of flexibility that supports Eaton’s vision for a modern work environment. The Hub concept and its creative design elements are already being implemented as a model for additional projects across North America.”
