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DCD Studio’s October 14, 2026 interview with Michael Beagan of TES Power examines how switchgear, power distribution, supply-chain management and modular, plug-and-play manufacturing are changing the way data-center power systems are delivered. The central idea is practical: treating electrical infrastructure as a repeatable manufactured system can reduce integration work and help projects reach operation sooner, although the episode provides no universal schedule, cost or reliability figures.
What the DCD Studio episode covers
Data Centre Dynamics interviewer Seb Moss speaks with Michael Beagan of TES Power in a professional infrastructure discussion rather than a consumer equipment review. DCD describes the conversation as covering “switchgear, power distribution, supply chain management, and the growing role of modular, plug-and-play solutions in accelerating data center delivery.”
That scope matters because a data center’s electrical system is not a single product. It is an engineered chain that must move power from the utility or on-site generation through switchgear, distribution equipment and downstream loads. Design decisions affect manufacturing, transport, installation, testing, commissioning and the project’s ability to expand.
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Why switchgear and power distribution are central
Switchgear controls and protects the electrical network
Switchgear combines switching, isolation and protection functions so operators can control circuits and respond to faults. In a data center, it forms part of the boundary between incoming power and the distribution paths that feed critical equipment. Its design has to fit the project’s voltage levels, protection strategy, physical layout and operating procedures.
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Distribution turns a design into an operating system
Power distribution includes the equipment and connections that carry electricity through the facility. It must be coordinated with the site architecture, backup strategy and the loads that the data center will support. Manufacturing decisions therefore influence more than the equipment room: they affect how quickly the complete electrical system can be assembled and verified on site.
How manufacturing can accelerate delivery
Beagan’s appearance places manufacturing and delivery in the same conversation. A conventional project may require extensive site assembly, multiple suppliers and substantial field coordination. A repeatable manufacturing approach can shift more work into a controlled production environment, where assemblies are built, inspected and prepared before they arrive at the data center.
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The benefit is not simply making hardware faster. It can also reduce the amount of site integration required, make interfaces clearer and allow construction teams to perform some activities in parallel. The actual result depends on design maturity, factory capacity, logistics, site readiness and the quality of commissioning procedures.
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Modular power systems are organized into defined assemblies that can be manufactured and deployed as units. “Plug-and-play” implies that those units have standardized interfaces and a planned method for connection, testing and operation rather than being entirely assembled from individual components in the field.
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- Repeatability: recurring designs can be manufactured using established processes instead of being reinvented for every site.
- Reduced field work: more assembly and inspection can take place before delivery.
- Parallel construction: manufacturing can proceed while civil or building work continues, provided interfaces are settled.
- Scalability: additional modules can support phased capacity growth when the architecture is designed for expansion.
Modularity does not eliminate engineering. Protection settings, short-circuit calculations, cable interfaces, environmental conditions, controls and acceptance testing still have to match the specific facility.
Supply-chain management is part of the power system
The interview treats supply-chain management as a technical delivery issue, not an administrative afterthought. Transformers, switchgear, controls, enclosures and other electrical assemblies may have different manufacturing lead times and certification requirements. If one critical item is late, installation and commissioning can be delayed even when the rest of the building is ready.
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A manufacturing-led plan therefore needs an agreed bill of materials, confirmed supplier capacity, interface documentation and a logistics sequence. It also needs contingency planning for component substitutions, transport constraints and changes in the data-center design. The episode identifies supply-chain management as a factor in delivery speed but does not publish a numeric lead-time reduction or a cost model.
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| Decision area | Conventional or bespoke approach | Modular, plug-and-play approach |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | More project-specific design and field coordination | More repeatable assemblies, with site-specific interfaces still required |
| Manufacturing | Greater reliance on one-off fabrication or site assembly | Factory production of defined modules |
| Supply chain | Procurement may be managed package by package | Earlier coordination is needed so module components arrive together |
| Integration and commissioning | More work may occur on site | More inspection and testing can occur before shipment, followed by site acceptance |
| Deployment speed | Depends heavily on field labor and sequencing | Can improve when design, manufacturing, logistics and site work are synchronized; no numeric benchmark is stated |
Related equipment categories
The broader manufacturing market includes power-distribution cabinets, low-voltage switchgear, integrated systems and prefabricated electrical infrastructure. BMC Manufacturing publicly describes products in these categories. Spang Power publicly describes AC/DC power systems, custom transformers, silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) controllers and other industrial power equipment. These examples illustrate the range of equipment that may be combined in engineered power projects; they are not performance claims about the TES Power discussion.
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What the episode does—and does not—establish
- It establishes the technical focus: switchgear, power distribution, supply-chain management and modular plug-and-play delivery.
- It presents modular manufacturing as a way to accelerate data-center delivery by increasing repeatability and reducing some site work.
- It does not provide a quoted project schedule, purchase price, reliability statistic, return-on-investment calculation or universal deployment guarantee.
- It does not show that every data center should use the same architecture; suitability depends on capacity, redundancy, site constraints and the owner’s operating requirements.
Questions data-center teams should ask
- Which assemblies can be standardized without compromising the site’s protection and redundancy requirements?
- Which interfaces must be frozen before manufacturing begins?
- What factory tests will be completed, and which tests remain part of site acceptance?
- How will component availability and approved substitutions be managed?
- What transport, lifting and installation conditions are required for each module?
- How will expansion modules connect to the operating system without unacceptable downtime?
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