Vertiv completes USD $200 million Great Lakes acquisition

Vertiv has announced the completion of its acquisition of Great Lakes Data Racks & Cabinets for approximately USD $200 million, broadening its range of rack, cabinet, and integration solutions for white space applications in data centres and digital environments.

This acquisition sees Vertiv integrate Great Lakes' expertise and product portfolio into its existing operations, providing additional solutions for high-density infrastructure in data centre environments. The expanded offering is positioned to address evolving customer requirements, particularly in the areas of artificial intelligence and edge computing.

Acquisition details

Great Lakes, which was established in 1985 and is headquartered in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, United States, brings manufacturing and assembly facilities situated in the United States and Europe. The company offers a solution set that includes standard and custom racks, integrated cabinets, seismic cabinets, and enhanced cable management access options, designed for both retrofit and greenfield projects.

Vertiv's Chief Executive Officer, Gio Albertazzi, commented on the completion of the integration, stating,

"We are pleased to officially welcome the Great Lakes team to Vertiv and begin innovating new white space solutions. Great Lakes brings exceptional talent and capabilities that will enhance our ability to deliver comprehensive infrastructure solutions, furthering Vertiv's capabilities to customise at scale and configure at speed for AI and high-density computing environments."

The newly expanded Vertiv portfolio is expected to deliver benefits for customers in several significant ways. These include streamlined sourcing of critical infrastructure components, accelerated deployment timelines through pre-engineered and factory-integrated solutions, as well as improved operational efficiency. In addition, the integration is intended to provide enhanced scalability for demanding AI workloads and edge data centre deployments.

Operational impact

Vertiv has identified the combination of its global service network with the technical capabilities of Great Lakes as an advantage for end-to-end support of its expanded product range. According to the company, the acquisition strengthens its ability to deliver what it describes as the industry's most comprehensive set of products and services to meet digital infrastructure requirements.

The inclusion of Great Lakes' seismic cabinets and expanded cable management solutions is anticipated to support retrofit and new-build projects in a sector experiencing an increased focus on resilience, adaptability, and scalability.

Market context

The acquisition comes amid a period of heightened activity in the digital infrastructure sector, with investments focused on supporting rapid growth in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and edge workloads. Data centre operators and enterprises continue to place emphasis on fast deployment and high-density computing environments to meet these demands.

By integrating Great Lakes' manufacturing capabilities and product suite, Vertiv is aiming to improve its ability to configure and deliver white space solutions in line with the evolving needs of customers managing a mix of on-premises, cloud, and edge computing environments.

The transaction also reflects a broader trend of consolidation and portfolio expansion in the data centre industry as providers seek to offer more comprehensive solutions spanning power, cooling, IT infrastructure, and digital management systems.

Looking ahead

Vertiv's intention in acquiring Great Lakes is to strengthen its competitive position in the market for high-density integrated infrastructure. The company has pointed to the expected benefits that customers will realise as a result of the expanded solution set and greater operational flexibility that comes from integrated manufacturing and support services.

Company representatives have indicated that the acquisition is expected to reinforce key relationships and capabilities, supporting Vertiv's plans for ongoing engagement in both established and emerging digital infrastructure markets.