SRA Solutions is an Australian-owned and operated manufacturer of data centre infrastructure solutions for defence, government, information and communications technology
SRA Solutions designs, manufactures and installs a comprehensive range of data centre equipment including Security Construction and Equipment Committee (SCEC) racks. These are used in high-security environments that store and process classified information. SCEC racks must meet strict specifications and tight tolerances, as well as being tamper-proof, and tamper-evident, and have anti-drill mechanisms and special locking devices.
SRA Solutions Managing Director, Gordon Campbell said “Our purpose is to create world-leading data centre solutions, enabling a more connected, secure and sustainable future. The SRA racking systems are designed for efficient manufacture which enables fast assembly, while building quality into the product.
“Fuelled by demands from both long-term and emerging customers, the business has grown from producing racks to an advanced capability to deliver associated and added value services. “We can produce highly customised turnkey projects with power, cooling, racks and containment bundled together with project management and monitoring software. This is all enabled by our advanced manufacturing capability and our world-leading partners. The next phase of our development will include the building of modular data centres.”
A clear vision for growth
“The business has always had a clear vision for growth which has included the ability to produce equipment of ever-advancing complexity. We can provide a complete project solution, whether in a remote area or a high-security location, from concept design to manufacture, testing, delivery and installation,” Campbell said.
Continuous Improvement Program Manager, James Martin added, “Our ability to manage complexity in the factory has come from a huge investment from its proprietary product configurator software, together with the shop floor system which manages that information, communicating it to the production floor.
“Every rack we produce may be different within our matrix of rules around dimensions, functions and features, accessories and options. It’s a ‘tick-a-box’ design where the product configurator automatically accesses the drawings of every component and feeds that information to the shop floor. The configurator minimises waste, optimises time, and eliminates the potential for errors, as do the single-piece flow and the manufacturing cells, resulting in a fully integrated QA system,” he said.
Advanced and reliable machinery
James Martin also highlights the importance of SRA Solutions’ need for having advanced, reliable and well-supported production tools. He said, “All aspects of the company are driven by quality, requiring us to have the best performing and most reliable equipment, a foundation philosophy that is a cornerstone of our business that has consistently shown to be correct.
“We started purchasing the Japanese-made Amada machines around forty years ago and have continued with Amada equipment, all of which have proven to be extremely reliable, highly productive and efficient. When needed, local support from Amada has been prompt and impressive.
“We value our relationship and continue to invest in Amada equipment, the latest acquisition being a laser ENSIS-AJ SERIES high-speed piercing and fast cutting machine which is ideal when needing to fabricate components that use a wide range of different materials and thicknesses. It uses the Amada Auto Collimation system which delivers unrivalled laser beam spot control.
“Combined with Amada’s original variable beam control technology to adjust the laser mode, this system can process different materials and thicknesses with a single cutting lens. The quality and processing speeds for medium to thick materials, as well as very high-speed piercing, make the ENSIS-AJ the perfect machine for our needs,” said Martin.
Local industry capability
The ambitious quality and performance goals of SRA Solutions have been achieved through its people who have been attracted to join the company because of the disciplines and challenges presented. Martin said its the highly skilled workforce has been nurtured through a high-tech environment that challenges its people. From a workforce of sixty people in 2020, SRA Solutions now employs one hundred and twenty.
Strategy for solid growth
The rapid growth of SRA Solutions has prompted a review of its vision, mission, values and strategic pillars to take the company from good to excellent.
“This plan is being facilitated by a holistic, lean sigma-based business excellence framework, implementation program in all areas of the business and striving to meet Shingo model requirements.
“Our vision is to be Australia’s most trusted supplier in the data rack systems market and Amada shares this vision. There is no doubt that Amada equipment is a key part of our success,“ Martin added.