APC-MGE, the critical-power and cooling-services business unit of Schneider Electric, held a grand-opening celebration for the Schneider Electric Technology Center — a new testing, training, and data-center-solutions demonstration facility in O'Fallon, Mo. — Oct. 23.

Measuring 100,000 sq ft, the center includes:

• An executive-briefing and conference area intended to facilitate creative, unencumbered discussions aimed at understanding and solving customer problems.

• A display area featuring APC's line of power, cooling, and management solutions.

• A laboratory providing live demonstrations of APC physical-infrastructure solutions.

• An area where customers can design and test multiple data-center layouts to determine the configuration that best meets their needs.

• Environmental test chambers and a laboratory for the development and testing of cooling solutions for high-density applications.

• Live classroom instruction on the latest data-center theories, standards, and practices.

“With industry experts predicting that the cost of powering and cooling data centers will soon surpass the cost of the equipment housed in them, properly selecting, configuring, and testing physical infrastructure is more important than ever,” Laurent Vernerey, president and chief executive officer of APC-MGE, said.

APC expects the facility to host several thousand visitors its first year.

“Our new facility will give customers planning for or in the middle of a data-center design a one-of-a-kind hands-on experience with the latest technologies, as well as the ability to perform ‘what-if’ design scenarios to maximize their overall confidence in their final selection,” Vernerey said.