Case Study: Facility Wiring Solutions with MAHLE Aftermarket Inc.

Name: State Systems Inc.
Address: 1861 Vanderhorn Drive, Memphis, TN, 381334
Telephone: 901-531-6550

Overview

In 2011, Jackson Vaughn began working at the MAHLE Aftermarket warehouse in Olive Branch, Mississippi, as a senior systems operations analyst. He noticed almost immediately that the building had massive deficiencies in cabling and optical fibers that limited performance and communication for the global corporation. Jackson reached out to State Systems to see what solutions they could implement for the warehouse’s cabling needs.

He recalled that the building had old 10/100 wiring that was draped over the light fixtures, creating major performance issues for their voice system, including low bandwidth. This issue resulted in more than 1,000 errors each day. The cabling was un-identifiable and looked like a myriad of wiring, according to Jackson.

Solution

Jackson then brought in Craig and Josh from State Systems to examine the situation in hopes of providing a low-cost, efficient solution. The one challenge they were presented with was that they couldn’t replace the phone system.

State Systems came in and first replaced the cabinets, pulling them closer together in the warehouse. The cables ran 300 feet, so they also added another IDF cabinet to store the cabling.

Then, State Systems’ team enhanced the Ethernet with Cat6 Ethernet cabling to ensure consistency, replacing the mixture of various systems combined from past wiring efforts.

Before and After Photos of Mahle Aftermarket’s IDF Cabinets:

All in all, State Systems aimed to rework the entire warehouse by developing a detailed plan to replace the old wiring with new cable throughout the warehouse. They checked all 1,000 switch ports and deactivated the ones determined to be non-operational.

Instead of being draped over the lighting, the new cables were properly installed in cable trays and conduit. In addition, every port and cabinet was clearly labeled for easy identification.

After almost two months on the project, working around the company’s schedule, the job was complete, and Jackson was able to get a fresh start. State Systems finished the job by providing Jackson’s group with a full CAD drawing of the entire network, marking every data drop in full detail.

Results

As a result of State Systems’ approach, Jackson can honestly say that they now have zero errors and the network is running at full strength with no dropped signals. When asked what sets State Systems apart from other vendors, Jackson was quick to respond, “They do exactly what they say they are going to do and won’t stop until the job is done to your satisfaction. If they have any issues, you know they will come immediately and resolve it. Our problems are completely gone, and they took away all my nightmares. I highly recommend them to others for wiring needs.”