W-Industries has made its American-engineered 38kV metal-clad switchgear commercially available for data centres, offering an additional equipment source as AI infrastructure places growing pressure on electrical supply chains.
The medium-voltage distribution hardware is also being supplied to utilities and behind-the-metre generation schemes.
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W-Industries electrification senior vice-president Todd Simmering said: “The current 38kV supply chain is limited, and the supply chain for true UL-certified metal-clad switchgear is even more constrained.
“It’s no secret that the AI build-out and the push for behind-the-metre power have made it one of the more difficult pieces of equipment to source on a project. This is a W-Industries product.
“Our team designed it with the support of ABB, we manufacture it in Houston, and we have the capacity to deliver it at volume. The mission now is to shave weeks off 38kV lead times. To accomplish that mission, we need to understand customers’ volumes, pace and designs.”
Engineered and assembled at the company’s facilities in Houston, Texas, the air-insulated switchgear incorporates ABB advanced design vacuum (ADVAC) 38kV draw-out circuit breakers and breaker cells.
The assembly meets Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) C37.20.2-2025 standards and underwent witness testing by Underwriters Laboratories at 1200A and 2000A continuous ratings with a 40kA short-time withstand for two seconds.
Certification is currently being issued following testing at company facilities and KEMA Labs locations in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, and the Netherlands.
Compatible with any protection relay platform, the design includes hard-bussed line-side potential transformers, automatic discharge mechanisms during rack-out, and insulated rectangular busbars.
Alongside equipment supply, W-Industries engineers provide auxiliary power system studies, arc flash analysis, protective device coordination, and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850 configuration.
Established in 1984 and based in Spring, Texas, the company is formulating standardised designs and an inventory framework to reduce delivery periods, while developing future 3000A, 4000A, and outdoor National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) 3R variants.
