Sponsored by Delta Machine & Ironworks
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is fueling an unprecedented wave of data center construction across the United States. Behind every facility are thousands of fabricated components that must be designed, built and delivered on tight schedules, creating new opportunities for manufacturers that can move quickly without sacrificing quality.
For Baton Rouge-based Delta Machine & Ironworks, the expanding market has become a natural extension of the company’s longstanding reputation for solving complex fabrication challenges.
When data centers first began making headlines, company leaders expected the industry would primarily drive demand for new power generation projects. Instead, many of Delta’s longtime engineering and construction partners began requesting fabricated components directly for data center facilities nationwide.
“All of our big partners have booked significant data center work across the country, and we quickly started getting requests to join in,” says Heidi Holmes, engineering and technology director at Delta. “Delta’s reputation as the go-to team for anything our partners need in a hurry earned us pole position in the race to complete data centers.”
Today, the company produces everything from duct bank racks for buried conduit systems and large pipe hangers to cable tray conduit saddles and structural supports, many of them significantly larger and more complex than initially anticipated.
One recent project demonstrated exactly what customers have come to expect from Delta. When Cajun Industries needed several large duct frames with sweeping PVC conduit bends for a data center project, the timeline left little room for error. Delta worked closely with Cajun’s engineering and field teams to refine the design, ensuring the assemblies could withstand transportation across multiple states while arriving ready for installation.
Although the project introduced the team to working with PVC conduit systems, Delta quickly adapted. After refining the fabrication process through multiple projects, the company can now complete similar assemblies within just a couple days after receiving materials.
That ability to respond quickly is supported by a robust regional supply chain. Delta maintains longstanding relationships with suppliers throughout Louisiana and Texas, allowing raw materials to arrive quickly as customer priorities evolve.
The company has also streamlined another critical step in the process: finishing. Because many data center supports are installed indoors, they require painted finishes rather than the galvanized coatings commonly used in industrial facilities. To accelerate production, Delta partnered with Central Powder & Industrial Coatings to powder coat fabricated supports instead of relying on traditional wet paint.
The result is a faster turnaround, improved durability during shipping and installation and significant time and cost savings for customers. Hundreds of supports can be coated and delivered to project sites within days rather than weeks.
Beyond fabrication, Delta focuses on reducing work in the field whenever possible. Components are assembled, welded and packaged according to customer priorities before leaving the shop, allowing contractors to install them more efficiently once they arrive on site. Every step is designed to eliminate unnecessary field labor and help keep fast-moving projects on schedule.
Looking ahead, the company believes the current data center boom is another chapter in America’s ever-changing industrial landscape. “As long as we’re good partners and we give 110% every day to support every project like it’s our biggest, we’ll always have work,” Holmes says. “We may be helping build LNG plants, blue hydrogen facilities, electric vehicle infrastructure or data centers, but Americans will always be building something.”
For Delta Machine & Ironworks, that commitment has positioned the company to help build the infrastructure behind one of the fastest-growing sectors in the economy – and whatever comes next.
