FEATURE
WORDS : PAUL FRASER PICTURE : TOM BANKS
Teesside ’ s critical power and data specialists opening European base
When John McGee had his vision for Durata 10 years ago he envisaged how Middlesbrough ’ s very own specialists in critical power infrastructure could deliver on projects around the globe . Having successfully achieved targets consistently for the best part of a decade , Durata ’ s steady growth has reached a new top speed and hit impressive heights in recent years .
And the year of the company ’ s 10th anniversary is extra special because Durata , with even greater plans to expand its Teesside headquarters in the coming months , has just opened an international office in Germany , its first overseas .
Durata now has a base in the only city in Germany that is regarded as an alpha city because it is so heavily integrated into the world economy , with an office overlooking Frankfurt ’ s financial district which is a pivotal global home to the European Central Bank .
Durata ’ s decision to station its European operations there reflects the company ’ s incredible standing and rise as a major player in the world of legacy and modular data centres .
John , Durata ’ s managing director , said : “ We know that a lot of the data centre market stems from Frankfurt but we also know there are daily flights out of Newcastle and Manchester , so that makes it easier for us to commute .
“ I know Frankfurt well now . After getting off my flight , I can walk to the hotel and get on a slick train system . We have done our dummy runs so many times , conducted our research into the area and Frankfurt is absolutely ideal for Durata to have an office there .
“ We have thought about such a move in the past because of the amount of work we do outside of this country , but it really all started in February when we got an enquiry to do some work out there .
“ We had already completed a small project in Berlin on a data centre and that developed into a 12-month project that basically utilises all the departments from Durata , from concept to completion . That is our big drive . We want to capitalise on that .”
In such a short space of time Durata has secured contracts worth around 4.5m Euros . Not only is the team actively helping a global tech firm by upgrading its critical infrastructure , Durata has also struck a year-long project for one of the world ’ s leading diesel rotary uninterruptible power supply companies .
Together , those have laid the foundations for Durata to assess their options to be based in Frankfurt , eventually deciding on the office in the eye-catching Messeturm – the second largest skyscraper in Germany and the third largest in the European Union .
The 63-storey tower , also known as the Fair Trade Tower , appears to be the perfect fit for Durata to expand its global operations and target new clients .
“ Usually you go across speculatively when you are thinking about a move of this nature , but we had got the work in already and we knew we could expand on it ,” said John , as he flicked through photographs of views from the new office window .
“ Durata ’ s building model in the UK , where we have successfully achieved our goals from our base at the TeesAMP here in Middlesbrough , can easily be replicated throughout the world . This is our first foray in to replicating the model in Germany and we know it ’ s a step we can take .
“ With the explosion of data centres , AI and the growing requirement for hyper-scale data centres , we have moved to Frankfurt with the experience we have behind us in the UK … it ’ s a natural progression , following the markets and heading to a country that is ready for us .
“ The UK is a thriving market in the data centre industry , continually expanding . Germany is going to be up there very soon - they are showing ambitions to join the UK on that front .”
Durata ’ s design team is already using the latest Revit Autodesk software to integrate Diesel Rotary uninterruptible power supplies into the existing infrastructure of a client in Germany . Word has soon spread , and that has quickly generated more leads and more work in that area .
Jo Stiles , hired as Durata ’ s head of data centre solutions earlier this year , is developing business out there .
She said : “ The move to Germany is instrumental for our growth in Europe because Frankfurt is becoming a hub there for data centres . There is such a buzz around Germany right now for the markets we are operating in .
Impressive – Durata ’ s new international office in Frankfurt , Germany .
For further information check out duratauk . com
“ We have been busy making sure we have paperwork in place , making sure we are registered within the local area and that we are meeting the different requirements that individual companies / organisations may have in a different country . Germany is a logical step for Durata , with further offices potentially in the pipeline further afield too .”
Durata ’ s presence in Frankfurt certainly excites John , who still has Teesside at heart . He has passionately supported numerous local charities and organisations over the years , and only recently announced that Durata had become shirt sponsors of Middlesbrough FC Women ’ s team .
John will not be forgetting those Teesside roots as he drives Durata towards a £ 10m turnover .
He said : “ I have always wanted to be in this position . I had this vision from when I started 10 years ago . The way the business is going I can ’ t put a glass ceiling on where we might end up , especially with the modular data centres growing the way they are .
“ Just last month , four of our guys spent time training on one of the largest UPS manufacturers in the world . It ’ s incredible . It is up to me to manage the growth .
“ We have a very good brand in the UK . What we are going to do is replicate that successful business model we have in the UK and put it into Germany . We are going to do the same in Spain , the Middle East , and we are already having talks about America .”
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