The company CTS Group, specialized in the design and construction of data centers, announces the opening of its operations in Spain under the leadership of Robert Assink, appointed CEO of CTS Group in the country. With this arrival, the company expands its international operations and reinforces its presence in one of the European markets with the greatest growth in digital infrastructure.
Speed, scalability and reliability
The arrival in Spain is part of CTS’s international expansion and responds to the growth in demand for digital infrastructure driven by the cloud, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and the deployment of new hyperscale and colocation capacity. In this context, local operations will be aimed at supporting clients in projects that require speed, scalability and high levels of reliability.
CTS Group brings to the Spanish market an integrated and industrialized Design & Build model specifically conceived for data centers. The company brings together design, engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, prefabrication, construction and commissioning under the same responsibility, which makes it possible to coordinate the different operations involved in the development of critical infrastructure.
This integration makes it possible to reduce interfaces, anticipate risks and move an increasing part of the execution from the construction site to controlled manufacturing environments. The goal is to provide greater speed, quality and predictability throughout the delivery process, while optimizing the operations associated with each project.
Over the past four years, CTS Group has designed and delivered 500 MW IT of data center capacity in multiple countries. The company also has production centers in Norway and Portugal dedicated to the manufacturing and prefabrication of electrical and mechanical solutions, including EPODs, electrical panels and piping systems. These capabilities make it possible to complement operations carried out on the ground with standardized industrial processes.
Local platform with international capacity
CTS Spain will combine local knowledge of customers, regulation, permits, suppliers and labor markets with CTS Group’s international design, manufacturing and execution resources. In this way, operations in Spain will be supported by the experience and resources of an organization with a presence in different international markets.
The company primarily targets hyperscale, wholesale and colocation operators, HPC and artificial intelligence platforms, and other developers who need to deploy critical capacity at scale with demanding deadlines and a high level of reliability. For these clients, the coordination of the different project operations is key to reducing commissioning times.
The correct integration of design, manufacturing, construction and testing operations acquires strategic importance
“After 26 years on the operator’s side, I know how much value a month of delay can destroy. The objective is not simply to finish a job sooner, but to allow the client to put capacity into service and start generating income in the shortest possible time,” says Robert Assink, CEO of CTS Group in Spain.
From constructing buildings to producing digital capacity
The electrical, mechanical and control infrastructure constitutes the true production system of a data center. Therefore, the client does not just buy a building: he needs available IT capacity, fully tested, resilient, efficient and ready to operate on a given date. In this model, the correct integration of design, manufacturing, construction and testing operations acquires strategic importance.
“There is a parallel with the evolution of the aviation sector. Airlines focus their resources on operating their fleets and serving their customers; they do not design or build their own aircraft, but entrust that responsibility to highly specialized manufacturers. In data centers we are moving in a similar direction: the operator defines its needs for capacity, performance and availability, while an integrated specialist like CTS takes on the design, industrialization, construction and testing of the entire system. The goal is not to simply deliver a building, but reliable digital capacity and ready to operate,” explains Robert Assink.
His appointment brings to CTS a long track record on the operator side and a deep knowledge of the Spanish market. Before joining CTS Group, Assink was general director of Interxion Spain, currently Digital Realty, since the beginning of its operations in the country and led the development of the company in Madrid and Barcelona.
His experience includes the development and operation of data centers, the relationship with cloud, hyperscale and colocation clients, investment and expansion decisions and the factors that determine time-to-market and time-to-power. This knowledge will allow CTS Spain to adapt its operations to the specific needs of the projects and the operators present in the national market.
