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Case study
Door locks into a live BMS, with the documentation missing
Automatic door locks installed across an operating Auckland data centre and integrated into the client's existing building management system, with the integration points reverse engineered on site because the system documentation was incomplete.
Brownfield integration work has a recurring problem: the drawings describe a building that no longer exists. Systems get extended, interfaces get added, and the documentation stops being updated somewhere around the second change. You find out on site, usually after the hardware has been ordered.
That is what this job was. Automatic door locks across a live data centre, integrated into the client's existing BMS, with system documentation that did not cover the integration points we needed. The options were to stop and wait for information that did not exist, or to work out the interfaces from the system itself and prove each one before relying on it. We did the second, without loosening the standard the install was held to.
It was also a direct client relationship with no head contractor in between, so every part of the delivery was ours: commercial, technical, and the decision each time the documented answer and the actual answer disagreed.
Scope delivered
- Full install of automatic door locks across the Datacentre220 facility
- Integration of the door-lock control layer into the client's existing BMS
- On-site reverse engineering of BMS interfaces where system documentation was incomplete
- Each undocumented integration point identified, proven and recorded before use
- Progress, questions and issues communicated at every project stage
- Handover and sign-off on a finished install
Project detail
| Client | Datacentre220, direct |
|---|---|
| Site | Auckland, live operational data centre |
| Scope | Automatic door locks and BMS interface integration |
| Constraint | Zero tolerance for disruption to existing services |
| Complication | Incomplete existing system documentation |
| Relationship | Direct client, no head contractor |
| Delivered | Before July 2026 |
Outcome
- Integration completed despite the documentation gaps, with install quality held
- No disruption to services running in the facility
- Client recommendation published publicly on LinkedIn
- Ongoing service-contract relationship established after handover
What the client said
The team demonstrated thorough technical knowledge, successfully completing the integration despite limited existing documentation on our systems. Their ability to work through these gaps without compromising the quality of the install was particularly impressive.
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