Edward Dirnberger, IT facilities manager for a global automotive manufacturer, was named Mission Critical Magazine’s 2018 Facility Manager of the Year.
Doug Harding, manager, facility engineering for Digital Realty; and Frank Burchi, director of site operations, Aligned Energy, were named this year’s runners up.
In his position, Ed is directly responsible for the daily operations of multiple data centers, including 50+ IT rooms across the company’s North America operations, as well as the company’s Enterprise Operations Center. He also designs and oversees modifications to data centers and remote IT rooms as well as mechanical and backup support systems.
Ed was nominated for his leadership on an efficiency improvement project that consisted of replacing 11 DX computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units with seven DSE CRACs that use airside economization, which resulted in a reduction of 55% in electrical consumption along with lower maintenance and repair costs.
He was also recognized for projects that demonstrated innovation with a goal to reduce downtime through proactive monitoring. He facilitated an environmental monitoring initiative at 35 of the company’s larger sites along with managing the buildout of a 24/7 network operations center.
“For example, the team will regularly detect a “down condition” at a remote site during non-business hours. It could be a power or network issue. In most cases, these incidents are resolved before business returns to the office,” said Ed.
Ed also implemented a project to replace legacy subfloor cabling with overhead structured cabling in the company’s largest data center.
Ed has demonstrated exemplary management expertise by maintaining regular communication and travel, if necessary, to the company’s remote locations to assist with IT issues as well as ensuring all facility hardware is covered under a preventative maintenance plan which minimizes failures/downtime.
Ed has been with the automotive manufacturer for over 30 years. He previously worked at Handleman Company.
He has a spouse, five children, and lives in suburban Detroit. In his free time he enjoys traveling and working on his golf game.
Three years ago, Mission Critical Magazine launched its Facility Manager of the Year Award with the intention of recognizing facility managers who demonstrate proficiency in three areas: efficiency, innovation, and management.
Past winners include a who’s who of industry leaders and include Matt Gleason of CoreSite, Daryl Hoelscher of Digital Realty, and Matt Spencer of Cologix. We have also recognized runners-up Jim Serafin of the Computational Facilities Complex (CFC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Dan Moore of Northeast Region, CyrusOne. And they have earned the recognition.
BY Mission Critical Magazine staff
