Mangan INC. - Automation Engineering Solutions

Powering a Global E‑Commerce & Logistics Leader Across 550 Sites

Client Overview

Our client is a global, diversified e‑commerce and logistics company – one of the world’s largest – operating hundreds of fulfillment and distribution centers across the continental United States and Canada. This industry leader relies on a vast network of warehouses and logistics hubs (1000+ locations) to ensure fast delivery and seamless operations. Power reliability and electrical safety are mission-critical in their 24/7 facilities, where even a brief outage or safety incident can disrupt supply chains. The client needed an engineering partner capable of servicing every corner of their expansive geographic footprint while upholding consistent standards of quality, safety, and speed across all sites.

Global E-Commerce Leader

1,000+
Facilities

Power &
Safety First

Nationwide
Engineering Partner

The Challenge

Managing electrical infrastructure for over 1000 large facilities nationwide comes with unique challenges: scale, complexity, and urgency. The client faced several key hurdles:

Massive Scale & Geographic Spread:

With sites in every US state (and beyond) and new facilities coming online frequently, the scale of work required was unprecedented. Any solution needed to be deployable across dozens of locations in parallel, with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

Diverse Power Systems Needs:

Each distribution center had its own electrical setup and challenges – from medium-voltage substation equipment to low-voltage distribution panels. The client required expertise in multiple disciplines, including arc flash safety, protective relaying, backup power generation (encompassing generators and fuel cells), battery energy storage, EV charging infrastructure for electric vehicle fleets, and more. A one-size-fits-all approach would not work; multi-disciplinary engineering knowledge was essential.

Safety & Compliance Requirements:

Ensuring worker safety and regulatory compliance was paramount. The company needed to conduct thorough arc flash hazard analyses at each site to comply with NFPA 70E standards and adhere to OSHA regulations for all electrical work. Arc flash detection relays and other mitigation techniques were employed on high-risk equipment with high arc flash incident energy levels to improve personnel safety while improving reliability and operational capability. Updated electrical shock and arc flash labels were applied to communicate the mitigated arc flash risks, achieving compliance and installing mitigation techniques uniformly across all locations within a tight timeframe was a significant challenge.

Aging Infrastructure & Reliability Concerns:

Many facilities had electrical equipment that had either not been previously maintained or was improperly commissioned at launch. The risk of uncoordinated power outages or even catastrophic equipment failures. Maintenance standards were developed, and a maintenance program was implemented using NFPA 70B and NETA Acceptance Testing standards. Maintenance and testing were performed within a limited window at facilities to maintain equipment and to identify/repair deficiencies present in the equipment.

Timeline & Coordination:

The project was (and continues to be) on a fast-track schedule – now over two years ongoing. It requires careful coordination with local facility managers, utility companies, and contractors in each region. Managing logistics for equipment installations and on-site work across North America, all while maintaining an “always-on” operation, demanded exceptional project management and communication.

In short, the client needed a partner who could scale up to meet a nationwide scope, bring deep expertise across the electrical engineering spectrum, respond rapidly to issues, and ensure uniform excellence in execution. Mangan Power Group was selected for our ability to meet these demands.

Mangan’s Solution & Scope of Services

Mangan Power Group assembled a dedicated, multi-disciplinary team to tackle the project’s full scope. From day one, our approach was collaborative – working as the client’s owner’s representative and engineering partner at each site. We tailored our services to each facility’s needs while maintaining a consistent program structure that could be replicated across all locations. The comprehensive scope of services provided includes:

Arc Flash Hazard Analysis & Mitigation

At every facility, Mangan reviewed detailed NFPA 70E Arc Flash Studies to identify potential electrical flash hazards. This involved modeling the power systems (using advanced software such as ETAP) and calculating incident energy levels for all main switchboards & switchgear where the incident energy exceeded 12 cal/cm^2. Equipment that could not have incident energy reduced by settings changes alone was identified for implementation of arc flash mitigation strategies – such as adding fast-acting arc flash relay devices with optical sensors to trip in the event of a fault quickly, and recommending improved work practices to de-energize equipment during maintenance. We delivered updated arc flash warning labels for equipment, provided shock risk assessments, and ensured that each site had up-to-date one-line diagrams and safety documentation. This uniform approach to arc flash analysis and mitigation greatly enhanced workplace safety across all the client’s facilities.

Battery Storage & Microgrid Consultation:

As a forward-looking company, the client is also exploring sustainable energy and resilience improvements at their facilities. Mangan has been consulting on battery energy storage and hydrogen fuel cell solutions, as well as potential microgrid designs, for select sites. These microgrids can operate in parallel with the utility or independently during outages, thereby increasing the resiliency of critical distribution centers. Additionally, Mangan has provided engineering and design services to install quick connection locations for backup generation, enabling sustained operations during extreme weather events. By understanding the logistical and technical landscape of these emerging technologies and the need to maintain operations during utility outages, Mangan guides the client in making informed decisions that align with their sustainability goals and ensure reliable power for years to come. While these initiatives are in early stages, our ability to support such cutting-edge projects further demonstrated to the client that Mangan could meet all their power engineering needs under one roof.
Throughout the project, communication and coordination have been linchpins of Mangan’s approach. We established a centralized program management office to track progress across all sites, ensuring that lessons learned at one facility could be applied to others. Our engineers remained on-call and responsive to the client’s requests – whether it was a last-minute analysis needed for a new facility, troubleshooting an unexpected issue at an existing site, or providing professional engineering support to obtain permitting or AHJ approval. Mangan provided support with unmatched customer service and response time. By customizing our approach to each location while maintaining rigorous engineering standards company-wide, we delivered a solution that is both thorough and flexible.

Results & Impact

After over a year of ongoing collaboration, the partnership between the client and Mangan Power Group has yielded impressive results, positioning the client for sustained success and safety:

Enhanced Safety Across All Facilities:

Every one of the distribution centers now has an up-to-date arc flash hazard assessment and proper labeling/PPE requirements in place. This dramatically reduces the risk of arc flash injuries. Workers are better informed about electrical hazards and protected by engineering controls (such as arc flash relays and improved switchgear) that Mangan implemented. The client has achieved enterprise-wide compliance with NFPA 70E and related safety regulations, providing leadership with peace of mind and enhancing the safety culture on the warehouse floor.

Improved Reliability and Reduced Downtime:

With modern protective relays and coordinated protection schemes now deployed, the power systems at these facilities are far more robust. Nuisance trips and unexplained outages have been minimized. In the event of a fault, only the affected section is isolated, and power is kept on everywhere else – a critical improvement for high-throughput logistics operations. The addition of backup generators, battery systems, and refined contingency plans means that even if utility power is lost, critical operations stay online. Overall, the client is experiencing fewer power-related disruptions, directly supporting their promise of fast and reliable service to their own customers.

One Partner, Many Solutions:

Using Mangan for multiple engineering solutions has led to efficiencies in project execution, faster turnaround times, and consistent quality across all locations. Mangan’s deep bench of experts effectively became an extension of the client’s team, providing electrical engineering expertise on demand wherever and whenever needed.

Scalable Program Execution:

Successfully executing projects at 500+ sites (and counting) within tight timelines has proven Mangan’s ability to scale up resources and coordinate nationally. We developed standardized processes for site data collection, study analysis, design, and reporting, which streamlined the workflow as we moved from one region to the next. The client benefited from this repeatable model – after the initial phase, subsequent facilities were completed more quickly, leveraging templates and knowledge from earlier sites. Our nationwide presence and resource flexibility enabled us to effectively address peak workloads (for example, by running parallel study teams or multiple field crews to meet the client’s schedule).

Ongoing Partnership & Future-Ready Infrastructure:

This case study is not just a one-time project but an ongoing partnership. As the client continues to build new facilities and upgrade existing ones, Mangan remains a trusted engineering ally. The groundwork laid over the past two years means the client now has a comprehensive electrical documentation set for each site (a valuable asset for future planning). With emerging projects in energy storage and microgrids on the horizon, the client’s power infrastructure is future-ready. They are now positioned to adopt innovative solutions (like integrating more renewable energy or electric vehicle fleets) with confidence, knowing Mangan’s team can design and implement these complex systems properly.