The data centre division at LFB Group has formally rebranded as ‘Apx’, marking a strategic decision designed to reflect the growing complexity, pace and performance expectations of the industry.
As demand for data centres continues to accelerate, driven by the rise of AI workloads and increasing rack densities, cooling is moving from the shadows into a central role.
Success in this environment, according to Apx (formed from the dedicated data centre team at LFB Group – formerly Lennox), will be defined by greater agility, flexibility and closer collaboration across the design, development and delivery lifecycle.
The brand’s next chapter, following more than 20 years supporting server room and data centre operations in Europe, focuses on embedding these themes into how cooling solutions are engineered and delivered, with co-engineering and pre-commissioning both fundamental parts of its principle; an approach that is backed by the division’s newly-enhanced facilities in Lyon, France.
Its complementary sites in Genas, Mions, Longvic and Burgos, give Apx one of the few fully integrated, multi-site production and validation networks in Europe, enabling its team to front-load critical work thanks to its enhanced capabilities in precision manufacturing, automated testing, climatic validation and precision manufacturing.
While pre-commissioning and early validation have always been fundamental to the business’ approach, Matt Evans, CEO at Apx Data Centre Solutions, believes these capabilities have never been more critical, “The industry’s dams have well and truly burst, with billion dollar projects and developments being announced almost every week. Keeping on top of this demand though, has never been more important.
“Today, collaboration is everything. Operators are searching for partners who can offer them both flexibility and agility, enabling them to build for the future while reacting quickly to what’s happening right now. That’s where co-engineering becomes critical; by working with designers, contractors and operators from day one, we can shape decisions together, anticipate challenges and engineer solutions before they become problems.”
Matt, added, “While no one can predict what’s around the corner, one thing is clear: performance has to be proven earlier. It’s been one of our grounding principles since the start; the idea that pre-commissioning must be core to every product’s DNA. By front-loading engineering, validating performance up-front and removing uncertainty before components reach sites, we give operators the head space, and time, to meet the demand.
“The direction of travel is clear: scale, capacity and density. And I couldn’t be more excited about where we’ve taken this business. The new Apx name marks our next chapter, and it’s one we’re genuinely proud to be part of.”
News of its rebrand to Apx comes after the business launched its three debut products, including a CRAH (Computer Room Air Handler), a FWU (Fan Wall Unit) and a CDU (Coolant Distribution Unit), all of which sit alongside a range of other niche dedicated data centre products.
Apx forms part of the wider LFB Group, which encompasses both HVAC specialists, Redge (formerly Lennox) and Friga-Bohn, refrigeration solutions experts – a group which houses over six decades of refrigeration and mechanical engineering expertise, providing the newly-rebranded business with an established backing of industrial scale and manufacturing resilience.
