JABIL FACILITY GOES HI-TECH WITH APG TECHNOLOGY

As a leader in advanced technology solutions, global manufacturing, and supply chain management, Jabil has over 260,000 employees across 100 locations in 30 countries. With a local Tampa Bay presence stretching 30 years, Jabil chose St. Petersburg as the location of a new world headquarters that could bring employees together in a modern, environmentally-friendly and highly connected campus. At 175,000 square feet, this 4-story building includes office spaces, conference rooms, collaboration rooms, and customer engagement spaces. Amenities include a café, dedicated IT Helpdesk, and a state-of-the-art fitness center. 

APG Technology was brought on board by the design team as a technology consultant for the project and was ultimately selected as the systems installer and audiovisual integrator in partnership with Gensler Architects and Skanska USA. Conceptualizing, designing, installing, and integrating technologies for a company as large and diverse as Jabil was a monumental task. Through design and construction, Project Manager Ryan Racioppi and General Superintendent Denzil Randolph coordinated their efforts with the many parties involved to deliver a solution on time and in budget. A high level of collaboration among our designers was required to ensure that proposed systems would meet the goals and expectations of the owner. Our technical site team, led by Audio Visual Project Foreman Scott Wilson, became an extension of Jabil’s IT group and worked with them hand-in-hand to deliver a seamless and uniform communications experience in every room of the facility. The finished product is a culmination of years of effort and represents the passion for excellence that APG strives to deliver on every project. 

Our scope was not limited to a standard structured cabling system or a basic conference room projection screen. Rather, it involved some of the most advanced, innovative, and complex systems in the industry. For example, the facility’s main conference center is a multi-purpose room used for events, meetings, and presentations. This room can easily function as four separate divisions, two larger spaces, or one combined gathering room. Two laser projectors with fixed-frame projection screens and two 86” LG displays are powered by the Crestron NVX System, which is a platform designed to deliver flawless video, audio, USB, and control over IP. A high-quality sound system includes speakers connected to wireless, gooseneck, and ceiling microphones designed to identify and amplify human voices. An assisted listening system accommodates ADA requirements for an assembly space, and Vaddio Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras operate in conjunction with a Bi-Amp Digital Signal Processor certified by Microsoft Teams. These same features extend to an executive boardroom designed to host high-security global meetings. Here, a video wall of eight 55” monitors are controlled by two touch panels that completely integrate the video, audio, and lighting systems from a centralized location. 

More than 60 collaboration rooms were provided with a Crestron Flex+Microsoft Teams system, which allows for a native Microsoft Teams experience but also provides the flexibility to add different devices. Another 114 rooms were integrated with Samsung displays, HDMI table connections, and AD Rings to allow the user to connect video or audio with any device. A total of 90 touch panels were installed and connected to Jabil’s Microsoft Exchange Server and Robin scheduling software to display scheduled meetings at the entrance of each conference room. Dozens of additional displays were provided for wayfinding signage, café menus, customer support queues, and security stations.

To assist with the practical implementation of all these systems, APG Technology was also contracted to provide workstation installation assistance for the approximately 850 employees that moved into the campus. We set up dock stations and monitors and neatly organized the thousands of feet of cables that bring it all together. This process took longer than expected as the project schedule was revised due to complications arising from the pandemic, so APG Technology Project Manager Kevin Runia and General Superintendent George Moreno scheduled technicians as needed.
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After years of hard work, the Jabil headquarters is now fully operational. With a complete suite of industry-best technologies in place, this beautiful facility will help Jabil achieve their goal to “make anything possible and everything better” for decades to come. We are grateful to Gensler Architects and Skanska USA for giving us the opportunity to bring our passion and experience to their team. Congratulations to APG Technology on an outstanding job!