Milford Recognized with PPI Project of the Year Award for Hyperscale Data Center Water Infrastructure Project
Milford, a Winsupply Company, was recently recognized alongside Pipeline Plastics, LLC and McElroy Manufacturing, Inc. with the Plastics Pipe Institute’s MID HDPE Industrial Water Project of the Year Award for a hyperscale data center project in the Southwest United States.
The award, presented through PPI’s Municipal & Industrial Division, recognizes the use of high-density polyethylene pipe in an industrial water application where reliability, leak prevention, installation efficiency, and long-term performance were critical to the success of the project.
Supporting Mission-Critical Data Center Infrastructure
The confidential data center campus spans more than 1,000 acres and required approximately 71,900 linear feet of HDPE PE4710 pipe in diameters ranging from 8 inches to 42 inches. In total, the project included more than 6.2 million pounds of pipe, 2,665 fittings, and eight medium- and large-diameter McElroy fusion machines staged on site to support installation.
The piping system was designed to bring water to the site, supply utility infrastructure, and support water-based heat transfer fluid used for liquid cooling computing systems. In this type of mission-critical environment, piping performance directly affects operational reliability, maintenance planning, and long-term risk.
As hyperscale data centers continue to grow in size and complexity, the infrastructure behind them must be built for durability, scalability, and dependable service life.
Why HDPE Was Selected
For this project, HDPE PE4710 pipe was selected for its corrosion resistance, flexibility under thermal and soil movement, and ability to create a fully restrained, leak-free system through heat fusion.
These characteristics were especially important given regional soil variability, temperature swings, and the owner’s requirement for long-term infrastructure stability with minimal maintenance interruption.
In high-reliability applications, fused HDPE offers several key advantages:
- Leak-free fused joints that create a continuous, restrained piping system
- Corrosion resistance without the need for coatings or cathodic protection
- Flexibility to accommodate thermal movement, soil movement, and challenging underground conditions
- Long service life for infrastructure expected to support continuous operation
- Reduced long-term maintenance risk compared with systems that rely on gasketed or mechanical joints
- Improved water conservation potential by helping reduce leakage pathways in critical water infrastructure
Together, these advantages made HDPE a strong fit for a large-scale data center campus where failure tolerance is low and system reliability is essential.
Coordinated Support for a Fast-Moving Project
Data center construction projects move quickly and require precise coordination across materials, equipment, and installation schedules. Milford supplied the HDPE pipe, fittings, and McElroy fusion equipment needed to support multiple installation crews and maintain production pace across the project.
Eight McElroy fusion machines were used on site, including TracStar® 618i, TracStar® 900i, TracStar® 1200i, and MegaMc® 1648 units. This equipment helped support consistent joint quality and installation efficiency across a large-diameter fused piping system.
The result is a continuous, corrosion-resistant underground network designed to reduce potential leak paths, minimize lifecycle maintenance demands, and support the long-term operational needs of the data center campus.
A Strong Partnership Across Manufacturing, Supply, and Fusion Equipment
The award recognizes three PPI member companies involved in the project:
Pipeline Plastics, LLC manufactured the HDPE pipe used on the project.
Milford, a Winsupply Company supplied the piping materials, fittings, fusion equipment, and technical support.
McElroy Manufacturing, Inc. manufactured the fusion equipment used to join the pipe into a leak-free system.
“Projects like this show exactly why HDPE continues to earn its place in mission-critical infrastructure,” said Lance Medrano, Milford VP of Sales. “When reliability, constructability, and long-term performance matter, fully fused polyethylene piping systems offer a strong solution for owners and contractors. We’re proud to be recognized alongside Pipeline Plastics and McElroy, and we’re grateful to support projects that help power the future of data center construction.”
Building for the Future of Data Center Infrastructure
This award highlights the growing role of polyethylene piping systems in hyperscale data center development. From buried utility infrastructure to cooling-related applications, HDPE provides a durable and efficient option for project teams looking to reduce risk and build systems that can perform for decades.
Beyond this individual project, the award serves as a strong reference point for future data center, industrial, and municipal applications where lifecycle performance, system integrity, and operational continuity are essential.
Milford is proud to support owners, engineers, contractors, and vendor partners as they deliver the infrastructure behind today’s most demanding technology environments.
As data center construction continues to accelerate across the United States, Milford remains committed to helping project teams specify, supply, fuse, and support high-performance polyethylene piping systems for mission-critical applications.
