Co-developing a modular white-box power supply for long-term system sustainability

Developing a modular white-box power supply for long-term system sustainability

For a leading OEM in advanced manufacturing, PDM is co-developing a modular white-box power supply concept to replace aging, supplier independent solutions. The project focused on a feasibility study and proof of concept for a modular, configurable white-box power supply, validated through prototyping and testing in the PDM lab.

OUR CUSTOMER

The customer is a global technology leader operating highly complex manufacturing systems with long lifecycles. Cost control, availability and supply-chain resilience are essential to keeping these systems operational over decades.

THE CHALLENGE

End-of-life power supplies in the installed base

Existing power supplies were discontinued, threatening long-term machine availability.

Reducing supplier dependency through transparency

The customer aimed to replace black-box solutions with a controllable white-box architecture.

Standardization across hundreds of variants

Hundreds of different power supplies increased complexity in spares, sourcing and maintenance.

Unlocking cost savings at scale

Higher power demand creates greater savings potential, reaching approximately €20,000 per machine type.

Building excellence together

PDM partnered early with the customer in a co‑development trajectory to shape a future‑proof power supply concept. Feasibility studies, lab testing and cost analyses were iteratively reviewed with the customer’s functional owner, ensuring that key architectural choices, trade‑offs and cost assumptions were jointly defined.

The impact we made

PDM delivered tangible results that moved a long-term ambition toward concrete implementation, including:

A modular white-box power supply architecture based on off-the-shelf components
Electrically functional prototypes built and tested in the PDM lab, with early validation of thermal constraints
Quantified cost-saving potential, including approximately €20,000 on a single machine type
A solid foundation for future proof-of-concepts and platform standardisation

Facing Similar challenges?

PDM helps high‑tech OEMs co‑develop cost‑driven, compliant platform architectures that scale across machine variants.

OUR APPROACH in action

From early ambition to validated proof, PDM combined engineering execution with structured alignment and testing.

From ambition to tested proof

We translated a strategic ambition into physical prototypes assembled and validated in our lab.

Feasibility-driven engineering

Design choices focused on transparency, configurability and early exposure of limitations.

Testing as a decision tool

Lab testing validated electrical behavior, thermal performance and scaling potential.

Co-development through structured alignment

PDM worked autonomously while keeping the customer closely involved through reviews.

Preparing scalable cost savings

Results directly support business cases where higher power demand enables higher savings.

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Design & Engineering

We help manufacturers accelerate complex product development through modular design, scalable architectures, and engineering excellence from concept to integration.