Abcam Transforms Building Operations with Verdigris
Learn how Verdigris helped Abcam enable real-time visibility into energy use and capacity, and improve operational decision-making across systems.
The Challenge
Abcam Limited is a biotechnology company specializing in the development and supply of high-quality research tools for the life sciences sector. Founded in Cambridge UK, Abcam is a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation with revenues of approximately $400M and nearly 2 000 employees worldwide.
The company's 100,000 sq. ft. Waltham, MA facility (home to manufacturing, R&D, and lab operations) needed greater visibility into energy use and system performance.
Reliable power was critical to maintaining operations and controlling costs, but existing tools, including legacy meters and manual reviews, lacked the real-time, high-resolution data needed for proactive management.
The Approach
In December 2024, Abcam selected the Verdigris platform for three reasons: fast deployment (live data in weeks, not months), cloud-first architecture with no on-premise servers, and circuit-level data granularity.
Five Energy Data Gateways and more than 70 current transformers (CTs) were installed across critical loads. Within a month, the team was accessing real-time insights via the Verdigris analytics dashboard.
The platform enabled the Facilities Operations team to:
- Analyze energy usage patterns at switchboards and distribution panels by time of day and operational activity.
- Monitor power capacity to identify panel overloads and validate backup generator readiness.
- Mitigate operational risks by detecting major power fluctuations and evaluating how infrastructure changes (such as breaker or panel modifications) could affect uptime.
The Results
Within one month of deployment, the Abcam facilities team had actionable visibility across all monitored circuits:
Faster reporting: Automated weekly energy reports replaced hours of manual data collection and spreadsheet work. The team redirected that time to proactive maintenance planning.
Capacity clarity: Circuit-level monitoring revealed actual utilization per panel, enabling the team to identify available capacity for new lab equipment without costly electrical upgrades.
Operational confidence: Real-time power monitoring detected a breaker approaching its rated capacity before it tripped, preventing an unplanned outage in an active lab environment.
What's Next?
Following the success at the Waltham facility, Abcam plans to extend the Verdigris platform to additional sites in Cambridge, UK, and other U.S. locations. This expansion reflects the strategic value recognized by facilities and engineering teams, and their commitment to scaling intelligent, energy-efficient operations globally.