Increased demand for custom IT enclosures is maintaining market revenue despite a projected decline in shipments for 2013, according to a new report.

The report by IHS, named ‘The World Market for IT Racks and Enclosures’, said custom racks would account for roughly 10% of all shipments in 2013, driving up average unit prices. The analysts said the market experienced a slight contraction in 2012 in shipment terms which is projected to continue through 2013.

It said the biggest drag on growth is the poor economic conditions across much of the world, especially in Western Europe. To a lesser extent, the effects of virtualization and server consolidation are having a slight inhibiting effect on short-term growth.

Improved economic conditions, the increasing demand for digitization and computing capacity will well outweigh the negative effects of consolidation. In the meantime, a focus on customization will help suppliers keep revenue growing.

Custom requests come in two forms: pre-configuration and design changes. Design changes can include specialty colors, custom branding on doors, drilling holes for cabling drop-in, side panels with special cut-outs, or even special dimensions. These types of custom enclosures are most commonly requested by very large data centers, especially colocation facilities, that order new or replacement cabinets in high volume.

Pre-configuration helps suppliers of enclosures to add-on products that a customer may not have otherwise purchased from them. Examples of pre-configured, or pre-integrated, cabinets include the installation of a rack PDUs, shelves, cabling management, or the inclusion of heat containment prior to shipment. This is a trend influenced by the increasing demand for modular build-outs of data centers.