Engineering The challenge of Far Eastern design
With 25 years as a commercial manager delivering infrastructure projects for clients across the globe, John Judge believes UK design houses are in danger of falling behind
T
he UK has been at the forefront of engineering for centuries, but the last few decades have seen a significant rise in rail design
competency from the Far East. In countries such as India, China, Malaysia and Singapore, satellite offices of European companies and home grown start-ups have gone from providing basic design requirements to delivering whole design services at appealing rates. The UK is still recognised as a centre of excellence, but it faces a severe challenge in maintaining its high standards at a competitive cost base. Like the proverbial runaway train, rising
competency in the Far East is unstoppable. But as it grows, the income expectations of practitioners have grown with it, and as a result there are positive signs that the cost differential between East and West is closing. Yet budget holders still channel rail
design work overseas. This is because they are seeking to deliver their clients value for money, and in times when funds are not so readily available it’s a desire that has never been stronger. Why not get what you want
at a cheaper price? For that reason UK rail designers need to seriously respond to the growing competency of the Far East or risk losing their place in the market.
Quicker and smarter At a simple level it relates to the unit cost of individuals. It is very economic to run smaller design projects in Far East design houses. However, experience of more complex projects points to production times being marginally longer than UK design houses. This is something UK design houses need to take advantage of and exploit in the bidding process. The day rate may be more than a Far Eastern competitor, but if the budget holder is made aware of how quickly you can produce the design, there is every chance you will be the more competitive option. Budget holders need to be mindful of the risks when taking complex design projects to multiple offices. They need to reassure themselves that the necessary controls, quality checks and change management protocols are in place to allow the design output to be delivered as planned.
Differing standards The difference in standards between design houses in other parts of the world and the UK can lead to misunderstandings in the design process and to issues concerning safety and quality control. Outside the UK, the design environment tends to be less restrictive on delivering constructability and health and safety. Therefore constructability of design under European conditions, and safe delivery of these, may be challenging if one were to use a wholly sourced Far Eastern design house.
Cultural issues may also come into
play. Junior employees, who are often the designer/engineer at the coalface, tend not to challenge senior management, and this is a silent problem in many areas of the world. If after construction something goes
wrong and design is blamed, consequences can vary greatly between Europe and the Far East. For example, one high profile case in China saw 54 officials, including Zhang Shuguang, the rail ministry’s deputy chief engineer, punished for ‘bad management’ and ‘design errors’ after 40 people died and 172 were injured when a high-speed train went into the back of a stalled train in the eastern province of Zhejiang. However, when similar incidents occur in Europe, the approach leans more to reviewing standards and change requirements than punishing individuals.
Reputation for getting things right Incidents such as the one that happened in China can raise serious doubts about the quality of Far East design houses. Can you trust the design you’ve been presented with? Do you need to check it? Do you have time to check it? And why should you - you’ve already paid enough for it? These doubts over quality are especially heightened when working with someone new who is thousands of miles away. Discovering flaws in the design during the construction stage is one of the most common causes of costly delays to projects. An expensive halt in works is something budget holders are desperate to avoid. Human error can occur, but to reduce this risk, UK design houses work to a high standard of assurance and validation in the process of design. As a result there is a degree of confidence in the integrity of their calculations. By trading on a reputation for getting things right and backing this up with proof, UK design houses can make themselves very attractive to budget holders who have little room to manoeuvre and
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