In this month’s newsletter, we are pleased to share the results of our 2016 customer satisfaction survey, with very good results overall and interesting improvement ideas. The survey is conducted yearly as part of our ISO 9001 quality management system. All our customers have received a detailed survey report with improvement actions.

The “bathtub curve” maps the failure rate over time for complex electro-mechanical systems such as machines or plants. Its shape is the same all over the world, but certain characteristics of Chinese construction projects tend to result in a less optimized curve. Let us explore the bathtub curve!

Building information modeling (BIM) is a process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. The resulting building information models become shared knowledge resources to support decision-making about a facility from earliest conceptual stages, through design and construction, through its operational life and eventual demolition.

Experience has shown that the earlier reliability and maintainability are taken into account in a construction project, the better. This approach, which consists in paying more attention to maintenance earlier in the project, to reduce future operation cost, differs markedly from that of most Asian engineering and construction companies, which emphasize cost control during construction with progressive adjustments and modifications of the design as the project moves ahead.

Experience has shown that the earlier reliability and maintainability are taken into account in a construction project, the better. These should be specifically addressed from the design stage of a project, as illustrated below. This approach, which consists in paying more attention to maintenance earlier in the project, to reduce future operation cost, differs markedly from that of Chinese engineering and construction companies.

Too many people confuse Planning and Scheduling, two related but different processes. In this brief article, we would like to clarify the difference between the two.