Fluxo Soluções
 / May 2014

Lack of new ventures already affects engineering projects in Brazil

The proximity of the end of the great works that have taken over the country in recent years, mainly with the construction of refineries and fertilizer units by Petrobras, is already affecting Brazilian project engineering, which has a reduction in the number of its production capacity this year. The president of the Brazilian Association of Industrial Engineering (Abemi), Antonio Müller, has just been re-elected to the post, with a mandate that runs until 2016, and warns of the need for new projects in the country, with the aim of guaranteeing the strengthening and development of national engineering. Müller says that in some cases this reduction in human resources in the area of project engineering reaches 50% compared to last year and highlights that all those involved in the area of industrial engineering are looking for solutions to the problem together. One of the suggestions is the creation of a project bank, which could advance the development of basic projects and maintain the evolution of national engineering.

How do you evaluate the situation of national engineering?

One of the things that is very important is the engineering training, both basic and detailed. Now, the industrial engineering segment is of great concern to us today, because, with the approach of the end of large projects, such as Rnest and Comperj, together with the lack of new projects, there is already a reduction in the number of relevant human resources. And this will have an impact later on new construction and assembly projects that arise.

Does Abemi have figures for this reduction?

I don't have closed statistics, but the percentage they give me, including that which has already been presented at a board meeting, is about 50% less human resources in project engineering than there was last year. It is a very significant reduction in production capacity. A major focus at Abemi is this whole basic design and detailing part, and we want companies to have a load to continue developing projects.

Has this concern been discussed with major contractors?

The big contractor is Petrobras, and then comes Vale, so we are taking this concern to them. We have also taken it to Prominp meetings, and there is a desire from everyone to resolve this. Everyone is involved in the search for solutions. Who knows, even the creation of a project bank.

How would that work?

You know there are going to be some projects up ahead and you start doing the projects in advance, leaving at least the basic project ready for when the opportunity arises. It is important for the generation of jobs and for strengthening national engineering.

What are the main challenges ahead for Abemi?

The consolidation of basic engineering in Brazil. This is very important. Another point is the increase in productivity in the country. Brazil had a very important capacity in basic engineering in the past, but it lost, and now it has to regain it. Basic engineering in hydropower we do, in thermoelectric, too, but in processes we lose.

Can you cite any Abemi project in this regard?

This year, for example, we are developing Abemi's third book, which is about productivity and engineering. We have already done one on project management and another on pipeline productivity. This new one is focused on engineering.

What are the foundations of the book?

There will be guidelines organized by our associates on what conceptual, basic and detail engineering are, as well as indications on new tools to increase productivity.

What kind of tools?

There is a lot of talk about tools for developing 3D projects, which we already do today, and now we want to develop in 4D and 5D. Four-dimensional design is what includes time planning, with the schedule attached to it, and 5D is where the budgeting part comes in. So, in the short and medium term, there should be a greater development of 4D projects. In 5D it should come in sequence. There are 40 to 50 companies working on this book.

Are there other initiatives parallel to the book with the same aim?

There are several. A very important one is the Abemi-ABCE-Petrobras working group, which has been working for 10 years developing advanced engineering procedures. We have already performed more than 100 execution, engineering, assembly and construction procedures. It is a highly qualified group. I am very proud to be part of it.

 Antonio Muller is president of Abemi and Tridimensional Engenharia. Mechanical Engineer graduated from UERJ, with extension courses at Harvard Business School, Georgia Technology University and Drexel University. Lifetime member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers – ASME. He has held many positions at the board and presidency levels in engineering companies and has been a member of the board of directors of many companies, bodies and associations linked to the energy sector.

Interview extracted from the petronoticias.com.br website by Daniel Fraiha (daniel@petronoticias.com.br)

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