Cooperation among engineering companies

Generally speaking, large foreign engineering companies place great importance on their reputation; if you lack a certain track record or don’t have a good understanding with them, it can be difficult to work together. However, their key staff members often come from major domestic enterprises, and if you have connections in that field, it constitutes a significant advantage. As for the mode of cooperation, subcontracting is out of the question; they will not violate this fundamental requirement, not even by bending the rules slightly. They place great emphasis on contract negotiations and act in accordance with the terms of the contract. This is different from some domestic engineering companies, which work without a clear plan, agreeing to tasks first and then continuing with them as long as it’s profitable. Once things start to go wrong, they claim they’ve done their work and demand payment, doing only as much as is required. The industry for chemical projects is not very large; if a project is successful, news of it spreads quickly, and if it fails, the news spreads even faster. Large foreign engineering companies handle large-scale projects; they do not take risks lightly. These companies enter China as foreign investment projects increase – some are brought in directly by clients from abroad and then establish operations in China, while others simply do not undertake projects for small domestic enterprises. The best way to approach this is by mentioning your achievements; if they are interested in working with you, these large companies will investigate on their own before deciding whether to collaborate with you or not. This post was last edited by multimedia on 2009-2-9 14:36.]

The key is to identify your strengths and advantages; this is the foundation for cooperation as well as the bottom line. If it’s merely about providing labor, it won’t last in the long run

Would it be easier to get started if I focused on just one specialty, such as piping? What specific materials need to be prepared for them to review? Is it necessary to rely on connections?

As a small engineering company, I personally do not recommend partnering with large foreign engineering companies. In cooperation, only parties with equal strength can become equal partners. Will large foreign engineering companies treat you equally? Or, if you don’t mind my asking: do you have enough skill? For example: when everything is going well for everyone, there’s nothing to say. If problems arise or conflicts occur (there are many actual examples), how do you resolve them? Who provides you with professional support, and who provides you with legal support? It sometimes takes 2 to 4 years to resolve a dispute – can you afford to wait that long? Now that there is an economic crisis and many banks have failed, conflicts are bound to increase sharply. Are you prepared? Are you familiar with foreign standard systems? How many managers with international project management qualifications do you have who meet the foreign requirements for project management? Of course, it is highly desirable that more and more engineering companies in our country go abroad, but they must be well prepared, especially in terms of covering the costs involved. A few words of caution here; please don’t take it personally :)

To cooperate with large international engineering companies, one must be fully prepared and possess sufficient capabilities; in particular, various systems such as the quality system, project management system, and safety system need to be in place, along with complete documentation. Don’t focus only on money; work with them, as there are many areas where money can be spent.

Small companies should first focus on labor-based cooperation; it is better to engage in commercial project cooperation once the company’s technology is matured, otherwise foreign companies will not cooperate. This is how several large domestic engineering companies grew up.

Small companies with certain qualifications can engage in subcontracting partnerships with larger companies. If the necessary qualifications are not available, then labor export can be an option. But there is another method that is often used: subcontracting one of the components or tasks involved in a project, while still using the qualifications of a larger company. In this case, the management systems and other frameworks must be those of the larger company; it’s as if your smaller company is integrated into the larger one, with all the personnel involved being part of the larger company. Therefore, their personal qualifications and related information need to be provided to the larger company’s human resources department for record-keeping.

I would like to ask the person on the 8th floor: we just want to subcontract one of the devices or one of the tasks! Do those people have to go to large companies? Is only the personal qualification information of the participants required? Isn’t this just like a resume?

In addition to a resume, there should be documents proving identity; if working in design, according to the qualification requirements of that large company (which are usually specified in written rules), those who have graduated from university for one year must have their graduation certificates； It is necessary to prove that you have a university degree in this field, that you have one year of experience in design; if you work in proofreading or review, then relevant professional qualification certificates are required. The same requirements apply in the case of construction work; generally, a diploma, professional qualification certificate, and certificates for special positions are required.

Can designers work at their own company? It still has to be under the unified management of large companies. Should I contact the design department of a large engineering company directly? Most foreign engineering companies don’t have design qualifications, right? Is it common for small design firms to rely on large engineering firms for work?

Working with large foreign engineering companies involves significant risks, and one can end up being exploited. This is especially true when it comes to labor export; such practices don’t help improve one’s own qualifications at all. On the contrary, foreign engineering companies take advantage of cheap labor to compete with Chinese companies, driving down prices for domestic firms, which essentially leads to unfair competition among those in the same industry. Therefore, it is recommended to cooperate with large domestic engineering companies; those with strong flagship products can undertake specialized subcontracting tasks, making it easier to resolve any issues that arise.

If it involves the \"subcontracting\" of a device or a particular task, and one’s own organization has the necessary expertise in place with clear division of responsibilities, there is no need to go to a larger company; the work can be carried out within the own organization. However, the labels on the output drawings, as well as the formats of process documents used (such as design condition sheets), must all follow those of the larger companies. Most foreign engineering companies do not have the design qualifications required in our country, but they are gradually obtaining such qualifications; however, at first they can only obtain Class B qualifications.

I want to subcontract one of the devices or one of the components. Could someone explain the specific steps?

If it’s a legitimate subcontracting project, then participate in the bidding. In the case of informal \"subcontracting,\" it is usually someone with personal connections who acts as a go-between, so there are no established procedures involved.

It depends on the strength of your company and your partners. Negotiations between the two parties.