The Press

Selection of materials, equipment and technologies for the construction or reconstruction of engineering systems based on an intercom examples (intercom systems).

Atricle (2014 Spring)

Authors:
A.S.Vinogradov, Perao’s Tech executive
A.V. Mihailik, General executive of Perao co., NP”AVOK” committee member “Intellectual business and informational-managing systems”

When you enter your business building, come back home or have some guest in your home or work, first system which meets and contacts you, or your guest is an intercom system. Most of the users ask themselves, on which criteria the one intercom was performed? Who was in charge for the decision? Who installed it? Also, its good to know if there existed a way, to do everything even better?

Having an ability to observe different project’s construction for more than 15 years, being able to access the full cycle, from the project engineering to the full completion of the project, having a broad experience with the difference customers, and being able to influence on a engineer’s and financial part of the project, we could make a conclusion that final choice in equipment and materials are always made on the very common criteria’s.

Usually, there are two people who decide which materials and equipment for the project are needed to use, usually these people are the engineer and customer. The engineer’s goal is to solve a project task with the maximum possible quality using the most reliable materials, to be able to build the system in a way of the highest durability and reliability. Usually the customer aims to obtain low price and keep in a designated budget. There is a contradiction in aims of an engineer and customer, however having a wise approach from each part, there is a way to find a common language and end up with the goodness project and quality product in the very end.

If the customer aims to minimize spending by all means, at the same time without trimming the project task, this will lead to project failure and rejection by the engineer (in case of trustworthily and decent engineer) or this will lead to other end, to failure of the project realization as a result of low functionality or, the result would not have enough features which were foreseen in the project documentation from the very beginning. (this happens when an engineer is ready to step aside of the professional ethics and honesty). Sadly, we need to mention that on the Russian market such engineers and installers are much more common, than the guys who put in the corner decency and professional qualities.

Main customers of intercom services are multi-apartment complexes or private houses, considering the high construction volumes (particularly in Moscow and its vicinities) and having a close look on the equipment which they install, this usually disappoints the tech people. The reason is, when a square meter or square foot is much more expensive than in USA or Europe, it is almost impossible to find really high quality intercom systems. Looks like long term implementation of an old Soviet principle “Everybody gets what he needs, everybody contributes what he can” is finally over, and fully implemented in its worst possible manner. Most of the people, even wealthy people, who has enough money to buy something really good for them, their house and families, consciously choose and buy the cheapest devices available on the market, which lack functions and quality. The vivid example of such defective solutions is a wide practice of preference for a low price in the tender competitions. This practice puts an end on some really good and interesting projects and ideas; this practice passes all good deals in charge of amateurs, dilettantes and temporary workers.

It is really funny and surprisingly to watch a customer, who want to install the cheapest intercom system and save as much as possible on cable systems when a facility costs much more than thousands of hundreds of Euro. At the same time this person could drive a wealthy car which cost from six to 10 million of rubles. Looks like Russian people do not like quality and reliability, which lasts long, and which generations could use. Most of them ask for something impossible, which is explained by formula “fast, good, cheap”. Looks like such customers believe in fairy tales, like they forgot that formula “fast, good, cheap” could only have 2 options simultaneously, but never could have all 3 at once. Professional engineers simply could not go on this principle agreeing on a customer’s miserly proposals, even if the income and the fate of the order depend on this. The “Do not harm” principle is a doctor’s monopoly, the time has come to adopt it by the engineers and project developers.

Because an intercom is an exterior quality indicator(it is seen from the outside on any building) of an entire object’s engineering system, and it is obviously seen from the outside, there is no need to seek too much for bad implementation examples, they are almost everywhere. Unfortunately, there is a need to seek to find a good example. Here in Russia, our team strives to be that good example. We strive to develop high quality projects, to provide excellent installation services and best equipment in an industry, thus we believe that our projects, equipment and installation services would last for decades serving people perfectly. This approach is widely used in civilized countries, where people are prospective thinkers for more than 1 year, and value quality but not the “show up” style behavior and belongings.

Studying intercom equipment from different cities of an Eastern Europe and comparing with Russian analogues on the simple blocks and inexpensive buildings, office buildings we could feel the difference. And, what is too sad, we could feel ourselves laming. Our richest country uses such a junk which is hard to believe. A lot of intercom devices which are in use in Europe have more than 4 decades, even so these devices are still in use, fully functional, and this is because the real high quality lasts long. In Russia new and low quality intercom’s junk prevails, which in a couple of years would be replaced by the same junk, due to the functionality loss. The reason is obvious; it is in mentality, not devices.

Whatever we do, construct a building or live in an apartment complex; we personally affect the options of our engineering systems which are installed in the building, in particular the intercom system. Accepting and using anything with the low quality we encourage laypeople, dilettantes. We give a bad example to our successors, affecting our own karma, by being a promiscuous temporary person, unable to distinguish good quality out of bad examples.

Western Europe	Russia
Low cost apartment intercom system entrance, old-fashioned approximately 1980. Residents saved and purchased the system without the camera. Approximate cost for such system is 5400 EUR.	Apartment complex’s porch intercom system. . Approximate cost for such system is 240 EUR.
Modern, but modest system which lacks the camera in 3 apartment’s porch. Approximate cost for such system is 2200 EUR.	Porch intercom system. Approximate cost for such system is 250 EUR.
Reliable, and advanced intercom type with the camera for the 12 apartments from the Nineties. Approximate cost for such system is 13000 EUR.	Multi-apartment porch’s intercom system. Approximate cost for such system is 240 EUR.
Intercom with the video from the Eighties is designed for 7 apartments Approximate cost for such system is 8000 EUR.	Multi-apartment porch’s intercom system. Approximate cost for such system is 310 EUR.
Intercom from Eighties designed for 2 businesses. Approximate cost for such system is 2800 EUR.	Video intercom system for a single user. Approximate cost for such system is 160 EUR.
Intercom from Nineties, designed for 4 apartments with individual mailboxes. Approximate cost for such system is 12000 EUR.	Multi-apartment porch’s intercom system. Approximate cost for such system is 240 EUR.
Modern video intercom on 2 racks of 7 apartments or offices with 4 mailboxes.Approximate cost for such system is 17500 EUR.	Multi-apartment porch’s intercom system. Approximate cost for such system is 240 EUR.
Modern intercom access system under the individual order, placed at the garage entrance, equipped with cameras and electronic card readers. Approximate cost for such system is at least 30000 EUR.	Video intercom system for a single user. Approximate cost for such system is 130 EUR.