The Outsourcing of an entire bridge

[alphatarget1]

so create a facility that can. it's called capital investment.


if you ever see an aircraft assembly line, you'll be able to see just what american workers can do.

What do you do with the facility after the project is built? This is a serious question. Which construction company has enough capital to build something that will probably only be used once? How many projects of this scale are planned in the US?

 

[EagleKeeper]

so create a facility that can. it's called capital investment.


if you ever see an aircraft assembly line, you'll be able to see just what american workers can do.

While I do not like the results, one has to look at the facts.

The government wanted something fancy at a plain price.

The company that won the bid was force to relying on outsourcing to meet the requirements of the unit as well as the government allowed cost structure.

One does not build a multi-billion fab plant for one item.

 

[Engineer]

While I do not like the results, one has to look at the facts.

The government wanted something fancy at a plain price.

The company that won the bid was force to relying on outsourcing to meet the requirements of the unit as well as the government allowed cost structure.

One does not build a multi-billion fab plant for one item.

Good points. I wonder why China has such a facility?

 

[ProfJohn]

$6.3 billion for a bridge??

Insane.

 

[Engineer]

$6.3 billion for a bridge??

Insane.

I agree. Just think how much it would have been with US labor. Probably $20 billion!

 

[ProfJohn]

Good points. I wonder why China has such a facility?

Because the government runs the economy and can order one built.

Plus with all their internal growth I am sure they will keep using it.

 

[Engineer]

Because the government runs the economy and can order one built.

Plus with all their internal growth I am sure they will keep using it.

Maybe using it for smaller scale projects as from reading this thread, the bridge in CA is overly complex and would not need to be that way other than those that "wanted it". I can only assume that China would never need anything that complex (or expensive).

 

[nonlnear]

Good points. I wonder why China has such a facility?

China has a lot of heavy infrastructure development happening along their coast. The US does not.

 

[Attic]

LOL

Just because some person was able to find 3 idiots who were willing to listen to recording of Nixon for 25 cents... doesn't mean people will do labor for that rate. That's the dumbest leap in logic i've ever read.


http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/06/22/americans-will-work-for-25-cents-an-hour.html

Nice ownage :thumbsup:


In light of a few of the posts here, i'd say that the outsourcing for this project is an unfortunate result of the some pretty understandable constraint.

Constraint in large part due to some bad choices by those in charge... when you get a government system that implicitly rewards bad choices... i'm not sure anyone should be that surprised when you see whose involved. If some of the bad choices were met with a negative effect (lost jobs for those in charge), instead of a positive (further government contracts and endless $$$) then we might not continue to see projects run like we do here.

 

[Jhhnn]

Maybe using it for smaller scale projects as from reading this thread, the bridge in CA is overly complex and would not need to be that way other than those that "wanted it". I can only assume that China would never need anything that complex (or expensive).

Heh. You'd be wrong. China is engaging in enormous bridge projects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong-Zhuhai-Macau_Bridge

They've completed several others.

 

[nonlnear]

Heh. You'd be wrong. China is engaging in enormous bridge projects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong-Zhuhai-Macau_Bridge

They've completed several others.

When I posted the one liner about China's heavy infrastructure I almost made it a paragraph. Hong Kong's new airport (and bridge) was going to be one of the headline items, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. They've put in some huge projects, but the projected growth over the next decade for areas like Guangzhou are astronomical.

 

[HeXen]

My understanding is that due to the bridge's design there aren't very many places in the US that can build something that big...

if we didnt outsource, you'd be amazed at how many such places in the US would spring up that can do that.

 

[theeedude]

We have a budget crisis. Maybe that's the only way we can afford to replace the bridge.

And they note that with the full financial force of the Chinese government behind its infrastructure companies, the monumental scale of the work, and the prices bid, are hard for private industry elsewhere to beat.

There is a price to pay for infrastructure under-investment in the guise of "small government". If the Federal government wants to throw in more money to have it built in the US, I would be amenable to that, but conservatives would scream bloody murder.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

if we didnt outsource, you'd be amazed at how many such places in the US would spring up that can do that.

How many places wouldn't be allowed due to EPA restraints? Or zoning restrictions?

 

[Engineer]

How many places wouldn't be allowed due to EPA restraints? Or zoning restrictions?

Are they using something in the bridge that's toxic? What's the difference in that bridge (other than size) vs what we're making now (smaller)? Skyscrapers use steel and concrete....we can't build them here either?

This isn't about regulations or zoning restrictions, it's about cheap labor, period (and maybe an overpriced bridge design).

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Steel manufacturing and fabrication does release toxins into the atmosphere.

 

[waggy]

How many places wouldn't be allowed due to EPA restraints? Or zoning restrictions?

what? GHHAHAHAHAH

 

[Engineer]

Steel manufacturing and fabrication does release toxins into the atmosphere.

So we don't make steel in this country anymore? We aren't allowed to weld?

I'll tell my boss tomorrow so we don't weld anything in the shop from this point forward.

 

[mcmilljb]

What do you do with the facility after the project is built? This is a serious question. Which construction company has enough capital to build something that will probably only be used once? How many projects of this scale are planned in the US?

You're telling me no other west coast state needs bridges? Besides they wasted money on that bridge any way. Could have built a cheaper and simpler design, and pocketed the money to pay for illegal immigrants' healthcare.

 

[mcmilljb]

Heh. You'd be wrong. China is engaging in enormous bridge projects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong-Zhuhai-Macau_Bridge

They've completed several others.

Can American companies bid to build their projects? I doubt it. Plus how would you compete with a government that wants mercantilism while we claim to want to compete as an "open" free market economy?

 

[D-Man]

Thanks for the heads up. I can now avoid crossing that bridge. Made in China scares me. If I am in a store looking for socks and the package says made in China I put them back.

Yep Americans are so dumb technical manuals for quite a few years were written in English. That is why many people from other country's speak our language. They would be unable to steal our secrets without being able to speak out language.

Do I sound harsh yes I am. Corporations all over the world the US included are selling our future to china. Lets teach then how to alloy the steel's we use the solder to make electronics and on and on.

 

[WHAMPOM]

I'm not against outsourcing but I wouldn't outsource a whole bridge to the chinese...

Where do you think our building materials come from? Pennies paid for the scrap here, big bucks when it comes back.

 

[guyver01]

Thanks for the heads up. I can now avoid crossing that bridge. Made in China scares me. If I am in a store looking for socks and the package says made in China I put them back.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Thanks for the heads up. I can now avoid crossing that bridge. Made in China scares me. If I am in a store looking for socks and the package says made in China I put them back.

Yep Americans are so dumb technical manuals for quite a few years were written in English. That is why many people from other country's speak our language. They would be unable to steal our secrets without being able to speak out language.

Do I sound harsh yes I am. Corporations all over the world the US included are selling our future to china. Lets teach then how to alloy the steel's we use the solder to make electronics and on and on.

Oh no, China steel is superior to US production due to the amount of hand sorting of scrap and mix of new iron they use.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Republicans have done and continue to do the most damage to the country.

It can survive under Democrat rule, it cannot under Republican and that is their plan.

Why do you fail to see that?

Why do you fail to see that Democrats and Republicans are the same assholes with different letters stamped next to their names? They're both destroying this country, just in different ways. Democrats support unions that are inherently inefficient and cause labor to be outsourced, whereas Republicans willingly outsource projects like these that would help American businesses.

China has an amazing thing going. Their labor market isn't tied up with bureaucracy and inefficiencies, so they get all the big projects. As soon as the RMB appreciates (and it will), Pan Zhongwang will be a much, much richer man.

And to those who have no idea what it's like to live in China: $12/day is completely, absolutely livable in China. That's more sustainable than the minimum wage here.