Development News 12/2005 – A New Direction in Development

The new Fibertex production plant for unwoven textiles was built in Svitavy using a development method, which, based on the results it has achieved, can be regarded as newly discovered – flexible development. It was created by Starcon... The new Fibertex production plant for unwoven textiles was built in Svitavy using a development method, which, based on the results it has achieved, can be regarded as newly discovered – flexible development. It was created by Starcon. After the sale of the half-finished site to the Danish company Fibertex, it was necessary to significantly expand the space of the production plant and there were fundamental changes to the requirements for the amount of production technology, the architecture of some parts of the building and a marked expansion of the administrative part of the project. Whereas the offers made by other developers for the change to the project and the start of construction were between 8-10 months, thanks to its untraditional method of project management, called flexible development, Starcon managed it in three months. During the construction of the Fibertex building there were marked savings through the application of an individual approach to producers, who replaced the building's general contractor. This enabled unnecessary reserves to be removed and an efficient approach to all design activities. The intensive involvement of the best producers in the preparation of the project became a guarantee of achieving uncompromising quality. Removing unnecessary intermediary elements and middlemen also enabled the best quality to be provided for ordinary prices. The whole principle of flexible development consists of the reasonable re-distribution of responsibility and profit between the various partners in a project. The method gets rid off the commission system between designers and material producers that leads to the use of unsystematic solutions. Overall, the method is an evident breakthrough in the Czech construction industry.