Interview of TAdviser with the chief of the department on design of technical directorate of the Asteros group Mikhail Ulyanov

Mikhail Ulyanov: The long crisis dive taught investors to belong to the budgets more attentively. Customers are guided, first of all, by capital-intensive and effective solutions. "National" accessory of vendor does not play a special role here. Sometimes the product seeming profitable when purchasing can not meet financial expectations of the customer at operational phases and service. The choice for benefit of this or that solution is performed strictly according to a complete financial case: roughly speaking from the moment of the commissioning before operation within 5-10 years.

Few years ago I observed a certain interest of the market in the idea of import substitution. Then foreign producers managed to orient quickly: 90% from them opened representations in the territory of our country, the majority – localized production. For example, such world brands as Danfoss, Grundfos, ABB, Schneider Electric, considerably reduced the costs for assembly, and still remain competitive in comparison with domestic manufacturers. I think that now everything returned into place: the bulk of the companies places emphasis when choosing this or that product on a ratio price/quality. The geography of production is secondary.

Mikhail Ulyanov: The Russian producers were always quoted in the market of engineering, however, as practice shows, domestic not always the cheapest. Offers of the Russian solutions for the last few years precisely became more. There are our companies which are successfully working at the market of mechanical systems, there are equipment manufacturers of security systems. But there is still and not covered the Russian producers a part, for example, in a segment of "heavy" engineering there are no domestic analogs of refrigerators, precision conditioners, the diesel - rotor or dynamic UPSes. And the customer just has no other options – he buys foreign.

Plus solutions of domestic production is that if in the course of the commissioning, operation or at other stages there are questions, they can be solved quickly. But I do not know objects on which use of the foreign equipment in a directive way would be forbidden. Of course, some formal restrictions are imposed, for example, when importing to the territory of our country of the foreign equipment or software it is necessary to fill a special form and to register in it the final customer for what purposes it will be used, etc. These are simple bureaucratic procedures which, are overcome, as a rule, quickly enough.

Mikhail Ulyanov: The main difference of this project — in its high status and the historical importance: in Luzhniki in the presence of the top officials of the state and VIP-guests there will take place the opening match of World Cup 2018 and the final. We work in Luzhniki nearly 3 years. At first developed the concept of security which was approved with the city, the organizing committee of games and security agencies. On its base the project was created, and in 2016 we started construction works. Asteros is responsible for the organization of a so-called "net" zone in the territory of the Olympic complex. We are faced by a problem of creation of an anti-terrorist system and a complex for security that includes technical and engineering solutions and also integration of all systems. Besides, Asteros is a general contractor on reconstruction of two main cash pavilions of Luzhniki. Their infrastructure will include not only the booking and cash systems, but also a core of a video surveillance system, access control and corporate services of the territory. This object will become this nodal center of all information infrastructure in the territory of the Olympic complex.

Mikhail Ulyanov: The main call is deadlines and the predeterminated date of commissioning of the facility which nobody will transfer. Besides usually several dozens of contractors at the same time work at such objects, and customers often face difficulties in management of the huge volume of versatile works. It is clear, that on complex projects the role of the managerial structure capable quickly is always high and qualitatively "coordinate" all processes, hold in the head an object completely and of course to make the correct decisions. Function of such organizer or technical customer even more often is undertaken recently by system integrator which is ready to act as the uniform center of responsibility for result, "point of entry" in the project, it is convenient both for us, and for the customer.

At the same time it is important to both customer, and general contractor, and all other project participants to understand that in case of a delay of terms of commissioning of the object financial losses are sustained by all participants of building. Therefore all companies involved in implementation process of an object should work as the uniform debugged mechanism.

Mikhail Ulyanov: The most important is the strong, competent and united team which is responsible on an object for this or that task. It should be flexible and react immediately to any changes. At the same time both the professional management structure, and existence of the qualified team of engineers capable "close" all technical issues arising in implementation process on the project is important.

Mikhail Ulyanov: At the moment we keep a number of the projects connected with infrastructure construction in "Moscow City" and also the innovation city quarter "VTB the Park Arena". As for the last, here Asteros will integrate in a uniform circuit all security systems of sports, leisure, hotel, residential, technical zones of quarter in all territory of a complex of 32 hectares. It is the reconstructed Central stadium "Dynamo", Academy of sport, the Park of Physical culture and Sport of Dynamo and also the city quarter Park Arena with the headquarters of society "Dynamo", hotel Hyatt Regency Moscow, Petrovsky Park, apartments and office buildings of class A. In addition to the organization of an end-to-end system of security, Asteros is going to construct in the territory of the different zones "VTB Arena Park" of multimedia, engineering and IT infrastructure.

Mikhail Ulyanov: It is sure that in the company it is necessary to save and develop competences, rare in the market, to which increased requirements are imposed. For example, the strength of Asteros is a creation of IT infrastructure and complex of all low-current systems, ultramodern multimedia platforms.

Practically all players of the market learned to execute more standard works, such as "heavy" engineering (the electrician, the mechanic) well, and we can quite give this part on subcontracting. At the same time, naturally, saving at itself high-level competences on check of the performed works as the contractor, including independent participation in start of this system.

Returning to the question, what is more profitable: employ specialists to the state or address subcontractors – for each object there will be history. Everything depends on scales and project duration, plans of the customer for his development, well and of course, costs which will be incured by integrator taking into account increase in the PHOT.

Mikhail Ulyanov: The competition, certainly, is, and it is quite strong. In the market we feel rather surely, even in hard crisis times we continued to put project potential, and this year just should complete several very important infrastructure projects. Our main advantage – in a pilot and versatile command: we in the state have specialists absolutely in all engineering and to the IT directions and also on creation of end-to-end systems of security, including criminalists-explosives technicians.

Mikhail Ulyanov: First, this development of online services. When you come to hotel, and at you in advance on one click the ticket in SPA, a lunch with a certain menu is already booked, the parking space for a week is paid. Secondly, the powerful spur of development to the market will be given by Big Data technologies. Amount of data grows in geometrical progression, information needs to be collected, to store, analyze, systematize. Solutions on accumulation of IT capacities inevitably "pull" for themselves "inzhenerka": servers need to be placed, brought somewhere to them electricity and to take away heatsurpluses, and in premises — to ensure functioning of vent systems, gas fire extinguishing, air moistening.

Mikhail Ulyanov: Now we increase percent of objects which design we perform using technology of information modeling (BIM). It is sure, behind it the future, and by the way, it was understood in the West for a long time. In our plans — completely to pass to BIM during the work on large-scale objects. This approach proved the efficiency and at design of Dynamo Stadium.

If to speak about physical security, then the innovation of a VIP-segment of solutions are, perhaps, "security capsules" for data centers. Such approach of Asteros used at creation of infrastructure of office VTB in the Tower Federation of the business Moscow City complex and also during creation the safe room at office of Gazprom export, being in Palace of Rossi — the 7-storey historical building at Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Both projects are implemented based on solutions of Lampertz.