Better together

27 July 2014


A sullen Lionel Messi stood with stooped shoulders next to the award winning German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the immediate aftermath of the Fifa World Cup Final.


The Argentineans under his captaincy had failed to get even a single shot on target against a victorious German team that had previously pasted tournament hosts Brazil. Aside from spoof online videos of German beer tankards smashing South American cocktail glasses, it did not take long for articles to start appearing where pundits analyse the German road to victory.

A German businessman from the fashion industry - and friend to the team's management - Christian Hirmer stated that the top team of the tournament would have the best training camp. One purpose-built team training camp (and a trophy) later, and his words carry some weight.

He stressed the importance of teamwork, preparation, and maximising all of the fringe advantages of a team that is comfortable with itself that can make a difference to the balance of play on the night

The tunnelling industry has shown readiness to embrace this ethos in the past, and looks set to continue to do so on key projects.

Last year Tunnels visited site with TBM manufacturer Terratec's field service engineers in Delhi. This predominantly Thai workforce was quartered together in the city, complete with their own resident chef for home comforts. On site, a soundless system of gestures and waves quickly and safely carried out machine assembly at the bottom of a launch shaft. There was something almost eerie about the silent, albeit impressive procedure.

The tunnelling market in India has placed great importance on international involvement with local counterparts to deliver projects, and it is not an anomaly.

Qatar Rail mandated that large works contracts for the Doha Metro will only be awarded to consortia that comprise both local and international parties. The idea is that giant multinationals would provide state of the art railway building knowhow, with local procedural and cultural finesse being contributed by the smaller party.

Just as local investment is a boost for the people of Santo Andre, the nearest village to Germany's Brazilian training haven, this is a boon to the local Middle East contractors, but it makes sense from the client's point of view also. Skills acquired during construction will allow for locally performed maintenance upon completion.

With lump sum contracts and a degree of relatively obscure ground conditions among the karstic limestone. The consortia would do well to foster good teamwork and understanding within their ranks.

The ability of the German team to pull together in a high stakes situation, and their eagerness to support fellow teammates won them the ultimate victory in Brazil.

These same attributes applied to any tunnelling job can overcome the most complex obstacles.