GLOBALA SAMARBETEN INOM BYGGBRANSCHEN : En studie om fyra svenska företag och deras internationella samarbetspartners

The purpose of this degree project was to find and investigate how global cooperation works in the construction industry. The goal of this work is to evaluate whether this type of solution remains profitable in the future and includes four perspectives consisting of communication, resource seeking, costs and quality. A final goal of this degree project was to present concrete conclusions that make it easier for companies which are interested in initiating a collaboration with a foreign company. The work is based on a literature study that describes previous research in the field as well as a case study that includes document analysis and interviews. The document analysis was carried out at the client to contribute knowledge about how a quality system is structured. Interviews have been conducted with four companies who are active in the design industry to obtain responses related to communication, quality, costs and resources. The interviews have been conducted with Skype and with one of the companies the interview was held on-site. All interviews have been recorded to reproduce the correct results. The result of this work shows the importance of a long-term relationship between the Swedish and the foreign company to make the collaboration successful. Before the cooperation starts it is important to keep in mind the differences in cultures, find people with required educational background and to search for a company that understands what is requested. If the collaboration intends to make a profit, the total cost of the project needs to be minded and not just the lower engineering costs. The results of this work also show that to find the required competence in Swedish projects, it can be successful to find that competence in a foreign country. The right quality is achieved by the foreign engineers based on the Swedish standards due to clear guidelines and system for overlooking. The technical quality has not been affected by language and communication difficulties, this because of well-structured communication methods including video meetings and patience to understand each other. Cooperation with foreign companies can be successful, the Swedish company must however be prepared for the consequences that may occur and understand that it can require more planning than initially was predicted. If the co-operation is planned in a long-term perspective and exchange of knowledge takes place on an ongoing basis, the cooperation will hopefully be efficient and successful over time