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When the world is watching you cannot afford problems. FCT Flames’ project management philosopy ensures that every flame inspires first time every time.
Since 1984, FCT has been developing, designing and manufacturing highly complex combustion equipment for major events and industries around the world. In general, FCT Flames uses our own personnel to engineer, project manage, install and operate the customised flame effects that we supply.
FCT Flames takes responsibility for complete equipment delivery, installation and support. In so doing, we utilise our core competencies in design and engineering, and project management to meet our customers’ requirements. FCT Flames’ established project management procedures have supported the successful execution of several high-profile projects around the world. FCT Flames’ project philosophy is based upon co-ordinating the following sub-sections of a major project to ensure it is reliable, safe and delivered on time and on budget:
We establish a dedicated team of personnel to execute and manage every one of our projects to our customer’s satisfaction. We build close working relationships with our customers, reporting regularly to customer representatives to keep them appraised of progress and of issues arising during project execution.
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Understanding our Customers’ Requirements
FCT Flames takes a complex artistic concept and, following our innovative, robust and accountable engineering approach, produces a spectacular effect that operates reliably and safely. It is critical that, in engineering the project, we do not compromise the creative element of the project, and that the final product meets the artistic expectations of our customers. We therefore take time at the beginning of our projects to understand what our customers wish to create, and we work together with our customers throughout the project to ensure the desired image is created, and the desired message is communicated by the flame effect.
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Research and Development
The most important part of any flame effect is the design of the burner, and associated fuel and control system, to produce a visually attractive flame that is also safe and reliable. Typically, the design of these elements requires a great deal of testing, adjustment and modification to produce the performance required while remaining within the artistic concept for the flame. The research and development program follows well established research principles, commencing with small-scale testing to understand the principal physical mechanisms involved in a particular flame effect and how these results compare to theoretical predictions. The proposed equipment design is then scaled up to a full-scale design which is tested prior to delivery and installation. Fuel choices, flows, pressures, aerodynamics, practicality and operational philosophy are all refined during this process until the specified performance is achieved.
FCT Flames has high level technical capability and we invest a significant proportion of our income in R&D to ensure that we remain at the forefront of technologies in our area of business. We use our own laboratories and the extensive facilities of our research partner, the School of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Adelaide. These facilities include:
- Wind tunnels,
- Laboratories for aerodynamic modelling and combustion modelling,
- Laser equipment for flame analysis,
- Water modelling facilities,
- Hot modelling and firing laboratories, and
- All measuring and computer equipment consistent with a high level research establishment.
All R&D processes are documented and video-taped where appropriate, and all critical calculations are checked by a professional peer.
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Risk Management
FCT Flames applies our established risk assessment procedures to each of our flame effect projects and devises counter measures for potential risks. We assess each project at project inception and again before manufacture commences. Risk assessment includes evaluating the need for multiple suppliers to spread risk, contingency planning in case of delivery failures, technical risk assessment, safety analysis, design redundancy and financial and exchange rate risk assessment.
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Design
Engineering and manufacturing design proceeds when all technical and risk assessment aspects have been finalised. We design and select components for the system manufacture at this stage of the project.
FCT Flames is a BVQI accredited ISO 9001 quality system accredited company and follows a strict quality system in the design of all equipment that we supply. All engineering drawings are checked and approved prior to equipment manufacture and all revisions to calculations and drawings are duly approved and recorded on calculation sheets and drawings. FCT Flames designs all equipment to the appropriate Standards applicable in the host country.
For major events failure is not an option, and the flame effect must work first time, every time. All equipment supplied by FCT Flames is designed with multiple redundancies in light up and operation to deal with unpredictable failures, and to ensure that satisfactory performance can be maintained with standby systems.
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Manufacturing
FCT Flames outsources most of our manufacturing requirements to qualified, experienced subcontractors. This approach gives us the flexibility to select subsuppliers that have the most relevant capability for a specific project, and that offer the most cost-effective solution for our customer. FCT Flames uses established subcontractor management processes and closely supervises manufacturing, inspecting and testing deliverables to ensure that the final product meets specification and satisfies our exacting standards of manufacture.
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Delivery
FCT Flames and the FCT Group has executed projects all over the world, with over 90% of our work coming from outside of Australia. We are therefore well acquainted with the logistical challenges of working on international projects, sometimes in extremely remote locations. We have established effective and efficient communication and reporting processes, and we have many years of experience in shipping large pieces of equipment throughout the world.
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Installation and Commissioning
FCT Flames conducts a rigorous factory acceptance program to test equipment functionality prior to shipping. This ensures that our equipment will operate correctly when installed and commissioned. FCT Flames has shipped equipment to every continent in the world.
FCT Flames personnel supervise the installation of our flame effect equipment to ensure that design specifications are met and that local standards and regulations are adhered to. Our people commission and, where required, operate the equipment. We work closely with our customers' own staff, or with suitably qualified and experienced subcontractors employed in the host country.
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Operation
FCT Flames are able operate and support our effects throughout the duration of the event or festival. We will also provide maintenance support to permanent flame effects, either directly or via a designated subcontractor, if required by our customers. In many instances, our customers prefer their own people to operate or maintain their effects and, in this case, our people will design and deliver training programmes for our customers’ personnel.
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