
What would some people do for a signature!
30 March 2021/ by Aldo Avancini /
Some bitter reflections from Aldo Avancini /

As a great history lover, I remember that the symbol of the tank divisions forces was a triangle divided into colours, symbolizing a necessary balance between weaponry (the ability to attack), armour (the ability to resist attacks) and mobility (the ability to avoid attacks and get away quickly), obviously without any of them overpowering the others.
An equilateral triangle could also be the geometric figure that best represents the professional work of those involved in the design, construction and testing of rides intended, mainly but not only, for fixed installations such as amusement parks. A triangle whose 3 sides represent the pillars of their work: engineering (theoretical technical knowledge), protection of users (technical knowledge applied during construction to make sure that guests can go to a park to have fun without any problems) and long-term support by the manufacturer.
I want to focus on this third point: long-term support by the manufacturer, rather than useless, self-serving short-term actions!
By this I mean that sometimes customers also need to be told WHAT you are selling, the design engineering, the manufacturing professionalism, so that they can be told ‘No’ to any poorly thought-out requests, even at the expense or risk of losing business (professional integrity also has a value!!).
Unfortunately, I have seen that in order to accept requests that are not totally understandable, there are some manufacturers who resort to empty promises, perhaps out of fear of losing visibility. There are those who don’t disdain taking positions that damage the owner of the ride, making him lose money (but money can be recovered) and time (which cannot be recovered) for the sole purpose of “appearing”. I believe that these kinds of attitudes undermine not only the concept of customer and above all manufacturer, but also a whole series of professional figures who work with fairness and skill. Thinking, but above all making us think, that the only goal is the much sought after ‘signature’ on the contract, underestimates the role of customer technical support. The goal must not be the signature, but the functionality and safety of the ride.
Not only that, but by supporting the customer-manufacturer in achieving a distorted goal, harms them. Praising those who even checked the intake grilles (but do we know what they have left out?) seems like an attempt to be in the spotlight! Who needs an erudite discussion on safety? I prefer to rely on my own conscience, and I can assure you that it is a very strict judge.
One last remark. With these methods, some laws (not standards) are more easily bypassed. Could it be that while in the tens of thousands of laws, for every rule there is a contradiction, while the standard is clear, and often sets numerical limits that are therefore very difficult to ‘manipulate’?
Taken from Games&Parks Industry March 2021, page 76
Ing. Aldo Avancini / Proposta Srl / proposta_design@yahoo.it
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