tion and beyond. The detailer needs to know whether each assembly and its components can be fabricated, and whether the bolts and welds specified are sufficient, if and how the steel can be shipped, and/ or whether members clash on site, and/or whether the steel will be architec- turally exposed. These and many more questions must be answered by the steel detailer to ensure the project passes from concept to reality in the most economical method for the client.” The detailing business evolved in the middle part of the last decade, when (with the Internet) offshore businesses began entering the world market, with lower labour costs. Dowco initially responded by working with some offshore contractors. Pyper says however, the company decided the best approach would be to actually own and run its own offshore production operations directly. Today, Dowco has offices in India and the Philippines, but unlike its offshore competitors, it also maintains a sub- stantial employment base at its offices in the Vancouver and Toronto areas. “We have North American knowledge and experience you can only get through time,” Pyper says. “You cannot gain this experience in books or through online courses. In our industry it is all about having the years in business in experience and skills.” Accordingly, Dowco has some 90 employees in Canada. Meanwhile, its offshore labour force helps the company remain competitive on pricing – and because Dowco pays better wages than the offshore norm, it attracts the best talent everywhere in the world. This has spurred rapid growth for Dowco. “About 18 months ago, we were at 100 people, by the end of the year, we had 220 and by the end of this year, we will have 300 employees,” Pyper said. “Through or- ganic growth and planned strategic acquisitions we’re looking at, we want to be as big as some of our large Chi- nese and Indian competitors.” This workforce size expansion has been coupled with rapidly improving technology. Files can now be worked on collaboratively in real-time, avoiding delays and potential errors. The offshore and Canadian labour force combina- tion enables Dowco to offer 24-hour service, and excep- tionally rapid turnaround for fabricators. With enough depth and scale in its labour, it can also take on the largest projects without stress. The future includes more BIM integration and co-ordi- nation, while continuing the North American steel detailing trade. “We’re trying to keep to our vision to continuously promote structural steel detailing in North America,” he said. Technology will continue to evolve to be better and faster as the digital revolution continues. “We’re working to develop a global business with a unique multinational culture, based on the concept that when the work gets done, it gets done right, and on time.” For more information, see www.dowco.com. 30 – March 2016 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report