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Xiu Serra - The secret engineer |
Do you only get paid by your clients if you produce something they like?
It depends on the contract with each client. Normally i have contracts with clients that contract me for a certain amount of hours every month. I have a contract with GasGas that i have to be working for GasGas every month for x number of hours. Sometimes a client will say that i want this type of clutch on the bike that I produce. Please make me a quotation to make the design and all the testing and get it ready for production. This is the more difficult way.
30 years ago no-one used a computer ,now everyone uses one. Im told that many of the younger people working up and going to University want a clean job with computers such as CAD design.
Is your business becoming more competitive?
Yes, there are a lot of designers but i am not a competitor of designers. For example in the Barcelona and Girona area there are a lot of young people that are designing concepts but i am concentrating on design through to production and test. For example a lot of projects arrive to me with a project that has come from a designer. Then they need someone like me , with the know how and the connections with the suppliers to establish whether it is possible to make this part and whether to make it for the correct cost. So i am not a competitor of these designers , i am very specialist in this area. I have the knowledge and experience with my years of working with more than 2000 suppliers around the world. For example ,some times the design arrives to me . Then I have to produce the stamping process first . I need to decide on the material to use and the supplier to use . Instead of stamping, is it possible to make in another type of process which might be better and cost less?. In this way your final customer, the final customer gets more information and can decide whether the product is the right product at the right price . Sometimes the product come through this process and it is to expensive to produce and you cannot put on the market. At this time i concentrate on this type of work . I have an engineering company and also a company that produce the components. At the moment I produce for GasGas this . This is from the enduro model. We test lighter with an injection process . The weight is half of standard and the cost is half. The stress testing is perfect . I arrange to produce for GasGas. I have 2000 parts of this ready for GasGas when they call me to deliver.No designer does this. So it is very good for them that I can do all this. I have these 2 companies to give the complete service to my customers. I did this because I see the biggest engineering companies in the world working this way. This is because a lot of customers and clients have the problem that a lot of people arrive with the idea but then when they start to produce they realize that it is not a good idea to produce this idea and then the stop and waste much money . Now the customer want the idea and the way to produce the idea. The making also disrupt the factory. With my way i give the complete cost with no disruption
Are you married?
Yes, i am married , i have 2 daughters. I am separated or 3 years. Unfortunately this is typical of people who are working on a passion of motorcycles ha ha
What do you do in your spare time ?
I work . I work to much
What car do you drive , because I’ve got an idea that you will drive a fancy car. I actually drive a car that i own from Tramontana. The tramantona project from Figures .
No . My wife says Jeremy Clarkson is a bad influence on me , so i cant watch :(.
Yes, is this car . This is the Tramontana project
We did much testing for them . The hubs on the wheels and many other things . My passion is also cars . I also work on the gearbox. I work on all mechanical components and try to reduce the weight . I do much work with them. This was designed in Barcelona and then to put the wheel in production. They tested a concept that was to expensive to produce . Finally we modify and now there is less weight and 10 time less cost . They sell this car for nearly 7 million euro but to produce this car for the same money has no sense.
It depends on the contract with each client. Normally i have contracts with clients that contract me for a certain amount of hours every month. I have a contract with GasGas that i have to be working for GasGas every month for x number of hours. Sometimes a client will say that i want this type of clutch on the bike that I produce. Please make me a quotation to make the design and all the testing and get it ready for production. This is the more difficult way.
30 years ago no-one used a computer ,now everyone uses one. Im told that many of the younger people working up and going to University want a clean job with computers such as CAD design.
Is your business becoming more competitive?
Yes, there are a lot of designers but i am not a competitor of designers. For example in the Barcelona and Girona area there are a lot of young people that are designing concepts but i am concentrating on design through to production and test. For example a lot of projects arrive to me with a project that has come from a designer. Then they need someone like me , with the know how and the connections with the suppliers to establish whether it is possible to make this part and whether to make it for the correct cost. So i am not a competitor of these designers , i am very specialist in this area. I have the knowledge and experience with my years of working with more than 2000 suppliers around the world. For example ,some times the design arrives to me . Then I have to produce the stamping process first . I need to decide on the material to use and the supplier to use . Instead of stamping, is it possible to make in another type of process which might be better and cost less?. In this way your final customer, the final customer gets more information and can decide whether the product is the right product at the right price . Sometimes the product come through this process and it is to expensive to produce and you cannot put on the market. At this time i concentrate on this type of work . I have an engineering company and also a company that produce the components. At the moment I produce for GasGas this . This is from the enduro model. We test lighter with an injection process . The weight is half of standard and the cost is half. The stress testing is perfect . I arrange to produce for GasGas. I have 2000 parts of this ready for GasGas when they call me to deliver.No designer does this. So it is very good for them that I can do all this. I have these 2 companies to give the complete service to my customers. I did this because I see the biggest engineering companies in the world working this way. This is because a lot of customers and clients have the problem that a lot of people arrive with the idea but then when they start to produce they realize that it is not a good idea to produce this idea and then the stop and waste much money . Now the customer want the idea and the way to produce the idea. The making also disrupt the factory. With my way i give the complete cost with no disruption
Are you married?
Yes, i am married , i have 2 daughters. I am separated or 3 years. Unfortunately this is typical of people who are working on a passion of motorcycles ha ha
What do you do in your spare time ?
I work . I work to much
What car do you drive , because I’ve got an idea that you will drive a fancy car. I actually drive a car that i own from Tramontana. The tramantona project from Figures .
No . My wife says Jeremy Clarkson is a bad influence on me , so i cant watch :(.
Yes, is this car . This is the Tramontana project
We did much testing for them . The hubs on the wheels and many other things . My passion is also cars . I also work on the gearbox. I work on all mechanical components and try to reduce the weight . I do much work with them. This was designed in Barcelona and then to put the wheel in production. They tested a concept that was to expensive to produce . Finally we modify and now there is less weight and 10 time less cost . They sell this car for nearly 7 million euro but to produce this car for the same money has no sense.
Xui Serra interview - www.retrotrials.com
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Xui Serra interview - www.retrotrials.com
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This is also a good friend of mine and he spends a lot of money on this project and I help him with the project and to pay for this I have this car , the Audi RS6. It is an old car . In the future when I make some money I buy R8 . I love this car . I also have a BMW 1200 GS model to drive at the weekend with my girlfriend now. I also have trial bikes. I have GasGas and Ossa . Both my babies ha ha .
They have some test vehicle and i help them with the project . In payment to me they give me Audi RS 650 horsepower . They give to me this car . I am still working for them .
They have some test vehicle and i help them with the project . In payment to me they give me Audi RS 650 horsepower . They give to me this car . I am still working for them .
Xui Serra interview - www.retrotrials.com
Thank you for your time Xiu . I’m sure people will be interested to hear about the real story about where the trial bike is designed .
Are you involved with any of the new projects.
Yes , but everything is top secret. You can tell me later ..... as if !!
Are you involved with any of the new projects.
Yes , but everything is top secret. You can tell me later ..... as if !!