What is left in place long after construction is done? The materials of construction. During the construction phase we are focused on reducing costs of everything--fabrication costs, erection costs, startup costs and so forth.
In my way of thinking there should be one untouchable area of construction costs. That area is the materials of construction. We should always buy the best materials possible, for after the dust settles, that (and the process design) is all that is left.
Then we spend the next fifty or sixty years examining why everything is falling apart. The poor folks left with this examination and repair activity had nothing to do with construction, all they have done is inherit the miserliness and miserableness of decisions made by a team long gone.
What does it cost to use the best materials? I would be surprised if it adds 5 - 10% to overall costs upfront. Yet such a decision will reduce downtime, reduce infrastructure repair costs and produce a better running facility.
Resist cheap materials. Go for the very best throughout your next project.
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