Posted 04-08-2016

August 8

ACROW Qatar sees massive growth in market share 
ACROW Qatar was established in 2005 as ACROW has foreseen the Gulf state becoming one of the booming construction markets worldwide

For more than 30 years, ACROW has been designing, developing, manufacturing, and installing formwork, falsework, scaffolding, and steel structure. The company operates from a number of locations worldwide, including Qatar. 
ACROW has expanded its market share in the last five years to be one of the leading companies in the formwork Industry in Qatar. 
Ahmed Elhadidy, Gulf Regional Manager of ACROW Formwork Technology, talks about the company’s projects and vision in this interview with Construction Sites.

How do you see the company’s vision for the next five years?
ACROW is a leading company in the field of formwork and scaffolding. It was founded in 1935 in England as one of the European market experts in the industry of formwork and scaffolding. In 1979 ACROW Eng land joined forces with leading Egyptian companies to found its Egyptian arm, ACROW Misr, to be the sole manufacturer in the Middle East and Africa according to British standards.  Since then, ACROW has been expanding in the Middle East and Africa to be a major presence in almost all the countries in the region. ACROW is now continuing its expansion in the European market through the newly-opened branches in Slovenia and Romania.  ACROW Qatar was established in 2005 as ACROW had foreseen the Gulf state becoming one of the booming construction markets worldwide.

What have been the company’s milestones in Qatar? 
ACROW has expanded its market share in the last five years to become one of the leading companies in the formwork Industry in Qatar. One of its biggest achievements is its big presence in the infrastructure sector by supplying its unique Ac row Bridges system to the majority of bridge and flyover projects in the Qatari market for the last eight years.

What differentiates your from other formwork providers in the country?
ACROW is not only a supplier of formwork in Qatar. It also acts as a formwork partner for the construction of projects through its expert team of engineers and wide expertise in providing engineering solutions to the special formwork requirements to get the maximum efficiency to meet the tight schedule.

Please elaborate on the range of products you offer clients here. 
ACROW provides a full range of products to cover all kinds of projects, including special and architectural ones that might need the best treatment and a special solution which is mainly the biggest challenge for formwork companies.

What is the after-sales service and technical support offered by your company?
We have gained our reputation for after-sales services and technical support, which are present during the whole project duration. This is our main advantage, and those services place ACROW a step ahead of a lot of other formwork suppliers.

 

Please name some of the ongoing projects you are participating in. 

ACROW is supplying formwork solutions to some of the mega projects in  Qatar like Lusail CP4 with MidmacYuksel JV, Lusail Expressway with Hyundai E&C, Al Muntazah street extension with Al Jaber & Partners, North Road P059  with TekfenInsaat, the East Corridor P011 with  China Harbour engineer ing Company, Al Rayan  Project with Dogus Onur  JV, Orbital Highway with  QDVC Bin Omran JV, Lu sail CP07 with HBK &  QBC JV, Marina Tower,  Hilton Tower, Al Bustan project and the Airport mall with al Bandary Engineering, in addition to many other ongoing and previously-completed projects of the Doha Expressway program and the Pearl Qatar.

What are the opportunities you see in the Qatari market for formwork business? And what are the main challenges of doing business in Qatar?
The Qatari market is a big challenge for all formwork companies with an expected spending of $150 billion on the infrastructure sector for the next seven years before the kick-off of the World Cup 2022. 
With some of the major projects having already been announced, many formwork companies, are already trying to establish a strong presence in Qatar. At the same time, existing companies are trying to strengthen their position to be ready to undertake more infrastructure projects. 
One of the biggest challenges being faced in Qatar is the tight time schedule and how to provide a cost-effective formwork solution that will accommodate the fast construction schedule.