CS - April 2016
ACROW: Forging a space
for formwork in Qatar’s Construction Sector
ACROW is deeply embedded in Qatar’s construction sector and is seen as one of the leading providers of formwork in Qatar and the region. Currently, the firm is supplying formwork to the New Orbital Highway. Package 2 & 3, Al Wakrah bypass, Al Mana Tower, Al Shahd Tower, and Marina Tower. In a frank conversation with Construction Sites Qatar, Ahmed Elhadidy, the Regional Manager for ACROW Co shared his views on the ins and outs of managing a formwork technology company in the Middle East.
“Formwork is playing an important role in shaping many of Qatar’s important infrastructure projects, and is important to contractors as it is cost-effective and helps to complete the project in the required time,” he explains to Construction Sites.
ACROW has been active in the region since 1990, when it first established its Kuwait office, even though the Qatar Branch only opened in 2005. It has had a strong presence in the Gulf since the 90s. With its arrival in the
formwork market ACROW introduced to its projects what is called the ACROW Truss system, which is used for traffic gantries and it has some more other applications and by this solution, ACROW is saving cost and time for
the projects using this system at the Bauma 2016 Exhibition, which will be held in Germany this month, ACROW
will be introducing a newly developed automatic climbing system for high-rise buildings and Pylons, in addition to our new heavy duty shoring system, which has been developed from our standard products, said Elhadidy.
Do you see ACROW as one of the leaders in the sector?
ACROW is one of the leaders in the Formwork sector in the Mena Region, with a wide range of expertise and a loaded list of mega projects and iconic projects in the Gulf Area. Our list of projects includes work in the prestigious Lusail City. The Doha Expressway Projects, Doha Metro Project & several residential and high-rise buildings.
What are the latest trends in formwork in the region now? What are the trends in the market?
The use of formwork has become a vital part of the success of the projects, with a variety of contractors and companies searching for the opportunity to put their expertise to use. The biggest trend in the market now is that most of the companies are tending to the rental business of the formwork.
Do you think formwork companies are ready for the requirements of large-scale infrastructure projects? How? Formwork Companies are ready for the large-scale infrastructure projects by implementing various logistics plans to cover up the increasing needs of formwork and fast-track projects. Do you have the capacity now to supply formwork simultaneously to various projects around the country?
ACROW is already supplying to a lot of the major Projects in the country and with a stockyard of around 20,000 m2, ACROW is capable of supplying and serving more projects. Are after-sales service and spare parts a problem in the Qatari formwork market? Yes, it’s a huge problem here as a lot of formwork companies are struggling to serve the projects and that Was one of ACROW’s points of strength as we are concentrating on the after-sales services for the whole duration of the project through our big team of professional engineers.
Do you think formwork operators in Qatar have the necessary skills and training?
They must have the skills to serve the highly demanding and challenging projects of Qatar. What is the market size? Is it growing rapidly? The Qatari market is considered one of the major markets in the GCC with regard to the Construction Industry. Thus, a lot of formwork companies are trying to establish their presence in the market.The market is growing in general, but lately, it has been affected by the oil prices and their impact on the economy worldwide.
What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors in Qatar’s formwork market?
The biggest threats faced are the overdue payments which are strongly affecting the progress in the construction industry. It takes a lot of effort to complete such a scale of work in a concentrated period of time.
How do you see ACROW differentiating itself from its competitors?
The Qatari market is a big challenge for all the formwork companies, and there is going to be a lot of competition for projects in the coming years, emphasized El hadidy. And being in it for the long haul is the message that many of Qatar’s established formwork companies have been keen to get the local construction market to understand. What we see today is a market where a number of major projects have already been announced and awarded. Meanwhile, there are a large number of formwork companies trying to establish themselves here, while some of the existing companies are attempting to strengthen the position they are already in before more of the infrastructure contracts are awarded – it is a very crowded market, he said.
ACROW Qatar
ACROW Qatar’s professional team of project engineers ensures that as soon as an order is given by ACROW Qatar systems, there is an individual responsibility placed upon the execution of this order until the equipment is supplied and installed for the customer’s satisfaction. With the support of the latest CAD technology and ACROW Qatar’s manufacturing facilities, our engineers aim is to provide the customers with first-class professional services. ACROW systems have been successful in serving their customers with high-quality products which meet their needs. The customers range from the smallest companies to the largest Multinational companies. ACROW Qatar Formwork system has a professional installation team. Our expert Engineers are always available to reply to any inquiry and to provide assistance for special designs. ACROW Qatar Formwork system business philosophy concentrates mainly on serving the end user and assisting companies and organizations so as to maximize the efficiency and work effectiveness of their formwork systems.Customers’ needs are individually analyzed with ACROW Qatar formwork systems providing an approach to the task rather than simply selling range.