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Paschal's application of TTR in Saudi Arabia: here the inner and outer vertical wall sides can be seen.

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From a new ‘ready-to-use’ service in the UAE to the first-time application of circular trapezoidal formwork with adjustable radii in Saudi Arabia, the sector continues to add value and innovation.

An example of the evolution of the formwork sector from a product supplier to a solutions provider is Doka’s new ‘Ready-to-Use’ formwork service, introduced initially to Dubai, and to be expanded gradually to Abu Dhabi and then the rest of the region as demand grows.

“It is a very cost-effective method for the contractor, because obviously you can reuse your formwork on multiple projects. Therefore it saves a lot in terms of costs, and also extends the lifespan of the equipment,” explains Doka technical manager Alexander Macho.

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Basically what the service entails is that the contractor supplies Doka with its formwork requirements, which are then designed and preassembled according to plan at its Jebel Ali headquarters, disassembled and then transported to site, where it is reassembled according to specification.

Upon completion of the project, the formwork is simply transported back to the Doka headquarters, where it is cleaned of any concrete and reconditioned for reuse.

“It is a customised service for specific projects, and is an additional service we offer,” says Macho.

“Basically once the job is awarded to us, we start working on the design. Every single formwork element has a specific number in the layout plan, which makes it so much faster for the contractor to assemble it on-site.

Instead of it being disassembled on-site, where a lot of damage can be incurred, it sent back and we do it here where we have specialised tools and expert labour.”

Macho says there are no size limitations on the type of formwork that can be supplied through Doka’s ‘Ready-to-Use’ service.

“We have had really good feedback from customers and the market to date. We offer it for specific jobs only, because obviously the service is still developing.” Macho says the plan is to expand the service to cover Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as Oman.

“We are currently supplying tables to Al Ruwais, which is halfway to Qatar, but it is still feasible for the contractor to opt for ‘Ready-to-Use’. Basically it is a one-stop service, with material, labour and transportation priced in.

Contractors can then work this into their overall contract costs. The main benefit is that our productivity and quality control is much higher than on the actual construction site,” says Macho.

For example, a typical construction site might be able to assemble four tables a day, whereas the Doka headquarters can achieve a rate of 12 a day, which is triple the output. “The speed of assembly we are achieving is remarkable.