PASCHAL Concrete Forms Company is looking to spearhead its activities in the region this year from its new headquarters and factory at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP), which is expected to be operational in March.

“After 12 years of direct marketing and providing technical support to the construction industry in the region, we have now decided to expand our business,” says Amir Delghandi, general director of the company, which is the regional office of Germany-based formwork expert Paschal-Werk G Maier.
The 5,100-sq-m facility at BIIP will produce some of Paschal’s premier formwork systems, which the company is aiming to promote in a big way.
The new factory, which has involved an investment of BD1 million ($2.65 million), will offer 70 per cent more space than the existing factory in Ras Zuwayyed, Askar, and will focus on assembling Paschal’s Modular formwork.
“We are also planning to introduce products such as our Logo formwork system, grip column formwork and trapezoidal formwork system,” says Delghandi.

Paschal formwork systems ... used on a number of projects in Bahrain.

The new factory, which has a built-up area of 3,400 sq m, has a dramatic structure in front of it, making a statement about the capability of its wall formwork system. Delghandi explains: “In front of our new factory, we are building a special cylindrical concrete structure, 3 m in diameter, with a wall thickness of 20 cm and a height of 5.30 m using our trapezoidal formwork system. This system can cast circular concrete structures of any diameter including water tanks, shafts and silos, and has been used primarily in Europe.”
Once the new factory is up and running, the existing facility in Askar will focus on rental stock, which is now gaining popularity.
“In view of the current market scenario, contractors are unwilling to invest in new equipment, and hence Paschal has witnessed a surge in its rental business,” says Delghandi. “We are planning to expand our rental stock to serve contractors hit by the slowdown, enabling them to hire rather than invest in such assets.”
The facility will stock wooden I-beams, Modular formwork, support jacks and single-side wall panels. It will also offer the trapezoidal formwork system along with the Logo formwork.
Being the regional office for the Middle East, Paschal Concrete Forms Company provides formwork solutions to contractors in the entire region. The company says its formwork experts and highly motivated engineers ensure the timely completion of civil projects in Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Iraq.
A joint venture by Kooheji Contractors of Bahrain and Paschal-Werk G Maier, Paschal Concrete Forms Company expects the market to fully recover only towards the end of the year (2010). However, the company is aiming to increase business by 70 per cent in the coming years.
The premier product that was the major contributor to the company’s turnover last year was the Modular formwork system.
“Our modular panels are strong and durable, being manufactured using 6 mm-thick frames of very special steel which do not corrode,” he says.
The surface of the panels is covered with high-quality birch plywood (density 780 kg/cu m) with a phenolic coating of 220 gm/sq m. The edges of the plywood are protected by steel frame and the gap between them is filled with a special sealant. Hence, the panel’s plywood can be re-used up to 250 times and the steel frame will remain for more than 20 years, the company says.
According to Delghandi, Paschal offers a competent service and complete and user-friendly solutions that help to meet on-site challenges. The company imports all components and raw materials from its parent company, which also ensures consistent quality through frequent inspections of its production facilities.
“Our consistency in quality is reflected in the DIN EN ISO 9001 certification of our products,” he points out.
Paschal formwork systems are being used on a number of projects in Bahrain. At the Shaikh Isa Sports City, its Modular formwork is being used by the contractor Bokhowa Contracting for the walls, columns and beams and other elements such as bleachers. While there were no special formwork requirements because of the horizontal nature of the project, Delghandi says Paschal provided shop-drawings to support the Modular formwork and accessories which included Hinged Corner Post, Polygonal Filler Post and the 135-degree corners and dismantling panels.
Another important project in Bahrain is the Al Dur Independent Water and Power Project, which has heavy mass foundations requiring high-pressure concrete. For the project, Paschal provided engineering and supervisory support on site to monitor the speed of concrete pour, concrete pressure and the concreting process, in addition to providing the shop-drawings. The company supplied Modular formwork systems to the contractors Chapo and GP Zachariades for the STG (steam turbine generator) foundation, which measures 28.37 m by 12 m by 2.50 m in height.
Meanwhile, Paschal’s Modular system with climbing brackets are being used in the construction of the Vision Tower in Juffair as well as two tower projects for Dadabhai, namely the Platinum Tower and Crystal Heights. Dadabhai Construction is using the system in the construction of columns and  core walls.
“The contractor wanted to complete the core and staircases ahead of the floor slabs to speed up work on the project,” says Delghandi.
For the Vision Tower, the company also provided Kooheji Contractors with its Modular formwork system for construction of columns, core wall and slabs.
Some of the other projects in Bahrain that used Paschal’s Modular formwork system are:
• Dar II tower in Diplomatic area (where contractor Fundament SPC used the system for the construction of columns and core wall);
• An office tower in Diplomatic Area for Era Projects (for columns and core wall);
• A rectangular water tank in Hidd (Down Town Construction);
• Upgrade of south Alba sewage treatment plant in Alba Industrial area (Habib Ali Awachi). The system was used for shaping the reinforced concrete wall’s aerobic digestor, which is 7 m high; and
• Two multi-storey buildings in Juffair (used for the columns by contractor Salah Qaed Contractors).
Paschal systems have also helped speed up work on the Khalifa bin Salman Port (Bokhowa and Ahmed Mansour Al Ali – AMA), Khadeeja II Tower in Juffair (AMA), a 30-storey tower in Juffair (Ahmed Sharif Contracting), Saar Commercial Mall (Bokhowa Construction) as well as several residential and commercial buildings in Amwaj Islands (Chapo, Kazerooni Construction, Taitoon Contracting, Skyline Contracting and Aseeri Contracting).
The company is currently involved in water tank projects in Oman and Iraq.