When contractor Gulf Asia Contracting Company was awarded the contract to construct two 16-storey towers for an accommodation complex in Ajman, UAE, it sought the services of international formwork supplier Ischebeck Titan (Middle East), which has recently established its office and warehouse in Ajman to supply its requirements for the project.

Concreting works on the project involved 250 mm post-tensioned concrete slabs on each floor measuring approximately 600 sq m. In addition, each tower has two stair cores and a lift shaft together with six shear walls and six columns.
Ischebeck Titan supplied the formwork for each of the reinforced concrete vertical elements for one of the towers, which was then moved between each tower, thus maximising the use of the shutters for the contractor.
To support the concrete floor slabs themselves whilst under construction, a carefully designed system of Ischebeck Titan aluminium tables was supplied (one floor of tables per tower) involving a total of 36 tableforms.
“Although each tower has only one floor of tableforms and the vertical formwork is transferred between the two towers, it was possible for us to achieve a cycle time of eight days per floor with minimal labour,” says John McNamee, operations director, Ischebeck Titan (Middle East).
Gulf Asia project manager, Udaya Kumar, although pleased with the progress on site, maintains that the cycle could have been reduced by at least three days with the use of two sets of tables on each tower.
Having invested in the ownership of Ischebeck Titan products for its Ajman project, Gulf Asia is now well placed to benefit from this purchase for future projects. On the other hand, Ischebeck Titan (Middle East) is also pleased to have been chosen as the sole supplier for the project and looks forward to a mutually rewarding business relationship with the contractor.
Ischebeck Titan (Middle East) is a subsidiary of its UK company Ischebeck Titan and its parent company in Germany, Friedr Ischebeck. The parent German company has recently celebrated its 125th year anniversary as a family business, which is almost unheard of in today’s global business environment, says McNamee.
The Middle East operations of the company, which is headed by McNamee, a founder member of the UK company, has been active in the region since 2004, although it was registered only in June this year. McNamee has over 30 years of experience in the formwork market, initially as a formwork designer in Saudi Arabia for three years, followed by a four-year stint in the Far East.
Whilst not surprised by the wide use of traditional cuplok and kwikstage materials, McNamee does believe that as an investment, the company’s flagship product Titan Aluminium Support system, is a more economical solution to supporting flat slabs, against the more contemporary alternatives available. “Whilst these alternatives provide effective solutions in specific applications, the Titan system is a complete all-rounder,” he says.
“Whether you are constructing small or large tableforms, the basic components are utilised. If you do not have a requirement for crane-handling the formwork, then the same basic components can be used in a ‘strip and erect’ application and the 100 kN Titan leg can be used as a very effective ‘back prop’. This high leg load also allows the system to be used effectively in culvert or tunnel construction on large civil projects,” says McNamee.
Fundamental to the company’s longevity is its belief in service. This starts with a design service at tender stage, production of working drawings on receipt of orders, site supervision when equipment is first delivered, and ongoing site supervision including pre-pour checks and help and advice on stacking, loading and maintenance of the material. On rental projects, the company also has an enviable reputation with regards to losses and damages – a subject that many contractors loathe dealing with – and is seen as a being very “customer friendly”, says McNamee.
Since its entry into the region, Ischebeck Titan (Middle East) has been involved in several prestigious projects, which include work on the new terminal building at Dubai airport, apartment and hotel towers in Qatar, a hospital in Hatta, apart from numerous other tower projects in Ajman, Dubai Marina and Sharjah.
 Ischebeck sees the depot in Ajman as its first step into the UAE and as work progresses, the company has its eyes set on having a network of facilities throughout the Gulf, with a formidable reputation to match.