Paschal consolidates its UAE presence.

(From Gulf Construction)

Growing demand for its formwork in the emirates has prompted Paschal to open an office in Dubai last November. The decision was certainly timely as the UAE currently accounts for half the total revenue earned by the German formwork manufacturer in the Gulf, according to Amir Delghandi, Middle East general manager of Paschal in Bahrain, the regional office for Paschal Werk G Maier

"We initially entered the UAE market by offering a rental option, which enabled contractors to evaluate our systems," he says. "I am happy to report that many of the contractors who opted to try us out have now gone ahead and bought our environmentally-friendly formwork, recognising the cost-effectiveness, ease of erection and long-term benefits of our systems." The UAE office offers a complete service including supply of quotations, design and back-up, he adds. Paschal formwork is offered on a rental basis or outright purchase - or even on a lease-and-buy option

Paschal Emirates, set up in partnership with the Dubai-based Lootah Group, offers the entire spectrum of services offered by the Bahrain operation. It has an office and showroom in the Rashidiya area while its warehouse is located in the Al Quoz Industrial Area 3. The UAE operation holds a stock of 3,000 sq m of panels for immediate delivery. Larger orders can be met within three to four days from Paschal's main stock in Bahrain, says Delghandi, who travels on a weekly basis between the two offices to ensure a smooth operation

"We have trailers leaving Bahrain every two or three days to support our UAE operation," he points out

Paschal formwork is currently being used in shaping some of the landmarks in Dubai. Some of the ongoing projects include: Emaar's Old Town residential development at the prestigious Burj Dubai complex; the Shoreline Apartments at The Palm, Jumeirah; the Lake Terrace, Jumeirah Lakes Towers; Al Thuraya Tower at Dubai Marina, the Union Co-operative office in Hamriyah; Emirates Group Security headquarters building at Terminal 2 Dubai airport free zone; residential buildings at Al Qusais; and commercial and residential buildings at Bur Dubai

Elaborating on some of these projects, Delghandi says: "The Old Town at the Burj includes the construction of 10 buildings - ranging from two to 10 storeys high - which sit on a common basement. Paschal formwork is being used for the columns and shear walls of the common basement. Here, our circular systems came into their own as they provided a solution for the contractor Al Basti & Mukta (ABM), who had to build circular and elliptical columns for the basement. "We started supplying our formwork at the end of December. In fact, ABM was so pleased with the results they achieved that they have ordered further quantities for other levels of the buildings