Formwork is now considered as capital equipment like construction machinery, which needs to be depreciated over a longer period of time, and over higher number of projects. NOE offers high technology formwork with latest innovations, manufactured in Germany, and is DIN and EN certified ensuring higher concrete quality, formwork safety, and higher reliability. Talking about the current trends in procurement of formwork, Pradeep Ghumare, Director, NOE Formwork says, “Formwork is procured which is modular and is able for usage at various projects, and is not custom-designed or project-specific, like NOE AluL or NOEtop formwork.”

Formwork is procured considering minimum number of concrete pours for taller wall heights. Architectural trends like form-finished concrete surface or fair-faced concrete surfaces and cast in-situ designs using NOEplast formliners, are becoming important criteria for the procurement of system formwork, which necessitates exposed concrete cast surfaces without any plastering on it.

Pradeep Ghumare said that the customers are looking at value-added formwork solutions which will enable them to carry out trouble-free and speedy executions of a variety of projects. “Procurement of strong but light-weight aluminium frame formwork with birch ply facing like NOE AluL, which can be used wherever there are only limited crane capacities available or where all the work has to be carried out manually,” he adds.

Major buying factors
According to Pradeep Ghumare following are the major factors a buyer should consider before making decision of buying formwork:
• Minimum number of tie-rods
• Minimise number of panel connections
• Less number of formwork pieces per unit area (m2)
• Lower weight of formwork
• Higher single-pour height
• Larger panel area
• Enhanced facing of formwork with use of synthetic ply for higher quality and higher usage or repetitions
• Repairability of formwork facing: birch ply and synthetic ply can be easily repaired, and further reused
• Higher flexibility and modularity of formwork
• Ease of stripping
• Ease of attaching accessories
• Highest safety (fulfilling stringent DIN/EN norms)
• Higher panel symmetry.

Decision making factors
Commenting on the factors driving the procurement decision making, Pradeep Ghumare says, “Unorganised nature of the Indian construction industry is perhaps the biggest challenge that formwork suppliers face. Majority of contractors are small scale and either have no knowledge of the technology available in the market or do not have adequate amount of work to make use of the formwork viable. These factors result in a predominantly price-driven market.”

International low-cost financing for purchase of modular formwork systems of NOE AluL and NOEtop, is an important criterion for procurement decision making, observed Pradeep Ghumare. “International certification for quality evaluation of formwork systems is becoming a decision-making parameter.”

“Architectural requirements like form-finished concrete surface and cast in-situ designs in concrete are also becoming a decision making aspect for procurement of system formwork like NOE AluL or NOEtop,” comments Pradeep Ghumare.

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Unorganised nature of the Indian construction industry is perhaps the biggest challenge that formwork suppliers face.

Pradeep Ghumare, Director, NOE Formwork