The formwork solutions are used for nuclear power plants, conventional power plants and other such public work projects. When utilized, all these solutions help in saving considerable amount of time and costs in projects says Jignasu Mehta, CEO, Outinord India.

What kind of advanced formwork solutions you are offering and its feasibility?
At Outinord, we offer various innovative technologies to customers for housing and other types of construction projects. Tunnel Formwork is one such technology that we offer for multi storied apartment construction and other housing projects. We perform single day cycles that may seem impossible to a traditional construction company but is very much a reality with Outinord’s technological expertise and active client support offered by our team.

We are in the process of introducing more options for clients such as Wallform solutions for smaller size housing projects and also in near future rental of those forms. Outinord also offers Table forms that can be used in commercial building construction. Our column forms can be adapted to use extensively for varying column sizes. We have very safe and trusted solutions for various types of safety and working platforms that can be adapted to suit different types of construction. Outinord also offers specialized formwork solutions for application such as nuclear power plants, conventional power plants and other such public works projects. When utilized, all these solutions help in saving considerable amount of time and costs in projects and therefore are very much feasible to use. Outinord believes in “It’s all about time”.

Considering Outinord is a global brand, how is the company catering to the Indian market?
Outinord is a global brand with its headquarters located in France. Our technological advancements, achieved over a number of years, help us in offering the most industrialized method of construction and hence our solutions are very cost effective in Indian context. When involved from the design stage of a project, we can offer support in terms of building value engineering into the design. Our team has enormous experience of working in diverse situations worldwide, so, we are able to offer the best suited solution to our customers. We started working in India way back in the late 90s and were active till late 2000s. During this period Outinord worked on a number of construction projects for various clients like BG Shirke construction, Runwal Developers, L&T Construction etc. Outinord has successfully completed many projects in the recent past too for clients like VTP Realty, Godrej Construction, Playtor etc.

Recently, Outinord was awarded a project under the GHTC (Global Housing Technology Challenge) by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Government of India. There were about 150 entries received for this project and out of these, six top entries were finalized and awarded the work. Outinord is proud to announce that we will be executing the project along with Malani Construction Company at Rajkot under this scheme. This is defined as lighthouse project by PMO and will showcase the Global Innovative technologies that can be adapted to Indian context. We will be constructing about 1,150 units within 12 months.

Could you shed some light on Tunnel formwork, Shaft formwork and wall formwork process?
As mentioned earlier, we perform deshuttering, shuttering, rebar and concreting, in that sequence, in a day’s construction cycle for Tunnel formwork and Wall forms. So, the typical sequence starts with deshuttering the previous day’s cast material. This formwork is then positioned and set for the next cycle location. While this being done, rebar is introduced for this cycle. Once the formwork and rebar is all in place, concrete is poured in situ. This formwork is left in place for the concrete to set and the entire sequence is repeated the following day till all pours is achieved and the shell is ready for finishes.

What are the related technical services and professional expertise essential to facilitate the effective implementation of your solutions?
Outinord’s solutions are worked out such that the client does not need to invest in much additional technology. The only item that is a must, in place, at site is an optimum capacity Tower crane to place and move about the formwork components. Tower cranes, by the way, are being used extensively by most of the sites anyways. We provide technological know-how and also impart extensive training to client’s personnel for effective implementation of our solutions. We are in the process of expanding our design, engineering support and sales teams to be able to cater to a larger number of clients more effectively. Outinord also offers our expertise in supervising the construction activity at site and help the clients who do not have sufficient teams in place to do so. We encourage people to look us up on the internet for Outinord, It’s all about time and our various videos that showcase our technological advancement and will help in appreciating our capabilities.

What is the scope of the rental model in the backdrop of the post lockdown?
In Indian construction formwork industry, the rental model is still in its nascent stage. Although, it’s a popular concept in the international scenario. In India, we still have a few logistical challenges for it to become a reality. These challenges need to be addressed in an effective manner to pave the way forward. Outinord is working on getting our rental model going and we are in the process of identifying the geographical areas and markets within India where we would like to start our offerings. Since it’s not feasible to cater to all the locations and for our entire product portfolio, we would introduce it in a phased manner and would update you soon.