Having expertise of airport construction globally, RMD Kwikform eyes opportunities in Indian market

 India is becoming a major player on the global stage and the increased demand for a better aviation infrastructure is leading to massive investment in its existing and new airports.

With the government announced plans for building two new international airports and 50 smaller regional airports before the end of 2015, in addition to the numerous other projects already underway, this is a massive opportunity for the construction industry.

To meet these opportunities, the industry is moving towards global best practice that has been proved on other major worldwide airports. This includes using formwork, falsework and shoring from RMD Kwikform for concrete construction.

The company offers an ideal mix of international expertise in airport construction with local support. It operates from Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi offices and has branch operations to support the entire country.

Commenting on this capability, Arul Raja, Managing Director, RMD Kwikform India says, “We have worked with the Indian construction industry for 3 years offering both engineering support and equipment to help solve the challenges on numerous projects. This expertise is easily transferable to the aviation sector so that customers can gain the cost and time benefits of working with formwork and falsework.”

He adds, “We take real pride in understanding every project and work with the customer to develop the right solutions through our engineer and design teams, supplying technical drawings. From there we support the customer right through to completion, with on site assistance from technicians to provide practical and effective support.”
“Adding to this local expertise and support is all of the resource and experience that we bring from operating as a global company for over 65 years. It means that we have extensive experience of construction projects across many sectors in India plus specific international experience of airport construction,” Mr Raja continues.

There are numerous good examples of RMD Kwikform’s expertise in airport construction from around the world including Muscat International and Salalah airports in Oman and Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Salalah Airport
For Salalah Airport, contractors Larsen & Toubro approached RMD Kwikform to provide a shoring solution to support the construction of the terminal building and ancillary buildings.

The company has supplied shoring for more than 40,000 sq.m. on rental basis for this large-scale project, which demanded an incredibly high level of efficiency and communication.

This proved particularly important to meet the first deadline for the passenger terminal building. James D’Souza from Larsen & Toubro said, “We were faced with the challenge of casting the first level of the passenger terminal building in just six months.”

The structure for the passenger terminal building had numerous one metre high plinth beams, which the contractors didn’t have enough time to backfill to start shoring. Spanning the Alshor frames over the plinth beams saved time for the contractor without having to use additional equipment and therefore solved the problem.

Muscat International Airport
For Muscat International Airport, contractors Carillion Alawi used RMD Kwikform’s self-climbing formwork system, Trulift, on the 100-metre tall Air Traffic Control tower.

A fast and safe solution was needed to enable the contractors to meet their deadlines. Trulift was ideal since it requires a minimal number of components to ensure quick and easy assembly while maximising construction cycle times.

Abu Dhabi International Airport
The construction of the new Abu Dhabi International mid-field terminal building really demonstrates RMD Kwikform’s design and technical expertise with the design of specialist jacking equipment mounted on Megashor towers.

International contractor China State Construction used the system to help erect the huge steel frame structure for the building. The structure curves in both the horizontal and vertical axis and needs millimetre accuracy for the installation of specially fabricated arches and a central girder.

The RMD Kwikform engineering team used 3D modelling to design the special jacking frame, with each piece of the three-section design aimed at making the adjustments necessary to reach the precise accuracy needed.

Commenting on the project, Zhi Lai, construction Manager from China State Construction said, “The solution gave us more available working space onsite and also reduced the hire costs of the equipment.”

For large infrastructure projects such as the construction or expansion of an airport, the benefits of working with RMD Kwikform’s engineering and site assistance teams cannot be underestimated. As part of a total equipment solution, they provide innovative solutions that save customers time and money.