| Type | Division of Interserve plc |
|---|---|
| Industry | Construction |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Headquarters | Aldridge, UK |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Stephen Dance, Mike Jones, Ian Hayes, Peter Davis, Tom Ainscough |
| Products | Formwork, Falsework, Scaffolding & Safety solutions |
| Revenue | £ 157 million (2009) |
| Employees | 1149 |
| Website | www.rmdkwikform.com [1] |
RMD Kwikform is the Equipment Services division of Interserve plc. It specialises in the hire and sale of temporary works and engineering design for complex building, construction and infrastructure projects. Interserve plc is a UK based engineering and support services company headquartered in Reading, Berkshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
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The system of Formwork[1] was born out of the acute shortage of building materials which followed the end of the second world war.
At the time the company Robert M Douglas was the main contractor for the construction of a large cold reduction tinplate mill for the Steel Company of Wales at Trostre, Llanelli.
This scheme for the modernisation of the tinplate industry, called for some 200,000 cubic yards of reinforced concrete which necessitated the use of formwork for its construction.
Timber was the traditional material for such purposes but could only be obtained on permit from the Ministry of Supply. The quantity allocated by the ministry was inadequate to maintain the required progress of the work so alternative means of providing the necessary formwork were investigated. Limited quantities of cold steel plate were available and the timber obtained by permit was to a considerable extent used as framing to which the steel plate was fixed.
The available quantities were soon absorbed and the supply was augmented by the purchase of old “Anderson” air raid shelters[2] which were rolled flat and pressed into panels of uniform size.
This was the first steel panel formwork system.
The system was so successful that the decision was made in 1948 to produce the units in large quantities and to make it available to the industry as a whole. With this decision came the formation of Rapid Metal Developments Ltd, a subsidiary of Robert M Douglas Ltd.
The company’s first export order was received from Australia in the early 1950s when large quantities of formwork were shipped out for use on the construction of the original Woomera rocket range.This led to the formation of an Australian subsidiary quickly followed by one in New Zealand.
Export markets were opened up around the world during the 50s and 60s with a major drive into the Middle East in the 80s. During this period the UK branch network had been developed with a focus towards hire of equipment.
In 1975 RMD received the Queens Award to Industry as an acknowledgement of the company’s export success quickly followed by the Group Chairman – Robert M Douglas becoming “Sir Robert”.
Further geographic expansion took RMD to New Zealand in 1967, the United Arab Emirates in 1978 and Spain in 1991.
Following the acquisition of R M Douglas by Interserve in 1991, RMD accelerated overseas expansion. During the 1990s, a significant number of product lines were introduced to broaden and deepen its service offering.
Following Interserve’s acquisition of Kwikform UK operations were transferred to RMD Kwikform in 1999.
Formwork and Falsework are key components of the concrete construction industry, which itself forms an important segment of the overall construction market.
Concrete construction is used in virtually every sector including transport, energy, utilities and industrial, commercial and residential buildings. It varies from the simple construction of foundations in residential developments to highly complex engineered solutions for major infrastructure projects.
Formwork is the generic name given to temporary moulds which are constructed to contain wet concrete in order to form the required finished dimensions and surface quality.
Falsework or shoring is the temporary works used to support horizontal formwork.
The formwork and falsework are removed when the concrete has set and hardened sufficiently for it to support its own weight.
There are two broad types of formwork:
Traditional (or component) formwork comprises bespoke products manufactured in-situ from basic timber, sheet and section materials. Once used, the materials may be re-worked a limited number of times before being disposed of.
System formwork uses a wide variety of standard proprietary modules which can be used together to provide a bespoke solution. After use, the components are disassembled and can be re-used many times in different configurations. For highly specialised applications, customised components may be manufactured and supplied to compliment the use of standard proprietary systems.
Benefits of system formwork
System formwork currently accounts for approximately 7.0% of the world formwork market and there is considerable scope to expand use of System formwork over time. Broader acceptance of system formwork is likely to come about as a result of an increased emphasis on safety in some developing markets and of contractors gaining a fuller understanding of the value that can be added in comparison to traditional formwork. The key benefits of system formwork are:
The UK and German system formwork companies have been the primary drivers of product development. New products have been introduced that have enabled continued improvements in site productivity and overall cost.
Today RMD Kwikform has operations spanning the globe.
A few examples of Projects built using RMD Kwikform equipment
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