For Paschal Concrete Forms Company, 2010 will be asignificant year.

The company is currently building its new office and a 5,100sq m production facility at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP)and it plans to shift its operations there in the New Year.

"We are planning to move into BIIP by March," said AmirDelghandi, general director of the company that is currently based inRaszuwayyed, Askar.

The move is accompanied by an ambitious plan to turnadversity into growth as Paschal seeks to tap the potential in leasing formworkto contractors hit by a downturn in the construction industry.

"The present situation in the construction industry puts thecontractor in a tight spot regarding financing. To overcome this, we areexpanding the size of our rental stock which will enable contractors to hirewithout actually purchasing formwork as assets," Delghandi said.

"We also are currently thinking of adding other Paschalproducts to our rental stock such as trapezoidal and Logo formwork which are commonlyused in the European markets."

Paschal Concrete Forms Company, which serves as the MiddleEast head office, says its formwork experts ensure the timely completion ofcivil projects in Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Iraq.

The company imports all components and raw materials fromits mother concern, the Paschal-Werk G Maier in Germany, which ensuresconsistent quality through frequent inspections of its production facilities.

Quality considerations
"Our consistency in quality is reflected in the DIN EN ISO9001 certification," Delghandi said.

The well-equipped production facility includes top-rangewelding templates, cutting machines and a painting booth among other things.

Paschal offers complete and user-friendly solutions thathelp to meet on-site challenges, Delghandi said.

"Our modular panels are strong and durable as they aremanufactured by using 6-mm-thick frames of very special steel which do notcorrode," the official said.

The surface of the panels is covered by high-quality birchplywood (density 780 kg/cu m) with a phenolic coating of 220 gm/sq m. The edgesof the plywood are protected by a steel frame and the gap between them isfilled with a special sealant.

Hence, the panel's plywood can be re-used up to 250 timesand the steel frame will remain for more than 20 years, the company said.

Its production was 22,000 sq m in 2007 and 28,000 sq m in2008. Expected production for 2009 is 20,000 sq m.

The main components used in the production are steel barsimported from Germany and birch plywood from Finland, besides consumables suchas steel rivets, the Paschal joint filling agent from Germany, and primer, theonly product sourced locally.

The premier product that contributed most to the company’s2009 turnover was Paschal modular formwork system.

"We expect the market to fully recover only towards the endof 2010," Delghandi said.

The largely export-oriented company is aiming to increasebusiness by 70 per cent in the coming years.

The main shareholders of the company are Kooheji Contractors(Bahrain) which holds 51 per cent of the stake and  Paschal-Werk G Maier (Germany) with 49 per cent.

Major ongoing projects involving Paschal in Bahrain include:the Renaissance Hotel; villa construction at Riffa Views; Platinum Tower, Seef; Crystal Heights Project, Juffair; Fontana Tower; Dar 2 building in theDiplomatic Area; twelve nine-storey buildings at Hamad Town; a storm waterpumping station; Vision Tower, Juffair; upgrade of the South Alba STP andresidential complexes on Amwaj Island.

Some of the completed projects are: the Lagoon project; residential complexes on Amwaj Island; nine- and 15-storey buildings in Amwaj;a Ministry of Housing project in Hamad Town; Twin Tower,  Diplomatic Area; villa construction atRiffa Views; residential buildings at Durrat Al Bahrain; Al Ezzel power plantat Hidd; Trust Insurance Building, Diplomatic Area; Royal University for Women;Alba storage shelter; Shaikh Khalifa Sports City, Isa Town; City Centre, Seef;Emirates Tower, Manama; RUF Car Assembly Complex, Bahrain InternationalCircuit, and the construction of the third inlet flume facility in Bapco.