Maini: still upbeat about construction and infrastructure sector

Maini: still upbeat about construction and infrastructure sector“Despite current slowdown in the Indian economy, we are still very upbeat about our construction and infrastructure sector, which has to grow only for the next 25-30 years,” –  Ashok Mandal, Director, Maini Scaffold SystemsAdvanced scaffolding and formwork offer faster concreting cycle while eliminating need for plastering in most cases, safer working environment and very attractive scrap recovery value. Ashok Mandal shares how Maini has maintained its presence in construction and infrastructure sector for the past 27 years.Could you tell us the advantages of system formwork over conventional formwork?Compared to conventional formwork, system formwork in construction offers faster completion time, better overall finish of concrete and safer working environment.What about durability?System formwork is more durable as all the components are carefully chosen and manufactured.How is the concept of system formwork catching up in India?As the complexity of the construction work goes up and requirement of faster completion time coupled with safety concerns increase, the need for system formwork gets more critical in India. We have been catching up fast with the advance construction technologies involving latest techniques, materials and equipment. System formwork is just one of such tools in the overall scenario.What are the prime advantages of aluminium as a formwork material?In aluminium formwork, the main material is an alloy of aluminium thus offering desired strengths and durability. Aluminium formwork offers faster concreting cycle while eliminating need for plastering in most cases (nearly 50 per cent less time required for each slab casting), safer working environment and very attractive scrap recovery value.Please give us an overview of your business and products offerings.Our group, which began its journey nearly 27 years ago, is a strong manufacturing-based organisation and has been serving the needs of construction industry. We are in the business of advanced steel scaffolding and formwork, aluminium formwork and multilevel car parking system.Tell us about your manufacturing facility and capacity.Backed by our own R&D centre and continuous upgrade, we are having dedicated manufacturing facilities separately for aluminium formwork (Rudrapur, Uttarakhand), steel scaffolding and formwork (2 units in Faridabad, Haryana) and multilevel car parking (Faridabad, Haryana). We follow the best of the manufacturing practices of the industry, supported by a very strong team of production professionals. The installed annual capacity of our aluminium formwork plant is about 4,00,000 sq. metres of formwork. Steel scaffolding and formwork units have a combined annual capacity of producing 50,000 tonnes of finished products. So far as multilevel car parking system is concerned, we can produce about 5,000 units per annum.What sort of capacity addition plans do you have?Despite current slowdown in the Indian economy, we are still very upbeat about our construction and infrastructure sector, which has to grow only for the next 25-30 years. We are also seriously looking at overseas markets which are growing or have the potential to grow in the near future. We have our suitable plan for capacity additions for all the current businesses.Are there any strict code on the quality of scaffolding and formwork as far as Indian market is concerned?In India, we have certain basic IS codes (such as IS-2750/3696/4014 etc.) for scaffolding and formwork, which are usually followed. However, as some overseas companies and consultants are working and the Indian codes of Practices are not very elaborate, various BS codes (such as BS-1139/5973/5974 and EN-74) are consulted too.Isn’t it required to promulgate a uniformed code for the industry?We definitely need a detailed and uniform code of practices for scaffolding and formwork. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has a 10-point detailed ‘scaffolding safety policy’ which we can and should adapt in our system. According to ILO (International Labour Organisation), India is probably having one of the highest rates of critical and fatal incidents.A uniform and stricter code on scaffolding and formwork will certainly reduce such accidents and will make a safer workplace while ensuring better quality of work too. Such determined steps will also prevent the unscrupulous contractors who thrive on shortcuts such as partial haphazard usage of scaffolding and formwork systems.How do maintain the quality of your products?We have a strict internal quality implementation regime which is followed for all our manufacturing processes.  Right from the raw material stage, in-process manufacturing, finishing and dispatch, all steps are followed rigorously while maintaining Internal Inspection Reports (IIRs). We carefully choose the right quality of raw materials, components, paints and consumables meeting relevant IS standards. Periodic internal reviews and feedbacks from our valued customers are part of our quality maintenance.Apart from supplying products, what are the other services you offer?We offer a complete solution for various scaffolding and formwork needs of our esteemed customers. Besides, we have compatible solutions for most of the proven formwork and staging systems available worldwide, perfectly suitable for the Indian market. Through our dedicated technical services team, we also offer after-sales services at various sites for proper usage and smoother implementation of the equipment.As a part of our additional service, we have a dedicated team of technical supervisors, who supervise erection and dismantling of scaffolding systems anywhere in India or overseas at very nominal costs, ensuring safer, faster erection and dismantling of scaffolding.

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