DOKA, a leading Austria-headquartered formwork expert that has been supplying Bahrain since 2002, continues to provide the local construction sector with innovative solutions to take on the challenges of fast-track projects that demand efficiency.

One such recently-developed solutions which is making its debut in Bahrain is the Table Lifting System (TLS), a time-saving vertical lifting system for tableforms.
The TLS enables floor-slab forming operations to be carried out at top speed without using a crane, explains Agata Orlowska, marketing manager of Doka Middle East.
“With TLS, tableforms can be lifted to any point of the structure even during strong winds. In fast-track projects where a large number of tableforms are to be used, the TLS system optimises the construction workflow and the logistics for the entire site. Horizontal and vertical repositioning is carried out with a Doka shifting trolley, thus saving time and money,” Orlowska continues.
The first TLS in Bahrain is proving its benefits to the client at the Fontana Towers project in Juffair, where it is being used together with Doka floor system – Dokaflex tables.
Commenting on how the Doka system being used at the project, the project manager  for the contractor Saudi Build International Contracting, says: “As the crane is no longer needed for repositioning the tables, downtime can be eliminated and the entire site workflow is accelerated, saving labour costs and time. At the beginning, our site staff needed some time to learn how to use the system, but with instructions provided by the Doka supervisor, it turned out to be a great solution and saved us the expense of using a tower crane.”
Over the years, Doka has been supplying Bahrain’s construction sector with its custom-made, flexible and safe formwork services and solutions and has participated in a number of prestigious projects in the kingdom.
Some its recent and ongoing projects are the Bahrain Financial Harbour, Bahrain World Trade Centre, Lost Paradise of Dilmun Water Park, Al Areen Downtown, Reef Island, Sunset Hills villas, the conference centre at Al Salam Resort, Bahrain Bay and the new Sitra bridge.
Doka’s goal is to supply construction companies with high-quality formwork equipment and services to help build concrete structures faster, cost-effectively and safely.
“Our systems aim to reduce the workload at the construction site and increase profitability while providing site staff with an easy and safe working environment,” says Orlowska.
Doka’s extensive product portfolio includes a range of wall formwork systems such as Top 50, a large-area formwork that is designed to suit different shapes and sizes and meet any set of requirements.
This timber-beam formwork is one of the most popular and economical Doka products used in the Middle East, she says.
However, in order to meet an increasing demand for fast-forming sequences and high-performance formwork on large-area walls, Doka offers its Framax Xlife system, developed for extremely long usage.
Elaborating on the system, Orlowska says: “Framax Xlife framed formwork uses a limited number of different sizes of matching panels and ensures best possible utilisation, maximised re-use cycles as well as smooth concrete surfaces due to the innovative plastic coating of the integrated plywood sheet.
“This framed formwork is a perfect solution for casting high walls in a very short time and can also be used for columns and foundations. The components of the Framax Xlife system are ideal for forming columns without the need for extra column formwork on the construction site.”
To meet the growing trend towards high-rise construction in the Middle East, Doka offers its automatic self-climbing formwork system SKE, which has been utilised successfully at many job sites in the region including the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Dubai, in the UAE.
“The SKE system, developed using Doka’s 20 years expertise in the field, is a crane-independent climbing formwork for structures of any shape and height.
“The wide working platforms that are enclosed on all sides and the fact that even large formwork assemblies are lifted hydraulically without the need for a crane together ensure both safety and speed,” she explains.
Doka’s product range also includes load-bearing towers to support Doka floor systems and decking-system superstructures.
For high slabs and heavy loads, it recommends its load-bearing towers d2, which are fully combinable with Doka floor systems.
The same components can be used for a ‘seamless’ forming, regardless of the height of the slab. The heavy-duty load-bearing tower d2 has a galvanised steel frame and can be pre-assembled quickly and repositioned by crane.
“Frames connect easily with couplers and connecting pins allowing the load-bearing towers to be erected quickly and easily to any height. The d2 is the economical solution whenever high loads have to be carried and extra stability is a major requirement. The system has been used in Bahrain at Bahrain Bay’s utility building project and at the Al Salam Resort conference centre,” she says.
Apart from innovative and efficient products and systems, a key factor that ensures Doka’s continued success is its services, which bring benefits to the customers, reducing their labour input and thus saving the overall construction time and costs, Orlowska adds.
Says Aurelio Condor, sales and technical executive for Doka Bahrain: “Our engineers share their knowledge and experience with the clients and help them pursue a cost-saving approach on all formwork issues. We advise our clients at every stage of a project.
“At Doka, we are proud to accomplish challenging large-scale projects and are at the same time ready to prove to all large, medium and smaller-scale contractors that we can help them build safely, quickly and cost-efficiently.”