When it comes to formwork, plywood has long been the standard. But in 2000, alkus® raised the bar with its polypropylene solutions that outlast and outperform the competition in terms of job quality, sustainability, and the bottom line.
Designed and manufactured in Europe, alkus® launched in North America in 2017, where it continues to be adopted by progressive construction professionals that appreciate the company’s value and performance. As Kenneth Clisso, Business Development Manager for North America, puts it, “I’ve been in the concrete forming business for about 40 years now and this is the best product I’ve ever had to sell.”
The alkus® difference
alkus® Innovative Systems come in two varieties: the AL, which is constructed with aluminum-reinforced polypropylene and is used for wall, slab, and special structural elements; and the GM, which is the company’s first iteration made from fiber-reinforced polypropylene.
Thanks to their material composition, alkus® solutions have effectively replaced traditional wood formwork and eliminated the many challenges, issues, and rework that can result from its use. Unlike their wood counterparts, the polypropylene panels are impervious to swelling, rotting, and the frequent need to replace or repair, which is time and labor intensive and drives up overall costs.
alkus® panels have been proven to last 1,500 uses and over 20 years thanks to their innovative design, their unique system of repair, and the seven-year warranty they are backed by, unmatched in the industry. However, in an industry that is typically slow to change, highly innovative products that shake the very foundation of how things are done often face resistance. But between the technical performance of the panels and the financial breakdown and sustainable nature of the formwork, their use becomes an offer that people simply cannot refuse.
“Initially there is some resistance because of price—and it’s not just our price, but the price of anything that’s innovative and anything that is a long-term solution that lowers costs in the long run,” says Clisso, noting that while initial costs are greater, over a 10-year timeframe, there are significant savings to be had.
Plywood needs to be replaced often (certainly more than once every 20 years), and with trade disputes festering around the world and the challenges related to softwood lumber, prices aren’t likely to come down anytime soon. There is also the issue of disposal fees cropping up in places like California where charges are incurred for things like heavy laden plywood, as well as the time and labor costs associated with transportation and disposal.
This is a non-issue for alkus® as the product holds value on construction sites beyond their use as formwork, instead being repurposed as mudsills and shoring supports, which extends the life and value of the product.
The company’s European footprint has also been designed to be circular in nature. As Matthew Pescador, CEO, alkus North America, explains, “They’re actually recycling nearly 100 percent of the material. They take all the polypropylene, they’re able to separate it, and they regranulate it and feed it right back into the extrusion process. The aluminum gets bagged up and they send it to an aluminum recycling facility, and they actually get paid money for sending it back,” he shares.
“So the idea becomes, ‘How do we implement this worldwide?’ because green construction is the way of the future. There are limited resources in the world, and we have to be good stewards of the natural resources that are out there, so this is something we are looking to implement in the United States.”
A new path forward
Further to implementing a recycling plan in the U.S., there are also plans in the works to establish domestic manufacturing over the next several years to ensure that demand can be sustained and product can more efficiently reach the market, which is an important next step as the brand gains traction all over the world.
“Green is really the direction that construction is going in. That’s why a lot of these really big mega projects have to be LEED and otherwise certified; [project owners and builders] realize the implications for the long term,” says Pescador.
In Switzerland, green construction materials are mandated on projects, with non-renewables like plywood formwork outlawed, which is demonstrative of the progressive stance of the country’s construction industry to operate sustainably.
Governments in North America have the same opportunity before them to make legislative changes that support the future sustainability of the sector. Organizations like the ACI (American Concrete Institute) can be the voice of the industry in pushing for changes that could have a resounding impact on the quality of projects and the mitigation of environmental impacts. And while many early adopters and progressive partners have already made the switch to alkus® solutions, writing them into project specs on countless projects, others can begin to follow suit.
For Pescador, the market potential is massive and alkus® only needs to capitalize on a fraction of it to feel the impact—not only on the company itself, but on the customers who use its solutions to improve the technical performance and sustainability of their projects.
A winning solution
The team at alkus® (and anyone who has used the product) knows that this formwork solution is second to none, and the company is working hard to ensure that the greatest number of construction professionals have access to it.
In addition to investing in the company’s production capacity, alkus® has also added talent to cover a greater service area in the North American market with the addition of a new Business Development Manager for the south who Clisso has spent time training.
“They are being trained by Ken to capitalize on all the industrial work that’s going on there right now,” says Pescador. “That’s why we’re making the investment to hire, because we see that the demand is out there.”
Numbers don’t lie and when it comes to alkus® solutions, the value embodied in the product and its performance is unequalled in the market. This is why it is the way of the future and the preferred formwork solution of many industry leaders around the world. To learn more about how alkus® can save you money and improve the performance of your formwork, visit: www.alkus.com.
