Innovation is one of Alsina’s philosophy items, currently having more than fifty own patents. The other important item is people, both the ones working in the company and the ones working with their products. “We could talk about an Alsina spirit of simplicity, honesty, laboriousness, efficiency, competitiveness...”, explains the Managing Director, as he shows us their own design and calculation formwork programmes at their headquarters in Montcada i Reixac. The Alsipercha Fall Arrest System was created from the combination of these two elements, an apparently simple product that contains forty-five components. The system was designed to prevent falls from height during the risky formwork decking processes. Our Professional College awarded us with a special mention at the first Catalonia Construction Awards, in the category of Construction Process Innovation.
Do you have an own investigation team?
“Yes, we do have a very strong I+D team, because constant investigation and security are our major challenges. Along our fifty years’ history and around twenty with formworks we have been the most revolutionary ones in many aspects. Alsipercha is a world novelty, but we also were, for example, the first ones in manufacturing the two usable sides formwork panel. We were the first ones to make a recoverable formwork system in the country, which allows recovering up to an 80% of the material after three days, in front of the traditional twenty-eight days. We were also the first ones in manufacturing a wall system with a sliding staple and the first ones to introduce aluminium in horizontal and vertical formworks. We were pioneers in the formworks for curve walls, in which it is no necessary to move the panel to produce different radiuses. Therefore, we can say that we have a tradition in innovation. We have signed collaboration agreements with the UPC, Valencia University<, ITEC, the Structures Consultants Association and the Gaudí Institute among others.”
Does the sector evolve as well?
“Yes, this is a sector that is evolving. I have been working in it for forty years. I began when I was studying Industrial Engineering and, at the same time, my father visited clients. The way of using formwork has greatly changed since then, when timber props, screws and formwork deckings were still used and sold to contractors. “We are the ones to make the structure construction process and I feel that we have helped to mechanised the whole system and made it very quick: we save an hour of formworking labour per m2 of structure. But there is still a long way to run in the field of innovating the structures construction, making them with elements of the 21st century, optimising the steel and concrete used in them, and making them quick, cheap, safe and environment friendly.”
What you are stating is taking us to a paradox. Formwork is every time easier and quicker, and so it requires less training from operators. Therefore, there are more security risks.
“You are right. Old formworking operators were professionals, veterans, but nowadays there is no workmanship like that. Basically what we have is scarcely trained personnel that comes from abroad. Due to this situation what we try is to elaborate easy systems, mechanised, very automated and really safe at the same time. We are very happy about all of our formwork systems having the maximum security elements for operators, who can be not as well trained as before.”
Does the designer ask you for solutions?
“Yes. There are many engineering companies and architecture offices that come to visit us and we work together in the design in order to dimension the modules and their shape. Above all, they come to see us when they have singular works and together we prepare the whole design. For example, we work with architects like Moneo. We are right now designing the L´Illa Hotel in the Diagonal in
Which is the position of the Spanish formwork sector in relation to the world?
“I would say that we- and the Spanish companies in general- have a very good level. The important rise of the construction in these last years has allowed us to invest part of the money in investigation and, therefore, we have nothing to envy from the foreign companies. The German companies are the bench mark in this field but we, Alsina, have some products even better than theirs.”
