Altrad RMD Kwikform
| Industry | Construction |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1948 |
| Headquarters | Aldridge, England, |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Formwork, Falsework, Scaffolding, Groundshoring |
Number of employees | c.1,200+ |
| Parent | Altrad Group |
| Website | www |
Altrad RMD Kwikform is a company based in Aldridge, England, that hires and sells temporary works and engineering design for building construction and infrastructure projects.
History
The company was formed as Mills Scaffold Company in 1935; it became GKN Kwikform following its acquisition by the British engineering conglomerate GKN in 1983.[1] Under GKN ownership, the company expanded rapidly in the fields of formwork and scaffolding during the late 1980s.[2][3] In June 2000, GKN Kwikform merged with RMD (Rapid Metal Developments, established in 1948), the formwork and scaffolding unit of RM Douglas (part of Tilbury Douglas); after which the name RMD Kwikform was adopted.[4][3] Tilbury Douglas renamed itself Interserve in 2001.[5]
Throughout the 2000s, the company spread its operations globally.[3] Major civil engineering works built using RMD Kwikform's equipment included the New Tyne Tunnel (completed in February 2011),[6] the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (completed in February 2018),[7] and structures along High Speed 2.[8] In 2004, RMD Kwikform was subject to legal action after its scaffolding had allegedly damaged a church.[9] In 2008, a site mishap involving a scaffolding collapse led to arbitration between the company and Taylor Woodrow Construction.[10]
During the mid-2010s, the division exhibited growing sales and strong financial performance.[11][12] In 2013, it began the use of 3D visualisation techniques within its customer support activities.[3] In 2015, RMD Kwikform launched its ground shoring range of products, which extended its capabilities to ground works applications.[13][14]
During 2016, parent company Interserve conducted a strategic review, in which the firm reportedly considered the sale of RMD Kwikform,[15][16] but chose to retain the division for the time being.[17] By this point, it was the most valuable division of Interserve, generating a healthy operating profit of £54.4 million along with a 23.8 percent margin for 2017.[18]
By December 2018, Interserve had entered into financial difficulties and was reportedly considering various restructuring options, such as the spinning off of RMD Kwikform, then valued at £250 million, to lenders while leaving the remainder of Interserve as a more focused support services business.[19][20] However, the Cabinet Office reportedly objected to any deal involving RMD Kwikform's sale on the assertion that this would render the remainder of the business almost worthless and thus make it difficult to continue awarding contracts to the company.[21]
In early 2019, Interserve announced an agreement on a deleveraging deal which retained RMD Kwikform in the group, but this plan was rejected by its shareholders on 15 March 2019.[22] That same month, Interserve's board applied for the parent company to be placed into administration, and pursued a pre pack deal.[23][24] This involved the sale of the group (including RMD Kwikform) to a new company, Interserve Group Limited, that was controlled by Interserve's existing lenders.[25]
In August 2019, Interserve appointed Ken Hanna as a non executive director of its board, and chairman of RMD Kwikform. RMD Kwikform had been the strongest performer in the group; however, results in 2018 showed a 27 percent drop in year-on-year operating profits to £39.6 million while turnover declined to £195.5 million from £229 million.[26] During 2020, RMD Kwikform was subject to a cyberattack;[27][28] that same year, it was reported that Interserve were examining various options for the sale of RMD Kwikform.[15] In October 2021, it was announced that RMD Kwikform had been sold to France's Altrad group in exchange for in excess of £140 million.[29][30] Following the acquisition, it was rebranded as Altrad RMD Kwikform.[31][32]
In 2025, Altrad RMD Kwikform launched its Tubeshor 1370 propping solution, capable of handling axial loads up to 15,000kN, it was claimed to be the largest proprietary ground shoring prop in the world.[33]
References
- ^ "RMD Kwikform". Companies House. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "GKN Forms GKN Powered Access to complement traditional scaffolding activities of GKN Kwikform". Construction News. 8 June 1990. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d Booth, Kenneth (29 May 2025). "A legacy of innovation and growth: Altrad RMD Kwikform celebrates 90 years of bringing structures to life". bdcmagazine.com.
- ^ "RMD/Kwikform merge". constructionnews.co.uk. 1 June 2000. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "History". Interserve. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "The tale of the Tyne Tube". New Civil Engineer. 18 February 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Kennedy, Noel (12 January 2015). "Hong Kong to China bridge uses 3D formwork design". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ Booth, Kenneth (7 July 2025). "Altrad RMD Kwikform supports HS2's slide across the A46 Kenilworth Bypass". bdcmagazine.com.
- ^ "Clergy sue over tower damage". building.co.uk. 16 July 2004.
- ^ Blacklaws, Birgit (6 June 2008). "Commencing arbitration: Taylor Woodrow Construction vs RMD Kwikform Ltd". building.co.uk.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Tom (6 August 2014). "RMD Kwikform boosts strong Interserve results". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ "4D: the future of temporary works management". constructionnews.co.uk. 24 January 2014.
- ^ "Business: A company that's on to a shore thing". New Civil Engineer. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Binks, Spencer (25 October 2016). "WATCH: RMD Kwikform's bubble deck pushes innovation boundaries". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ a b Weinfass, Ian (1 December 2020). "Interserve 'steps up sale of RMD Kwikform'". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Tom (5 May 2016). "RMD Kwikform boss leaves Interserve role". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ Wilmore, James (19 October 2017). "How do Interserve's woes compare to Carillion's?". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ David, Price (30 April 2018). "It's payback time for Interserve". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ Kleinman, Mark (15 December 2018). "Struggling Interserve may hand construction unit to lenders". Sky News. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Weinfass, Ian (21 December 2018). "Interserve lenders look to acquire RMD Kwikform". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ Davies, Rob (5 February 2019). "Interserve's lenders go head-to-head with Cabinet Office over rescue options". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^ Price, David; Garner-Purkis, Zak (15 March 2019). "Interserve rescue plan voted down". constructionnews.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "Interserve goes into administration after rescue deal rejected". The Guardian. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ Gardiner, Joey (3 April 2019). "Interserve prepack administration - unpacked". building.co.uk.
- ^ "Successful completion of sale of the group (15 March 2019)". London Stock Exchange. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ Prior, Grant (28 August 2019). "Interserve confirms new chairman for RMD Kwikform". constructionenquirer.com. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ Pitcher, Greg (24 October 2022). "Interserve fined £4.4m after staff details accessed by hackers". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ "Walsall construction firm targeted in cyber attack". BBC News. 6 December 2020.
- ^ Kleinman, Mark (6 October 2021). "Interserve break-up nears end with £140m sale of RMD Kwikform to French group Altrad". Sky News. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "Interserve confirms RMD Kwikform sale to Altrad". theconstructionindex.co.uk. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ Kajastie, Nia (14 July 2022). "RMD Kwikform to rebrand following its sale to Altrad". geplus.co.uk.
- ^ "Red letter day as RMD Kwikform rebrands". projectscot.com. 6 July 2022.
- ^ Kajastie, Nia (7 August 2025). "Altrad RMDK launches 'world's largest' ground shoring prop after demanding London basement project". geplus.co.uk.