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A decade ago, Altrad RMD Kwikform entered the ground shoring market with a vision to challenge, innovate, and set new standards. The journey has been one of engineering excellence, groundbreaking product development, and a commitment to pushing boundaries. As we celebrate this success, some of the key figures behind this transformation reflect on their experiences.
Building from the ground up
Lesley Dean, Engineering Manager recalls her first memories of entering the market saying:
"This journey has been filled with challenges, growth and above all, passion for what we do. Ten years ago, when we first ventured into the ground shoring market, there were only four of us brought in from the industry to help build something new and exciting. Looking back, it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come and how much we’ve learned along the way."
Neil Dawes, Customer Service Engineer, added:
“From day one, we focused on what would set us apart from the competition, which was our engineering. We pride ourselves on having some of the best engineering minds in the industry and our kit reflects that. The strength and reliability of our equipment have been key in securing projects across the globe. At the start, customers were willing to give us a chance, and we quickly demonstrated that our solutions could deliver."
Lesley said: “The result? A focus on quality and compliance that set us apart. We made sure that everything we created was EN standard compliant and earned CE marks, which may have taken between 12 to 18 months to design, test and refine, but ensured that our solutions were not just good, but great.”
Innovative engineering
Dr Simon Wilkinson, Principal Engineer, said: “From an engineering perspective, one of the advancements that we’ve made over the last decade would be automating our processes. Our goal has always been to streamline engineering and drawing processes so that we can deliver responses and designs at the speed of our customer’s demand. To meet this, we’ve invested into automation, allowing us to produce CAD drawings and engineering solutions more efficiently than ever before.”
Ben Whelan, Project Engineer, added: “The investment in equipment, our engineering expertise and the drive for excellence really helped us to push the boundaries in what we do, as we weren’t just providing shoring solutions; we were redefining how they were designed, implemented, and supported.”
Neil said: “We’re a bit of a one stop shop when it comes to above and below ground works and this is something that we’re really proud of as few companies can do this. Our ability to deliver both complex and comprehensive solutions to our customers has set us apart in a competitive market.”
Simon commented: “Despite the fact that many of our competitors have been in the game for much longer, RMD has proven that we’re a force to be reckoned with. These collaborations with big companies show that RMD are more than capable of meeting the high standards required on some of the most complex and high-profile projects.”
The future of ground shoring
Lesley said: “As we look forward to the next ten years, we are committed to continuing our growth and innovation in the ground shoring market. A recent major milestone that is a reflection of this has been the launch of our new training academy in Skelmersdale, which is a space designed to help develop not just engineers and sales teams, but everyone who works with us. Whether you work in the yard or at a desk, understanding the equipment and the role each of us play in delivering solutions is key to our success.”
Simon added: “The launch of products such as the Tubeshor ATC is just the beginning of what we can do to stay ahead of the industry. We have a few more tricks up our sleeve, and I’m excited to see how we can push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
“The journey of the last ten years has been nothing short of inspiring, and I’m confident that the next decade will bring even more success, innovation and growth.”
Ian said: “My story would not be complete without paying tribute to the incredible engineers that I have been fortunate to work with during the 10-year development period, their performance has been exemplary and working through and with them, the last 10 years have unquestionably been the icing on the cake of a long career.”
Memorable moments
Ben said: “One of my proudest moments was being the lead design engineer on the HS2 Euston TSS Box, where we utilised a bespoke, state-of-the-art approach to thermal load modelling. The scale and complexity of the job was a significant challenge for the team but I’m incredibly proud of how we approached it. Using effective, meaningful collaboration alongside our innovative approach allowed us to not only meet the design brief but far exceed its expectations.”
“The project went on to win the award for Ground Shoring Technical Excellence at the Ground Engineering Awards, a testament to the dedication and expertise of our team. For me personally, it was the most rewarding moment of my career, and for us collectively, it was a moment that showcased exactly what sets Altrad RMD Kwikform apart: innovation, dedication, and a commitment to continuous improvement via engineering excellence.”
Ian Fryer, Global Product Innovation Director, said: “Becoming preferred ground shoring supplier on HS2 and having the chance to visit some of the most spectacular sites in the country to see our handiwork in action and hearing such positive feedback from customers has been fantastic.”
“There have been many stand-out moments when sometimes wacky ideas and back-to-basics engineering have come together to yield a component, detail or connection that pushes our products ahead of others available on the market.”
To read the full articles from the ground shoring team, click here:
Global Product Innovation Director
Principal Engineer
Engineering Manager
Customer Service Engineer
Project Engineer