ABS Yapı was established in 2011 to introduce innovative products to the Turkish construction industry. In 2013 as a game-changer ABS Yapı, introduced a brand-new application to Turkey that makes use of single-use, disposable plastic formworks for indoor lightweight filling applications.
The solution got rapidly and widely accepted and became very popular being used in over 1.000.000 m² projects as of 2021. Similarly, another use of disposable plastic formwork was introduced by ABS Yapı in cooperation with technical universities where disposable formworks are used to create bidirectional voided slabs. The solution was presented to civil engineering offices and being used by them up to 250.000 m² in various projects as of 2021.
As of 2018, ABS Yapı stopped importing and began manufacturing fully in Turkey for local as well as for international markets its own design of disposable formworks that were inspired and uprated by its wide application experience and knowledge from numerous job sites over the many years.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
ABS YAPI: We market, manufacture, and sell disposable formworks for lightweight filling applications and for constructing voided slabs. Additionally, we also sell second-generation polymer formworks (plastic plywood).
ABS Disposable Formworks
ABS Disposable Formworks are concrete shaping structures made of recycled plastic that is used only once. They are also called void formers, permanent formworks, or single-use formworks. They create reinforced concrete raised floors up to 300 cm, thus providing a light, fast, easy, and economical filling in any structure. Reinforced concrete raised floors are constructed faster and easier, are lighter weight and are more economical than conventional filling applications.
ABS Disposable Formworks can be used for any sort of lightweight filling application. Uses include sunken slab fillings, landscape fillings to create a hard surface, inverted beam fillings, fillings between foundation footings, carpark ramps, pool decks, elevator/staircase hallway fillings and crawlspace construction.
In addition, reinforced concrete raised floors created with disposable formworks can be used instead of modular raised floors by adding a grid of simple junction boxes to the system.
ABS Disposable Formworks are produced in two different types depending on whether the leg height is fixed or adjustable.
Slabs Designed with Volimax Voided Slab System
What is a voided slab system? A voided slab system reduces the weight and thickness of the slab increasing the earthquake resistance of structure without compromising performance attributes of a flat slab.
How is voided slab system applied?
Voided slabs are constructed bidirectionally (two-way) through the use of cube-shaped disposable formworks made of recycled PP that are placed between lower and upper steel reinforcement. Casting of concrete is always in-situ.
How to model Volimax voided slab system?
When modeling the voided slab system, first the cross-sectional value (moment of inertia, unit volume and cross-sectional area) of the I section formed by the disposable formworks is calculated. Equivalent section coefficients are obtained by comparing voided slab cross-section values with flat section values. The voided slab model is created by multiplying these coefficients with relevant parameters such as effective section stiffness, modulus of elasticity and concrete unit volume weight in the modeling programs.
Ekoplak – Polymer Construction Formwork
Ekoplak has been developed as an alternative to plywood boards, one of the most consumed supplies on any job site. Ekoplak is more durable, could be used in every weather condition, has a longer life span and since it is completely recyclable it has a very low environmental impact.
E.E: What’s the news for 2021 about new products?
ABS YAPI: Our disposable formwork solution for lightweight filling applications become more popular and was chosen as the ultimate filling application method in an industrial project with 160.000 m2 of 230 cm filling requirement. This is by far the biggest single project anyone has sold in the history of disposable formworks.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
ABS YAPI: We have three lines of products:
- Disposable formworks for lightweight filling applications i.e., for constructing reinforced concrete raised floors from 5 to 300 cm;
- Disposable formworks for constructing voided slabs in buildings;
- Polymer formworks that replace regular plywood.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
ABS YAPI: Since we are an innovative company and only focus on new, exciting products lines all of our segments are unripe and bear many opportunities.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
ABS YAPI: The Turkish construction industry was in a weakened state prior to the COVID-19-induced slowdown, having contracted sharply in 2019, owing to the steep depreciation in the lira and high interest rates, which pushed up construction costs and the cost of borrowing. As a result, the viability of projects was eroded, and firms had to bring projects to a halt. Over the next two years, more and more construction companies collapsed or sought bankruptcy protection. Following eight consecutive quarterly contractions, industry output increased, with value-add for Q3 2020 rising by 4.7% year on year (YoY).
This turned out to be a false dawn, however, as the construction industry contracted by 12.5% YoY in Q4. Rising interest rates, coupled with the imposition of lockdown measures in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, contributed to the decline in Q4 2020. The key interest rate was increased to 17% in December 2020, which was up from 8.25% in May 2020. Dragged down by the steep decline in Q4, Turkey’s construction industry contracted by 3.5% in real terms in 2020. The industry has also been affected by delays in project implementation and the reallocation of part of the government’s budget toward its fight against the pandemic.
The industry is expected to recover and grow over the forecast period, however, driven by investment in renewable energy, education and transport infrastructure. The government plans to build 2,000km of high-speed rail lines from Kars in northeast Turkey to Edirne in the westernmost part of the country. This project is being partially financed by the Chinese Government. The Turkish Government aims to increase the share of renewable energy in electricity generation to 38.8% by 2023, compared to 32.5% in 2018.
Spurred on by these investments, construction output is forecast by GlobalData to grow by 3.8% in 2021, and retain growth momentum over the forecast period, with average annual growth of 5.5% during 2022-2025. However, a downside for the industry is the prospect of a currency crisis following the sacking of the central bank governor, Naci Agbal, in March 2021. With Turkey’s policy credibility likely to worsen in the coming months due to the expected cut in the key interest rate, the country is set to see major outflows of capital in the coming weeks and months. This is likely to spill over into the construction industry, with projects now set to become less profitable and financial conditions likely to tighten.
We observe that all halted projects are becoming alive again. Every constructor is in a hurry and rushes their projects.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
ABS YAPI: All three solutions of ABS Yapı are innovative. Constructing reinforced concrete raised floors with disposable formworks existed many years ago for small housing projects only, but with our reinvention, this solution started appealing to more than 10 different cases in the construction industry. Constructing buildings with voided slabs is also a new solution, especially in countries with risky earthquake zones.
Polymer formworks existed for a long time, but formworks made of extruded polypropylene is new in the market.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2021?
ABS YAPI: We are almost overbooked as it is. 2021 will end in a rush. We expect 2022 to be a more stable year with 2023 going back to pre-pandemic times.
ABS YAPI
Centrum Plaza, Aydınevler Mh., Sanayi Cad., No:3/Z03
Maltepe, İstanbul – Turkey
+90 216 518 02 55
