The “construction professionals” at Karl Köhler GmbH deliver efficient solutions in diverse projects in civil engineering based on three generations of experience. Concrete plays an important role in these projects and it’s safe to say that, over the years, it has become one of the company’s specialisations.
When Managing Director Horst Köhler walks through his new company headquarters in Besigheim the construction material of concrete is omnipresent. The design was chosen in an architecture competition in which entrants were requested to submit their ideas for a new building that would function as a “calling card” for the company. That’s why the chosen design features concrete, one of the company’s fortes. Another project featuring concrete, albeit less creative, was the new car park for Heilbronner Versorgungs GmbH (HVG). Köhler always uses the Layher Shoring Allround TG 60 as cost-effective and reliable formwork for concrete ceilings.
In this system, the TG 60 frame replaces the standards, ledgers and diagonal braces, making it very fast to assemble and dismantle. Integrated all-round side protection guarantees the safety of the assembly personnel. The towers can either be assembled horizontally on the ground or upright. The base plates on the ramp are supported by infinitely adjustable plates that can compensate an inclination of 16% to give the tower the necessary stability. A work level is integrated in the system just below ceiling level to allow fast, safe and fatigue-free working for the concrete constructors. The Allround Scaffolding’s advantages are clearly in evidence on the ramps because it has a load-bearing capacity of up to 6 t.
Impressive flexibility and cost effectiveness
Karl Köhler GmbH is committed to the fast, cost-effective and safe implementation of its complex projects, which is why the technical equipment it uses in those projects is so important. In the past, Horst Köhler used different scaffolding systems. “We use our own scaffolding as the support frame for ceiling formwork, as a crane-lift working scaffold for wall formwork and steel fixing, as well as for various site setup applications. We’ve been using the Layher Allround Scaffolding® with TG 60 elements since 2016 because it’s very versatile, flexible and safe – a genuine all-round scaffolding,” added the Managing Director. The company can reduce its parts stock with Layher scaffolding because all the Layher parts are combinable with each other and can be used for diverse applications. The Shoring TG 60 isn’t a rigid tower system, it’s an extremely flexible scaffolding that can be individually adapted to the formwork girders’ grid dimensions or load by using Allround ledgers and diagonal braces in the appropriate length. It can also easily be integrated in birdcage scaffolding, which is additional proof of this system’s extraordinary adaptability. In fact, it can be used to scaffold anything, from honeycomb-shaped silos to elliptical church halls. “The Allround bolt-free connection technology with innovative AutoLock function and direct load distribution in the couplers offers us options for projecting scaffold units that other scaffolding providers can’t,” explained Köhler. “We use the Layher LayPLAN software for the detailed planning of our scaffolding and, if we have an especially complicated application, the Layher Technical Office Department in Eibensbach is just a phone call away. It’s helped us to solve tricky problems on several occasions.”
Safety first
“In our business it’s important for us, our employees and our increasingly responsible customers that processes are fast and safe. With Layher we can guarantee that. The assembly of the lightweight, symmetrical TG 60 frame using proven Allround connection technology isn’t just easy, it’s also up to 30% faster than structures made from individual parts. The integrated all-round side protection keeps the construction workers safe,” emphasised Köhler, who runs the business with his brother representing the third generation of the family. Another impressive feature, according to Köhler, is the robustness and durability of the hot-dip galvanised scaffold. “It hardly shows any traces of wear however many times you assemble and dismantle it, and that’s definitely relevant in our business. Layher’s high quality and safety standards are reflected by the fact that it initially obtained DIN EN ISO 9001 certification in 2004 and has undergone regular recertification audits ever since. It also has an occupational health and safety certificate from the German statutory accident insurance organisation for the construction industry (BG Bau).
Success through training and planning
When the decision to use Layher products had been made, more than 60 of the company’s managers and skilled employees spent two days at the Layher Customer Centre for theoretical and practical training that allowed them to use the system’s many advantages as efficiently as possible. Layher also provides material requirements tables, assembly drawings, type and load diagrams for shoring. Köhler has additionally developed an own colour code for its scaffolding to simplify the process of identifying the size of the individual parts.
