Case study:
Form-Scaff
For basic scaffolds, we promise clients a drawing and quotation within 24 hours — and we can deliver that now. Clients love it.
Gerhard Bothma, Design Manager
The Company
Form-Scaff is a leading supplier of formwork and scaffolding solutions in South Africa, supporting projects across commercial, industrial, and infrastructure sectors. Their drawing office manages scaffold and formwork designs ranging from simple structures to large engineered systems.
Design manager Gerhard Bothma has been with the company for nearly 20 years. Over that time, he has seen major shifts in customer expectations and industry compliance requirements — especially with changes to SANS (South African National Standards), which now require drawings for scaffold above two meters.
“Even a basic scaffold needs a proper drawing with sections and notes. That’s where Avontus became very useful,” he explained.
The Challenge
Before adopting Avontus Designer®, Form-Scaff relied primarily on AutoCAD for all scaffold designs. Although suitable for complex engineering work, AutoCAD proved too slow and resource-intensive for their high volume of everyday scaffold designs.
Using AutoCAD created several challenges across the business:
- Slow turnaround times for drawings and quotations
- Manual material counts, increasing the risk of errors
- Engineering bottlenecks, as even simple designs required drafting time
As demand grew and SANS requirements increased, the drawing office needed a faster, scaffold-specific solution.
The Solution
While researching alternatives, Form-Scaff discovered Avontus Designer, a 3D scaffold design platform built specifically for system scaffolding.
“What makes Avontus Designer stand out is that it supports kwikstage,” Gerhard shared. “The other programs we looked at weren’t designed for scaffolding specifically and certainly not for kwikstage.”
Form-Scaff worked closely with Avontus to refine the setup for South Africa’s market. Together, they:
- Configured Form-Scaff’s branded kwikstage catalog, complete with product codes and colors, for seamless use in Designer
- Streamlined the drawing office’s internal workflow
- Provided hands-on support and training as the team adopted Designer
Most importantly, Avontus released SANS-aligned updates to Designer, based directly on Form-Scaff’s feedback, eliminating previously required manual adjustments.
“The support was brilliant,” said Gerhard. “If we had an issue, Avontus’s support team would jump on a call. That made a big difference.”
The Impact
60% faster design time
During a recent twin-building project, Form-Scaff needed to design scaffolding on both rooftops and a ladder-beam bridge spanning between them — while keeping the road underneath open to traffic.
With AutoCAD, this design typically took two-and-a-half days. With Avontus Designer, Gerhard completed it in about a day — cutting the design time by roughly 60%.
Automatic, accurate material lists — no more manual counting
One of the most transformative improvements is the elimination of manual material counting. Designer automatically generates accurate bills of materials for sales quotations.
“You don’t have to count pieces. The system does the counting for you,” said Gerhard. “That alone saves a lot of time.”
This has significantly improved accuracy and consistency across every drawing.
24-hour turnaround commitment
With Designer, Form-Scaff now guarantees fast turnaround for scaffold designs, strengthening their competitive edge.
Less pressure on engineering resources
Avontus Designer allows the drawing office to handle most scaffolds independently, freeing engineers to focus on the complex or specialized temporary works that truly require their expertise.
Closer alignment with SANS
With the SANS-aligned enhancements, Designer requires far fewer manual adjustments — shaving up to an hour off many jobs and reducing the risk of noncompliant configurations.
Key Benefits Realized
- 60% faster scaffold design time
- Accurate, automated material lists with no manual counting
- Fully branded Form-Scaff kwikstage library with product codes and colors
- Drawings and quotations delivered within 24 hours for most scaffolds
- Improved alignment with SANS (South African National Standards), reducing manual rework
- Reduced engineering bottlenecks, allowing the team to focus on complex work
Final Thoughts
Avontus Designer has helped Form-Scaff modernize its scaffold design process, maintain full compliance with South African standards, and enhance customer satisfaction. Its faster workflows, accurate material counts, and responsive support have made Designer a valuable tool for the drawing office.
“I always tell the team we now have the best of both worlds,” Gerhard said. “AutoCAD for the most intricate work, and Avontus Designer for everything else. Designer is faster, it’s easier, and it’s made a big difference for us and our clients.”
