Acrow

What Acrow does

Acrow is the largest scaffolding, formwork, falsework, and event infrastructure company in New Zealand, operating through a nationwide network of seven branches spanning Auckland, Hamilton, Taupo, Manawatu, Wellington, and Christchurch, supported by a dedicated 24/7 Events division. The company provides safe access scaffolding (Ringlock, Layher, Tube & Clip, Acrowscaff, and mobile towers), distributes and engineers Doka formwork systems (Framax, Frami, Top50, KS Column, Dam Formwork, MF240 climbing, Dokadek), and manufactures proprietary propping products including the original Acrow Props and Acrowtube waterproof PVC formwork tubes in three NZ cities.

Acrow monetizes through four revenue streams: equipment rental and hire on a usage-based model; hardware sales via its own branch network and the directscaffolding.co.nz e-commerce channel; professional design and engineering services using AutoCAD, Revit, and BIM with full Temporary Works sign-off; and event infrastructure services spanning project management, logistics, and installation of grandstands, stages, and seating (including locally built Viking Staging tour roofs). The company's go-to-market is sales-led, executed through branch-level account teams and a dedicated Business Development Consultant, with inbound demand captured via toll-free numbers and online enquiry forms.

The customer base spans three primary segments — construction companies and contractors, civil and infrastructure projects, and event organizers/venues — served by an in-house engineering team with 40+ years of combined temporary-works experience. Notable enterprise customers include Naylor Love, Hawkins, Downers, Fulton Hogan, BUPA, HEB Structures, Access NZ, Dominion Constructors, Leighs Construction, NZTA/NCTIR, the University of Canterbury, Auckland Stadiums, and Tasman Rugby Union, with project references spanning the Rugby World Cup 2011, Christchurch Justice Precinct, Crowne Plaza Auckland re-roofing, and Transmission Gully. The corporate group also includes subsidiaries Direct Scaffolding, Skyhigh Scaffolding, and UP2IT, and the company holds Immigration New Zealand Accredited Employer status to support skilled recruitment.

Name

Acrow

Legal name

Acrow Limited

Website

https://acrow.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Acrow is New Zealand's largest scaffolding, formwork, falsework, and event infrastructure provider, operating seven nationwide branches to serve construction contractors, civil infrastructure projects, and event organizers with equipment hire, engineering design, and proprietary products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rental and Hire: Core revenue stream from hiring out scaffolding, formwork, falsework, propping equipment, and event infrastructure (grandstands, stages, seating). Services are available for short-term and long-term hire across construction and events sectors.
2. Equipment and Product Sales: Sale of scaffolding products, formwork systems, and propping equipment. Includes Acrowtube, Acrow Props, Shisham Props, Soldier Props, Acrowshore, and Superslim Soldiers. Scaffold sales conducted via directscaffolding.co.nz.
3. Design and Engineering Services: Professional engineering services including design sign-off, temporary works support packages, installation services, tender support, and safety-in-design consulting. Provided both internally and through third-party engineering.
4. Event Infrastructure Services: Project management, design, planning, logistics, procurement, and installation of temporary structures for events ranging from school performances to international stadium tours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Acrow provides scaffolding, formwork, falsework, propping, event infrastructure, and design and engineering services across New Zealand through its seven-branch network. The company manufactures and distributes proprietary products such as Acrowtube PVC formwork tubes and Acrow Props, and supplies Doka formwork systems to construction and civil infrastructure clients. Services include equipment hire and sale, project-based design, installation, and project management for construction projects and events ranging from building sites to international stadium tours.

Product overview

Acrow is the largest scaffolding, formwork, falsework and event infrastructure company in New Zealand, offering a comprehensive portfolio of physical construction products and services. The core offerings include Scaffold Services (Ringlock, Layher, Tube & Clip, Acrowscaff, Mobile Towers), Formwork products (Doka-based Framax Xlife, Frami Xlife, Top50 Timber Beam, column, climbing, single-sided, circular, and floor formwork systems), Falsework and Propping solutions (Acrow Props, Shisham Props, Soldier Props, Acrowshore, Superslim Soldiers), Acrowtube PVC formwork tubes, Design and Engineering Services, and Events Infrastructure (grandstand seating, stages, Viking Staging). The products are available for hire or sale through a nationwide network of branches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scaffold Services Safe and effective scaffold services offering Ringlock, Layher, Tube & Clip, Acrowscaff and Mobile Towers systems for construction access, used by civil, commercial, and industrial construction contractors across New Zealand.
• Formwork Doka formwork products including column, climbing, single-sided, circular, and slab formwork for civil, commercial, and infrastructure projects, supplied to construction contractors across New Zealand.
• Falsework and Propping Falsework and propping solutions including original Acrow Props, Shoreloading, Panel Props, Soldier Beams, Acrowshore, and Superslim Soldiers for structural support during construction, supplied to construction contractors across New Zealand.
• Acrowtube Versatile PVC tube product for formwork, civil, motorway, and foundation projects, available in 300–1050mm diameter, made to any length, waterproof, in light, standard, and heavy duty profiles, manufactured in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.
• Design and Engineering Services Specialised and innovative engineering and design services providing turnkey, practical, and cost-effective solutions compliant with New Zealand Standards, including full Temporary Works support packages, tender support, method statements, product guides, and capacity tables, for construction and event projects.
• Events Infrastructure Temporary grandstand seating, stages, roofs and decking, towers and access stairs for events, including Viking Staging hydraulic stage roofs and permanent/demountable seating solutions, with capacity from 100 to 20,000 seats, provided to event organizers, sports venues, and entertainment companies.
• Scaffold Sales (Direct Scaffolding) Online sales of scaffold products through directscaffolding.co.nz, providing smaller scaffold purchases and retail sales to smaller contractors and individual buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,000 temporary seats erected in six weeks with 500 tonnes of equipment across 28 shipping containers for the All Blacks vs Pumas event
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MATES in Construction New ZealandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAcrow partners with MATES in Construction NZ, a charitable organization providing mental health and suicide prevention support for the construction industry. MATES representatives visit Acrow's yards to conduct wellbeing check-ins and workshops with employees, addressing post-holiday blues, life stressors, and workplace mental health. The partnership reflects Acrow's commitment to employee wellbeing and its culture of care.
• HealthNowcoreOthersAcrow provides HealthNow Employer Aid as an employee benefit — a health and wellbeing programme providing staff access to mental health support, health checks, and wellbeing resources. Referenced across internal communications and careers materials as a key employee benefit.
• Immigration New ZealandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAcrow is an Immigration New Zealand Accredited Employer, enabling the company to recruit and sponsor skilled migrant workers. This accreditation is a mark of the company's standing and ability to attract international talent.
• Doka (Formwork Supplier)coreTechnology or IntegrationAcrow is a supplier of Doka formwork products in New Zealand, including Framax Xlife, Frami Xlife, Top50 Timber Beam, KS Column, Dam Formwork, Climbing Formwork MF240, and Dokadek table formwork. Doka is a globally leading formwork manufacturer, and Acrow distributes, engineers, and installs Doka systems across New Zealand construction projects.
• Layher (Scaffold Supplier)coreTechnology or IntegrationAcrow uses Layher Allround scaffolding products for certain projects, including the award-winning RA Vance Stand at Basin Reserve project (2017 SARNZ). Layher is a global manufacturer of modular scaffolding systems.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RMD Kwikform: RMD Kwikform supplies formwork, propping and shoring systems to civil and commercial construction customers. Comparable product mix (formwork, props, shoring) and similar engineered-temporary-works customer base; competes with Doka, PERI and ULMA and is therefore a directly comparable peer for Acrow's formwork/falsework business.
• PERI: PERI is a leading global formwork and scaffolding manufacturer serving the same construction and civil-infrastructure customers as Acrow with comparable engineered temporary works systems, BIM-supported design and engineered propping/scaffolding products. A natural DIRECT_PEER for Acrow's formwork and propping lines.
• Doka: Doka is a global formwork manufacturer whose Framax, Frami, Top50, KS column, Dam, MF climbing, Dokadek and Dokamatic systems are distributed in NZ by Acrow. Doka competes with PERI and ULMA globally and could compete with Acrow directly in NZ through its own sales channel — making it a directly comparable formwork peer.
• AT-PAC Hoist & Scaffold: AT-PAC is a global provider of scaffolding, hoists and access equipment with a rentals/services franchise. Comparable to Acrow on modular scaffolding and access services for industrial and construction customers, though typically serving global industrial sites rather than NZ-specific civil contractors.
• ULMA Construction: ULMA is a Spanish/Basque manufacturer of formwork, scaffolding and propping systems for civil and commercial construction, with comparable product depth to PERI and Doka and similar engineered-temporary-works go-to-market. Highly comparable in offering and end-customer mix to Acrow's formwork and propping lines.
• Layher: Layher Allround is Acrow's modular scaffolding system of choice (e.g., RA Vance Stand award-winning project). Layher is also a global scaffolding manufacturer that distributes through partners; it overlaps with Acrow on Ringlock/Allround systems and could be selected against Acrow by customers wanting manufacturer-direct supply.

Regional players

• Coates Hire: Coates Hire is Australia's largest equipment-rental company, serving construction, infrastructure and industrial customers with a broad catalogue that includes access and scaffolding. Comparable to Acrow's hire-and-service business model and end-markets, but operating predominantly in Australia rather than NZ — making it a regional peer rather than a direct NZ competitor.
• Kennards Hire: Kennards Hire is a major Australasian equipment-rental company operating in Australia and New Zealand across construction, DIY and trade hire. Comparable to Acrow's hire-based business model and customer segments, but with a wider product range (general tools and equipment, not specialised scaffold/formwork) and a primarily Australian footprint — making it a REGIONAL_PLAYER.

Broad incumbents

• BrandSafway: BrandSafway is one of the world's largest access, scaffolding and industrial services companies, serving construction, energy and infrastructure customers globally. Compared with Acrow, BrandSafway is significantly larger, broader in vertical scope (industrial services as well as access/scaffolding), and operates across many geographies — making it a BROAD_INCUMBENT rather than a direct local rival.
• Scafom Holding: Scafom Holding is a global scaffolding manufacturer and rental group (Scafom-rux, Altrex, Tubesca-Comabi) operating across access, scaffolding and safety solutions. A BROAD_INCUMBENT comparable to Acrow's scaffolding services but with much broader vertical scope and international reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AcrowNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acrow-limited-nz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Acrow