ULMA Construction

ULMA Construction was established in 1961 in Oñati (Guipúzcoa), under the name of Sociedad Cooperativa Industrial Talleres ULMA (ULMA Industrial Workshops Cooperative Society), dedicated to manufacturing packaging. In 1963, it was incorporated into the construction sector and introduced the first prefabricated scaffolding.

The process of internationalization began in Portugal (where the first subsidiary was created in 1980), France, Argentina and Chile.

The division of the cooperative into two distinct businesses occurs between 1984 and 1985. At that point the embryos are created of what today are ULMA Packaging and ULMA Construction. A year later, the two cooperatives, together with ENARA S. Coop, form what is called the Oñalán Group, which has been known as the ULMA Group since 1992.

In 2005, the whole of the ULMA Group is incorporated as a division to the Mondragon Corporation (then MCC).[2][3]

ULMA Construction is one of the eight cooperatives that make up the ULMA Group. The others are ULMA Agriculture, ULMA Architectural Solutions, ULMA Forklifts, ULMA Conveyor Components, ULMA Handling Systems, ULMA Packaging and ULMA Piping. The group has a presence in 80 countries, 4,500 employees and a turnover of 700 million euros.

At the end of 2014, ULMA Construction had 2,029 employees.

ULMA Construction has carried out projects involving construction, restoration[4] and maintenance of buildings of all kinds,[5] from bridges[6] and viaducts to tunnels,[7] hydraulic works and sewage treatment plants, as well as towers,[8] high-rise buildings,[9] schools[10] and universities, stadiums,[11] religious and corporate buildings.[12] It has security systems certified by reputable companies, such as GSV, AENOR and AIDICO that guarantee the collective protection of workers on site, providing working platforms for wall and column formwork, access stairs to different areas of work, scaffolding and foot bridges for work at height and perimeter protection systems (interior hollows or edge of slab).[13]

Projects built using ‘ULMA Construction Formwork

• Hudson Yards, New York City, United States. Construction of the core building, consisting of four lift shafts, in 10 Hudson Yards.[14]
• Port of Bayovar, (Peru). Construction of two large silos in one of the largest deposits of phosphate mining of South America.[15]
• Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha (Brasilia, Brazil). Construction of the compression ring.[16]
• Prague Metro, Prague (Czech Republic). Technical service for the widest tunnel ever built in the Czech Republic
• El Cajón Dam, Grande de Santiago River (México)[17]
• Palace of Versailles, Paris, (France). Restoration of the roof over the Ambassador's Staircase in the residence of the French monarchy and World Heritage Site by UNESCO
• La Pepa Bridge, Bay of Cádiz (Spain). Construction of several deck sections in the world’s second tallest bridge.
• Harborside, Jersey City (New Jersey). Construction work in the tallest residential buildings in New Jersey.[18]
• Empire Outlets, New York City (New York). Formwork and shoring systems for the shopping area, hotel, and parking structure to be opening in Staten Island in 2018.[19]
• Museo Fundazione Prada, Milan (Italy). Formwork and shoring solutions for the walls and the slabs of the Fondazione Prada Museum that combines pre-existing industrial buildings with new ones[20]
• Milan Metro, Blu line, Milan (Italy). Works for the Argonne Station in the new Milan Metropolitan Line.[21]
• Atlantic Station, Atlanta (Georgia). Formwork systems for one of the towers and the car park in an old Post Office building turned into a mixed-use development[22]
• Jaworzno Power Station, Jaworzno (Poland) Engineering solutions, scaffolding and formwork systems, and supervision for the construction of both the powerhouse and the electrical and mechanical systems centre.[23][24]

In 2010, ULMA Construction helped create the ULMA Foundation, which donates 10% of its profits to support social welfare, sporting or public interest socio-cultural projects in the Basque Country.[25]