Sheet piles have been commonly used in the construction industry since early last century. They are used in a wide variety of both temporary and permanent building applications, including retaining walls, slope stabilisation, seepage control barriers, river and canal frontages, quays, wharves, sea walls, dock and harbour works, permanent foundations and ground reclamation works.

Since the implementation of the sheet-piling concept, the understanding and knowledge of designing and constructing such structures has increased significantly, both theoretically and practically.The design of the piles themselves has remained relatively unchanged.

Therefore while an engineer may have greater insight into the problems faced and the possible solutions, eventually he is forced to curtail his design to match the capabilities of existing available piles.

The ESC sheet pile concept seeks to remove this handicap. Using the experience gained by the construction industry over the last century, ESC have identified and addressed the common problems associated with sheet piles, and designed a new sheet pile that utilises the latest advances in construction and geotechnical science. The ESC sheet-piling concept will provide engineers the power to select a pile that will meet his or her requirements.

ESC sheet piles are the only Malaysian produced sheet piles available in the market today. A proven product that has been successfully used since 1994 in numerous prestigious projects, the ESC sheet pile is a Malaysian product that will revolutionise a traditionally conservative industry.

Earth Support Company (M) Sdn Bhd (ESC) was established in 1994 (and forms the manufacturing arm of the ESC Group) in Malaysia by a group of engineers and contractors who realised that there were major drawbacks with the sheet pile products and service available at the time. By combining experience and technical knowledge, they found that most of these problems could be solved, and with this incentive ESC set out to revolutionise the sheet piling industry. Two areas were targeted;

The Product(s)

Existing sheet pile products had remained basically unchanged for decades. There was little or no design flexibility, selection options were limited, over design was essential, installation was difficult, sections were small, clutching mechanisms were fickle and progressive lean was an accepted factor in the finished product.

Added to this was the factor that the latest International Standards were clearly stating that many of the existing sheet pile designs were unsuitable in some soil conditions, namely soft clays, due to the clutching technique.

ESC solved these problems with a patented wide profile design, that was cold formed in segments to give the designing engineer nearly unlimited flexibility in his selections. It could be fitted with a range of different clutching systems to suit the application and ground conditions. It was designed in accordance with the latest codes of practice and complies with the most modern geotechnical theories. Installation was quick and easy and de-clutching became nearly non-existent.

In late 2004, ESC introduced the U Pile range. Previously, the ESC market was for 1 to 1.5 metre “wide” profile sheet piles. The U Piles vary from 400mm to 750mm and therefore cover the entire range of all “conventional” hot rolled sheet piles from Europe, US, Japan and other areas. Thus, contractors world wide who are more familiar with these sheet piles can choose not only from ESC’s “wide” profile range but can now choose a sheet pile that they were previously more comfortable with.

The ESC U Pile has not been compromised any of the facets that the ESC Group “wide” sheet piles were designed for with the new sheet pile design. Functionality, appearance and cost-effectiveness continue to be criteria applied with ESC’s designs.

The ESC U Piles satisfy all three requirements
1. The prefabricated elements allow simple and economic construction
2. The finished article is appealing to the eye
3. All requirements for structural safety and protection of the environment are meet.

The Service

ESC discovered early that most engineers and contractors who are selecting and purchasing sheet piles are not experts in sheet pile design and installation.When purchasing existing piling products, they receive no assistance from either the agent or the producer regarding the best design for their application, and once the sale was made the agent and producer accept no further responsibility for the product.

ESC felt that this was an unsatisfactory situation, therefore when a customer purchases an ESC product, they receive an unprecedented level of total product support and service throughout the effective life cycle of the product.This service includes total geotechnical analysis and design, pile design and selection, corrosion designs, installation, technical backup and regular visits by ESC technicians during the project. ESC provide a team of trained experts who are ready to respond to queries or situations immediately, ensuring that the customer never feels neglected or abandoned. All of these additional services are provided to the customer at no extra cost.

All of the features stated above have been summarised in ESC Groups Mission Statement;

Mission Statement

ESC will provide a commitment to the construction industry to address and overcome the shortcomings of sheet pile design, manufacture and application.

To achieve this ESC will strive to produce a superior product and to make it commonly available to the general construction sector.

Recognising that a superior product is still not sufficient, ESC will provide the customer and potential customer with total product backup, including all design aspects, sales assistance, technical assistance, after sales service, installation assistance, and complete support for the duration of the customers project.

In summary, ESC will provide total and complete sheet piling solutions, this includes all aspects of the use of sheet piles throughout the entire life cycle of the product.