Festive Shutdown & Maintenance Projects

The industrial downtime that accompanies the festive and New Year period shouldn’t be a cause for concern – as it is the perfect occasion to revitalise a facility with a fresh floor finish.

By taking advantage of this window of opportunity, manufacturers and producers can make plants and factories more efficient, safe and visually appealing for when the daily operational activity restarts.

Flowcrete Asia Managing Director, Desmond Sin, said: “Installing a new floor finish is a great way to make the most of the unavoidable shutdown that accompanies the festive season – as when the machines fire up again the site will be better placed to meet the site’s needs.

“Also, renovating during a holiday shutdown avoids having to close the facility at a later date, when downtime will have a detrimental affect on productivity and profits. In fact many manufacturers find that they can lose up to 20% of their productive capacity if they have to schedule downtime during the working season.”

However, plant operators need to start planning now to ensure that the materials, workforce and expertise will be available when and where they need them - otherwise they risk having to cancel refurbishment and maintenance projects because the flooring applicators are booked up or due to there being only a limited amount of stock available.

It is also important not to rush the specification, as getting the floor finish right is essential! The floor is a critical component within a plant and is just as integral as any other piece of equipment to the smooth running of the facility. Like the other equipment, the floor needs to have the necessary qualities to suit the task at hand, the budget and the application criteria.

The most intensive production areas will require a floor that can maintain a clean and seamless surface despite heavy machinery, impacts, foot and forklift traffic, hot water washes, exposure to chemicals and more. A thick, cementitious polyurethane flooring system is well matched to these conditions, as it will be able to retain an USDA/FDA or EU compliant surface that actively optimises the working environment.

Flowcrete Asia has developed the antimicrobial polyurethane flooring range Flowfresh with facilities sensitive to contamination in mind. This system contains Polygiene®, an antimicrobial agent based on silver-ion technology which complements regular floor cleaning and hygiene practices between wash cycles.

The system is also HACCP International certified for use in wet and dry processing facilities operating a Food Safety Management Plan based on the principles of HACCP.

When downtime really has to be kept as short as possible, the methyl methacrylate system Flowfast can be utilised to create floors that will fully cure in only 60 minutes. This application speed doesn’t come at the cost of flooring performance, as the durable, chemical resistant and anti-slip profile of Flowfast systems make it a valuable operational asset.

Epoxies are an advisable flooring solution for non-processing areas that are not subject to the same manufacturing rigours and high protection demands. The hygienic, seamless surface of an industrial standard epoxy system helps to keep the facility clean and the vibrant colour options allows for aesthetically pleasing floors that visually improve the site.

Desmond Sin added: “Flowcrete Asia’s extensive product range and industrial flooring experience makes us a highly valuable flooring partner during the summer shutdown, as we can provide the advice, solutions and knowledge required to carry out a successful floor maintenance project.”

Resin flooring systems can deliver further value to a site by being tailored to meet the specific needs of a facility. This can include having anti-slip aggregates broadcast into the floor to help minimise falls in wet service areas, incorporating colourful signage to improve workflow management and highlight health and safety concerns as well as adding coving to create a hygienic transition between the floor and the wall.

In fact, innovations from the last twelve months con offer specific competitive advantages when installed within certain circumstances, for example Flowcrete Asia’s new glow-in-the-dark flooring solutions, Flowfast and Flowflake Glow, which offer safety benefits in environments patrolled or used after dark including warehousing and storage facilities.

In addition to this, for those involved in the design, build or maintenance of cleanroom facilities, two of Flowcrete’s epoxy based floor and wall coating systems are now able to better demonstrate their suitability for use within cleanroom environments having qualified as Cleanroom Suitable Materials under the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA).

Both Flowshield SL - a colourful, high-gloss, self levelling epoxy floor coating and Flowseal EPW Wall - a pigmented, hygienic epoxy based wall sealer have met the requirements of a number of cleanroom standards set out by the IPA in accordance with the CSM test parameters.

Flowcrete Asia has frequently worked alongside industrial facilities to conduct in-depth life-cycle analysis during the specification stage. This helps to determine the ability of the specified floor to withstand the future use of the site while also identifying budgetary advantages that could be achieved by installing a solution that won’t incur costs later on due to repairs or an early refurbishment.

To find out more about carrying out a floor renovation project during 2017’s end-of-year shutdown period, talk to Flowcrete Asia’s resin flooring experts by calling +60 3 6277 9575 or email [email protected].