"It starts at the design phase. To design a space well, you must have a so-called puddle-free floor," says Hendrik Ruys, the Ruys Groep director. This Dutch company does industrial flooring for new and remodeled buildings, including for the potato processing industry. In that sector, proper drainage to achieve a 'puddle-free' floor is especially important, he says. "Standing water poses the risk of bacterial formation. That, in turn, affects the products' shelf life." A slope of as little as one percent can give you good drainage: "Enough to prevent puddles, but not so great that anyone notices it. Carts won't roll away, nor will people stand at an angle," Hendrik explains.
Design phase
And, he points out, if the floor is not included in a design plan's early stages, it may turn out that, for example, a drainage pit was placed under a machine, which can cause hygiene issues. "We can do the most, at that early stage, to help think of solutions." Besides hygiene, chemical resistance and safety, like preventing forklifts or employees from slipping, are also important aspects of industrial flooring. "You must pay attention to the floor being non-slip, and, in the processing areas, they must be chemical resistance because starch can be a somewhat strong irritant." Hendrik continues.
Thirty years
A cold cell or staff area floor can look very different from that in a processing space, Ruys states. "A cold store floor must be very wear-resistant because of the many movements, but it doesn't have to be chemical resistance." The Ruys Groep, whose clients include various potato processors, thus, often applies different floors in these areas, which can also save money.
"You can put down the best of the best everywhere; that will work in the cold stores - which houses packed products - too. But is that really necessary? We try to spend investment capital as efficiently as possible." The Ruys Groep's guiding principle is that a floor should last 30 years; no mess, no fuss. "There's nothing as annoying as renovation under production, although our subsidiary SR Floors can do that quickly and very well," Hendrik concludes."
The Ruys Groep
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