Flowfresh MF, a polyurethane system from global resin flooring manufacturer Flowcrete met all the specifications of Procter & Gamble during the flooring refurbishment of their facility in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Housing the company’s baby care and feminine care units, the industrial facility needed new floors that would provide an attractive, hygienic and visually appealing surface for an extended period of time while standing up to the many challenges of large-scale processing. Given that globally recognised brands such as Pampers and Whisper would be handled in these areas, every aspect of the site had to meet the highest levels of quality to prevent contaminants or flaws creeping into the processing line. The refurbishment project also had to be completed to a demanding standard within a tight time schedule to avoid disrupting the site’s productivity.
Having undertaken a cost analysis that exposed the true price of floor failure, P&G realised that an insufficiently robust solution would result in the facility risking failures that could turn the production area into an unattractive, unhygienic and unsafe environment. The chosen solution would need to be durable enough to withstand point loading from large pallets, traffic from staff and heavily laden trolleys, equipment, regular cleaning and occasional impacts for an extended period of time.
It was also important for P&G that the new floor finish complied with international hygiene standards to prove that it was up to the task of minimising contamination within the busy industrial environment.
The consumer goods giant undertook an extensive specification process following which Flowfresh MF was identified as the ideal flooring refurbishment solution for the project. About 6,250 square metres of Flowfresh MF were installed across the manufacturing facility’s production halls and packing areas.
Flowcrete India’s Managing Director, Vivekanandan Margasahayam recalled that they faced stiff competition to win the flooring contract, as Procter & Gamble was rigorous in their specification process. He explained that Flowfresh’s many advantages made it the most attractive proposition in the end, as it could meet all of P&G’s cleanliness, durability, longevity and application criteria. The specifiers were assured that the final finish would achieve what was required before anything was installed.
Flowfresh’s HACCP International certification was crucial to P&G’s specifiers as it provided an assurance it would retain the desired flooring properties for the long term.
To enhance a site’s hygienic credentials even further, every Flowfresh system has had the antimicrobial additive Polygiene homogeneously distributed throughout the floor’s polyurethane matrix. This bactericidal agent is able to eliminate up to 99.9% of bacteria in contact with the floor, including E-coli listeria and Salmonella typhi.
Flowfresh MF was also specified for this project because it could be installed on top of a less than one-week-old concrete slab. This saved P&G almost a month of drying time, which would have been necessary for epoxy systems, thereby allowing the plant to start operating again much sooner than it otherwise would have done.
Flowcrete India and its approved applicator were able to successfully complete the project within the five-day window, avoiding any delays and disruptions to P&G’s operational activity.
