Introducing vebrocrete HF Rapid Cure, a new, heavy-duty, fast-curing, FeRFA Type 8, self-sealing polyurethane concrete flooring system designed to minimise production downtime and floor related disruption in food and drink manufacturing facilities and provide a fully operational floor in just 12 hours!

What is the real cost of production downtime in food manufacturing facilities?

One of the biggest challenges facing food and beverage manufacturers, due to the cost implications associated, is production downtime. With the current strain on the food supply chain resulting for the COVID-19 epidemic the need to minimise any pause to production is now more critical than ever.

For a food and beverage processing plant, the typical cost of production downtime can equate to thousands of pounds (or more) per day.

According to downtime consultants, every food manufacturing will lose around 5% of its productivity due to downtime every year, with some losing as much as 20%. To make matters worse, a large percentage of manufacturers (80%) are unable to calculate their exact downtime costs correctly. Some manufacturers are underestimating them by as much as 300% – that’s a considerable amount of profit lost!

Having said that, routine, or at times – unscheduled – maintenance is often unavoidable in food manufacturing facilities to economically extend the overall life of equipment and fittings whilst boosting productivity as well as minimising activity-based wear and tear.

Why does flooring in food manufacturing need to be maintained?

The floor or wearing surface represents a major part of maintenance programmes in food and drink manufacturing facilities as any damage to the existing surface, or a poorly chosen protective floor covering or coating material, can pose both a safety hazard to visitors and staff as well as a cross-contamination risk when it comes to the food produce itself.

Think about it, although the floor is the second largest surface area in any building (after walls), because of our old friend gravity, it’s where most contaminants, dirt and other nasties are going to eventually end up. On top of this, slips, trips and fall workplace related accidents cost employers over £500 million annually in terms of injury related costs.

As such, it’s really important that food manufacturers comply with EU regulations and guidelines, as well as any food safety management plan operated within the facility that stress floors should be kept in sound condition at all time.

Which is where the new vebrocrete HF Rapid Cure polyurethane concrete flooring system from Vebro Polymers comes in!

Talk to me about vebrocrete HF Rapid Cure…

Not only does vebrocrete HF Rapid Cure offer all of the same performance characteristics that you would expect from a 6.0 – 9.0 mm heavy-duty polyurethane concrete screed – including tolerance of temperatures up to 130ºC, a positive anti-slip profile by inclusion of white flint aggregates, excellent chemical resistance and good substrate moisture mitigation properties – the system has also been formulated to reduce cure time by up to 75% vs. traditional PU concrete screeds.

Ideal for overnight or weekend-based installation, vebrocrete HF Rapid Cure can receive light foot traffic in 4 hours, light wheeled traffic in 8 hours and can be fully returned to service in just 12 hours! That is 75% faster than traditional HF polyurethane concrete screeds, which typically advise a 48-hour cure window prior to receiving heavy traffic.

vebrocrete HF Rapid Cure is installed in a seamless application, creating an inherently hygienic seamless surface that can be easily cleaned and prevents the build-up of bacteria in hard-to-reach joints and grout lines. In addition, the system can be steam cleaned at a thickness of 9.0 mm

The system is formulated from plant derived oils, which present no risk of taint in food processing areas and as a resin-rich, self-sealing system achieves zero water absorption. The system is ideal for use in small to medium sized processing and production areas, and for remedial based surface repairs as well as in corridors, plant and storage rooms housing bunding, silos or large equipment.

The system offers excellent resistance to organic acids, such as acetic acid, spirit, vinegar, fruit-derived acids, those produced by the oxidisation of animal fats or vegetable oils and lactic acid as found in the dairy industry. The system also performs exceptionally well under chemical attack from caustic-based cleaning solutions.

It comes in a range of muted grey shades as well as bright vibrant colours, all of which can be seen on the downloadable vebrocrete HF Colour Guide, as standard and special RAL colours can be produced to order.

Learn more about the vebrocrete HF Rapid Cure system from Vebro Polymers here, or to discuss rates, contact Vebro HQ on hello@vebropolymers.com

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