Burleigh, Queensland - May 26, 2008 - BASF's Ucrete DP flooring solution is specified for the redevelopment of Top Cut Foods' Burleigh meat processing and packaging facility, providing a tough floor for the customer to manufacture high-quality foods in a safe and hygienic environment.
Renowned as one of Australia's leading "portion control specialists" over the past 20 years, Top Cut Foods Pty Ltd is one of the country's most recognized food companies for its supply of high-quality, pre-packaged fresh meats, smoked products and manufactured meat products to supermarkets. It is also reputed in the retail and the restaurant trade sectors - both locally and internationally.
To keep up with the ever-increasing demand for its products, Top Cut Foods has undertaken a major redevelopment of its Burleigh meat processing and packaging facility in the heart of southeast Queensland's burgeoning Gold Coast business region. Needless to say, the focus on quality is extended to all aspects of the plant redevelopment, including the selection of an appropriate flooring solution.
Kane Hope, the manager of specialist flooring applicator Sealtec Pty Ltd, explained, "As you would expect in a high quality food processing facility like Top Cut Foods', ensuring that you have the right floor is of paramound importance. The floor not only has to be easy to clean, hygienic, and extremely head wearing, it also has to be safe, especially in terms of its slip resistance capabilities in what are often wet and slick condition."
With that in mind, the main contractor, Badge Constructions, recommended using Ucrete DP from BASF Construction Chemicals as an important material for the majority of the redevelopment facility. Applied at an average thickness of six millimetres, Ucrete DP is featured on the concrete slab floors in the meat processing/preparation areas, cooking room, meat-smoking room, Halal processing areas, smallgoods loading dock, cool rooms, freezers and washdown rooms. The project utilises two colours of Ucrete DP, namely BASF Green and BASF Cream.
Specifically developed for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, Ucrete DP combines outstanding strength and non-slip performance characteristics. It meets the requirements of both the U.S. and European standards for slip resistant pedestrian surfaces, as well as those of AS/NZS 4586:1999 Slip Resistance Classification of New Pedestrian Surface Materials in relation to "high slip risk" areas.
Ucrete DP's unique formulation and profile provides an extremely high level of slip resistance while still remaining easy to clean and maintain. Its monolithic formulation combines the toughness and chemical resistance of polyurethane with the heat resistance and durability of concrete. Furthermore, it provides protection throughout the total thickness of the floor, rather than relying on a thin seal coat. It also gives a wider range of reistance to chemicals and solvents (including acids, alkalis and hydrocarbons) than any other resin floor as well as remaining unaffected by thermal shock and/or repeated temperature cycling.
About BASF Construction Chemicals
BASF's Construction Chemicals division is the leading supplier of chemical systems and formulations for the construction industry. Continuous innovation and tailor-made solutions ensure its customers are more successful. Its Admixture Systems business unit specifically helps customers in the ready-mix, precast, manufactured concrete and underground construction industries. The Construction Systems unit offers a wide range of products for sports and industrial floorings, external renders and wall insulation, expansion joints, wood preservatives, as well as specialist repair mortars, tile adhesives and waterproofing membranes. The division operates production sites and sales centers in more than 50 countries and achieved sales of €2.1 billion with approximately 7,100 employees in 2007.
About BASF
BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from oil and gas to chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF has more than 95,000 employees and posted sales of almost €58 billion in 2007. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com