Smithton, Tasmania - July 7, 2008 - BASF's high performance Ucrete DP floor is specified by the leading food processing company - McCain Foods Limited - after its success in a series of on-site trials conducted in the past two years in Tasmania, Australia. The reliability and outperforming capabilities of Ucrete DP have been once again proven.
The trials, which were conducted at McCain's French fry and frozen vegetable processing plant in Smithton in north-west Tasmania, had been established about two years ago in order to assess the performance of a range of different flooring solutions in 'live' operating conditions.
Ian Cunningham, Plant Engineer at McCain's Smithton Plant explained, "In a food processing facility such as this, the performance of the floor is critical for both safety and hygiene.
In the past, despite trying a range of solutions, Cunningham found that many of the floor toppings were not able to withstand the harsh operating environment, and were being damaged and degraded by the acid from the vegetable matter, oil and the constant flow of forklifts.
"With that in mind, we conducted a two-year trial to assess the performance of a range of different flooring solutions under 'live' operating conditions. We are so excited to have proved that Ucrete could withstand such harsh conditions," he added.
Following the results of the trial, McCains specified Ucrete DP from BASF Construction Chemicals for the floors in the plant's loading and packing areas, as well as throughout a number of key processing areas, including the potato chip deep frying area.
Specifically developed for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, Ucrete DP's unique monolithic formulation provides an extremely high level of slip resistance while still remaining easy to clean and maintain. Importantly, rather than relying on a thin seal coat, Ucrete DP provides protection throughout the total thickness of the floor - delivering outstanding protection against thermal shock and/or repeated temperature cycling, as well as a wider range of resistance to chemicals and solvents (including acids, alkalis and hydrocarbons) than any other resin floor.
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 releation to "high slip risk" areas.
The Ucrete DP floors at Smithton plant were laid by Tasmanian-based concrete repair and coating specialists Maintenance Systems Pty Ltd. Approximately 2,000m2 of Ucrete DP floors have been installed at the plant. The main floor area incorporates a grey coloured floor, with yellow used to delineate walkways and red colored Ucrete DP used to highlight forklift operating areas.
Speaking about the applications, Richard Eveleigh, Technical Manager with Maintenance Systems Pty Ltd, commented, "We've been using and recommending Ucrete products for over 15 years and have always been impressed with the results."
"Ucrete DP has proven to be the ideal flooring solution for the McCains plant. Not only is it able to withstand the extremely harsh operating environment, its non-slip profile helps to significantly improve safety - especially given that many areas in the plant are subjected to almost continuous water exposure, either from processing or wash-down procedure," he added.
These comments were echoed by Cunningham, who added, "We're extremely happy with the performance of the Ucrete DP floors. Even the first trial section, which has now been down over three years, continues to perform well. As well as being extremely tough, the combination of the non-slip profile and highly-visible colors along the walkways and forklift operating areas has also helped to improve safety at the plant."
"In addition, the fact that the floor is easy to clean has also result in a reduction in the amount of water we use during our cleaning procedures," he concluded.
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. Further information is available at www.basf-cc.com.au
About BASF
BASF is with 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. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com