June is National Dairy Month and whilst most often celebrated across the pond in the US, we didn’t want to miss out at All Things Flooring HQ!
When this celebration of all things dairy began in 1937, National Milk Month as it was known then was created to stabilise the dairy demand when production was at a surplus. Nowadays, this annual tradition celebrates the contributions that the dairy industry has made to the world and the health of its consumers.
This award-winning creamery in Australia designed its facility to meet the demands of the dairy industry
This industry is a complex world, and with the rise of new dairy products, including lactose-free milk and organic yoghurts, not to mention new legislations surrounding storage and shipping, the dairy industry needs to be able to work quickly, effectively and hygienically in all areas. This is where we come in.
Supporting the Dairy Industry
There is one giant factor that supports the dairy industry – the floor! Having the right kind of flooring can ensure a safe and efficient workflow, whilst maintaining high sanitation standards throughout the facility.
Take this Australian creamery for example.
This creamery needed a flooring solution that could meet the demands of the industry
In the pursuit of excellence, this creamery planned every aspect of the facility carefully. To ensure that the flooring would stand up to the challenges within the facility, a chemical resistant polyurethane resin system, in corporate colours, was chosen for the flooring.
Thanks to its high level of chemical resistance, the flooring was ideal for the silo area, kitchen, processing, mixing, ingredients and filling rooms, where there would be a high chance of produce being spilled or dropped.
Chemical resistance can protect the flooring from dropped foodstuff
In a similar vein, the polyurethane resin system is resistant to temperatures from -15°C to 90 °C, meaning that there would be no risk of floor failure in the working cool room, freezer, cool storage room and ambi chamber areas of the facility.
The Sour Side of Sugar
Regular exposure to foodstuffs and varying temperatures can take its toll on lesser floors over time. For example lactose in dairy is a natural sugar, which can be corrosive to a floor’s coating if there is daily exposure. Strong chemical cleaners used to wash away spillages of this nature can have a similarly corrosive effect on the floor if the correct properties are not specified. Therefore, having a high chemical resistance was imperative to this creamery.
Suitable Storage
Polyurethane resin is also known for its durability and abrasion resistance. In storage areas such as the dry store, carton room and loading dock, where produce would be stored, transported and loaded onto distribution vehicles, a hardwearing floor surface was imperative. Moving heavy materials can cause wear on the floor, and abrasions are extremely likely to occur if items are dropped or dragged along the finish over an extended period of time.
A hardwearing floor was required to deal with heavy machinery and dropped items
Good Bacteria Only
Dairy consumers are used to the benefits of the ‘good bacteria’ found in some dairy produce, but like all consumers, we do not want to think about the bad bacteria. Food and beverage facilities are increasingly including more systems that can help to banish bacteria, one such system is coving.
Coving creates a sealed finish between the floor and wall joint, leaving no gaps for bacteria to reside, grow and multiply. To enhance the hygiene of a facility further, polyurethane resin systems that include antibacterial additives are available in the market that can help to reduce 99.9% of bacteria on a floor’s surface.
The inclusion of coving reduces the number of joints for bacteria to hide in
With many of these benefits of polyurethane resin hiding within the system, it is a good job that the flooring is also visually pleasing! In fact, this is one of the best creamery facilities that we’ve seen. What do you think?
