Most
concrete experts agree that the most common area where concrete floors become damaged
is the joints. In-fact it is joints that present as the most perplexing problem
to floor owners and experts in the industry.
Given
the fact that most joints are spaced between 3,5m to 6m apart, this translates
into a floor of 10 000m2, having around 3500m to 4000m of joints! That
translates into up to 4000m of potential floor damages, time wastage and
equipment damages!
In
the same way that financials are considered as a way of asset management,
business needs to look at the floor of their facility as being an asset that
needs to be managed. By focussing on your investment money working for you, you
should also focus on your investment in assets working for you!
The Challenge
There
are many things that can happen to joints progressively over time, and include
the following:
·
Spalling
of joint edges due to hard wheeled traffic – since most modern material
handling vehicles (MHV’s) use solid poly-urethane wheels.
·
Joints
widen as the concrete shrinks over time
·
Concrete
edges may curl with time due to variables slab drying shrinkage, thus exposing
the joints to damage
·
Snapping
of Slabs – due to the curling, this can lead to large cracks forming at the
panel corners, and ultimately “snapping”
The
fact remains that the concrete floor is the most important element of a working
facility, for it is the fundamental platform of all operational functions.
The
service-ability of a floor has a direct impact on your organisations
productivity – and the cost implications of a deteriorated and un-serviceable
floor are significant. A damaged floor can result in the following costly
productive problems:
·
Vibratory
damage to MHV parts, bearings and on-board computers
·
(Reported
cases of facilities spending in excess of R300 000.00 per month on simply MHV
maintenance and repairs due to floors)
·
Accelerated
MHV wheel wear and replacement
·
Downtime
due to MHV not operational
·
Operator
slow down due to defects and operator fatigue
·
Absenteeism
due to chronic neuro-muscular injuries for operators
·
Time
wastage due to needing to slow down around damaged floor areas
·
Increased
house-keeping costs
·
Increase
staff costs for MHV repair teams
·
Excess
MHV’s due to down time of damaged MHV’s
·
Load
tippage and breakage caused by defects
·
Deprecation
of the value of your floor as an asset
In
essence a damaged floor, not properly maintained…..impacts the bottom line
financially!
The Way Forward
First
and foremost, one needs to understand what the current status is of your floor.
Basically the condition needs to be measured, before the correct management and
maintenance program can be implemented.
Secondly,
work with the right flooring contractor, for as the common saying goes…..”you
get what you pay for”
In
taking the steps towards managing your floor asset more beneficially, use the
following basic steps to start with:
Regular Inspections
Inspections,
combined with regular cleaning allows for early identification of potential problem areas within the floor. These can
and should be attended to promptly to avoid long term and more costly damage.
Joint Maintenance
Joint
maintenance includes the use of the appropriate joint sealant product to top up
joints. Additionally, the correct repair mortars for joint re-building and low
pressure injection grouting need to be
used and made standard across the business’s facilities. These will assist with the management of issues concerned
with rocking panels.
Wheel Damage
Joint
damage causes wheel damage, which in turn impacts negatively on operations
Operator
fatigue and absenteeism
MHV
repairs and down-time
Reduced
productivity
Cracks
Attend
to cracks in the floor, as if left along and in combination with joint
failures, these will add to the costs associated with floors.
Surface Damage
Surface
damage can include holes, pitting, scaling and delamination. Whilst these can
occur away from the joints, it is not uncommon to notice the development of
larger holes and surface cavities beginning from the joints.
CONCLUSION: Why joints and flooring matter?
A
damaged floor can lead to high maintenance costs on material handling vehicles,
damaged sensors, health and safety issues, load tippage and damage of the
asset.
To eradicate this hidden gremlin from your warehouse you need to invest in your floor which will see a dramatic reduction in your maintenance costs and improved efficiency of operations.
Contributed by: Peter Norton, Director, Concrete Laser Flooring
