What they needed Caterpillar is one of the largest suppliers of industrial machinery and tools in the world. This means that they need floors that stand up to heavy use. At Caterpillar, there was a variety of potential hazards and difficulties that any flooring surface needed to be able to withstand. First, the heavy nature of the industrial machinery and equipment that is transported around on flooring means that there is a high potential for wear and tear. Secondly, the nature of the machinery involved means that there is an equally high chance of oil spillages – and of that oil being moved around on floored surfaces. Caterpillar needed a surface that was strong enough to withstand heavy objects, but also easy enough to clean that spillages will not cause a problem. What we did Resurfacing flooring is a regular part of what Maintenance Contracts does. We routinely carry out flooring jobs at the weekend, so that we can complete our work without interfering with normal production schedules. With Caterpillar, we first needed to vacuum shot blast the floor surface. This is because the existing concrete had areas of oil contamination. We needed to start applying flooring to layers of concrete that had not been contaminated. Due to the location of existing machinery, we needed to be careful to shot blast the concrete as close as possible around the machinery without causing any damage. Where there were areas of oil contamination that we were unable to remove, or there was oil present, we needed to use an oil tolerant primer to ensure that any subsequent resin systems would adhere properly to the floor surface. We also needed to ensure that there was a clear demarcation between different areas of flooring. Caterpillar have walkways and forklift truck areas on their site. These need to be clearly demarcated for safety, with zebra crossings where the areas intercept each other. Certain areas, particularly lathe areas, produce a large quantity of oily swarf. In these areas, we needed to install as Grip-Seal ‘Re-Grip’ system. This incorporates anti-slip aggregates into the flooring, so that the area is safe to move around in and work in without slipping when there is swarf present. Client Feedback The job was completed in time and within budget to a satisfactory standard.
