LINE-X Succeeds In Curing Lavazza’s Industrial Coating Issues
Luigi Lavazza established Lavazza Coffee in 1895, and his family still run the World-Famous company today. Their London facility desperately needed more storage and workspace, and so a creative solution was required.
The solution to the problem was a highly engineered steel mezzanine deck. The steel deck not only needed to support the weight of the additional stored materials, but also the 2 tonne forklifts that serviced the whole area. Designed to cover both sides of the Lavazza factory, these two forklifts rumbled across the steel floor 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This formidable structure was supported and braced, but still there was a degree of flex and movement, as these heavy machines carried out their duties.
After construction, the steel flooring plates were coated with a thin resin industrial coating. However, it wasn’t long before the continuous movement started to crack the resin. It degraded further by braking away from the substrate, causing severe health and safety issues.
After some intensive research for a ‘flexible’ industrial coating, it became clear that polyurea was the perfect product due to its strength and flexibility. LINE-X of West London were called in to evaluate the challenges.
The required specifications…
- Installation had to be completed during the companies 4-day maintenance shut down
- The steel coating had to move and flex with the structure.
- It had to be strong enough to cope with the movements of 2 tonne forklift trucks.
- It had to be strong enough to cope with repetitive turns in specific areas.
- The industrial floor coating needed to be easy to clean and maintain.
- Two teams of applicators would be required to spray both sides of the steel mezzanine deck to complete the contract within the limited time frame.
For such a demanding brief, the one product that ticked all the boxes was LINE-X XS350. This ‘pure polyurea’ Has been used to protect countless engineering structures across the globe. The elongation properties and formidable tear strength meant that LINE-X XS350 was the perfect solution for Lavazza’s steel deck floor.
The Application…
- The two teams from LINE-X West London completely sealed off the work areas ensuring there was no contamination of food preparation spaces, machinery or allied services.
- Next, the old failing floor coating was completely removed.
- The steel deck was then shot blasted to SA 2.5 standard, creating the perfect profile to ensure maximum adhesion.
- All spray equipment and products were palletised enabling swift and easy movement around the deck.
With great precision and skill, the LINE-X applicators applied the XS-350 to create the perfect industrial coating for this demanding project. To complete the installation, the teams applied demarcation lines using a high-adhesion PU topcoat in safety yellow.
Lavazza were delighted with their new flooring system, as well as the performance of LINE-X West London, who completed the task on time and to the exacting specification required.