Your workforce performs better in a cleaner, smarter and well-ordered environment, and the condition of your industrial flooring plays an important part in this. Most industrial floors begin to wear in different areas at different times due to higher volumes of traffic in specific zones.
When do you stop repeatedly repairing these areas and completely replace your industrial flooring?
Key Indicators it’s Time to Upgrade your Industrial Flooring
If you replace your industrial flooring too soon you could be spending money that would bring you a better ROI if you used it to do something else. But if you leave it too late, the damage could put your workforce in harm’s way and end up costing much more than if you’d invested in a new floor at the right time.
Here’s our advice on making the right decision at the right time.
Damaged Industrial Flooring
The first thing to consider is how frequently are you repairing areas of damaged floor. How long do the repairs last before you have to do them again? How much does it cost you to do the repairs?
As well as the obvious costs of materials and labour, there can be hidden costs such as the disruption to the business from closing the area down for 24 hours or paying someone overtime to do the work at a weekend.
Is the size of the damaged area increasing? The further it spreads the more expensive it will be when you decide to replace the entire floor.
Health and Safety
It is imperative that your floor doesn’t present a trip hazard or the risk of a forklift overturning. If drivers are complaining of discomfort, there’s a very good chance that large areas are sufficiently damaged which mean it’s time to replace the whole floor.
As a general rule, differences in floor levels greater than 3mm can pose a danger to your staff. Instead of trying to level out the floor, it will be safer to replace it entirely.
The anti-slip performance of the floor will also deteriorate with time, as constant forklift and foot traffic following the same pathways every day wear down the textured surface that gives the floor its grip. When you start to see very shiny and smooth sections of floor, it’s time to replace it entirely.
What do your Customers Think?
It is no longer acceptable for factories to be dark, grimy and unpleasant places to visit. Quite apart from the responsibility we have to provide a clean and safe environment for our staff to work in, it is common practice for customers to visit their supplier’s factories to check quality and discuss innovations.
Creating the right impression is crucial; if the factory is clean, safe and well organised, the customer will be confident in the quality of the product made in that factory. Flooring is often overlooked in this context until it is replaced and everyone is amazed at the transformation.
Tough, smart, level, anti-fatigue, anti-slip flooring that incorporates clearly defined zones for pedestrian and forklifts with safety signs is a guaranteed way of demonstrating to your customers that you can be trusted with their orders and their reputation.
Change in Flooring Requirements
If you are expecting more traffic on your industrial flooring or want to implement a more organised approach to your work space, then a flexible floor covering is the best option. Future-proof your work environment by investing in a floor that can be altered to meet the changing requirements of the business.
It is common these days for production lines to be moved or increased or decreased in size. Maybe you need more room for assembly and have to encroach on what was previously your warehouse.
You still need to have clear walkways and fire exits, and our interlocking tile system will allow you to make these changes at no additional cost or disruption to the business as you can do it yourself.
Choose Ecotile’s Efficient Flooring Solution
If any of these issues are affecting your business, it’s time to think about a new floor that works for you. Ecotile interlocking floor tiles are the perfect choice because not only do they have a long life cycle, if they do ever get damaged, you can lift it and replace it straight away.
They are durable enough to withstand the weight of HGVs, forklifts and pallet trucks and are available in a variety of colours so zonal markings, floor signs and logos can all be implemented.
Finally, our commitment to sustainability means that when you eventually need to replace your industrial flooring, we will buy it back to offset against the cost of a new one. Contact us today to find out how Ecotile can solve all of your flooring problems.
David Bryant-Pugh is sales and marketing manager of Ecotile Flooring. A Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM), David divides his time between creating strategy and tactics for the modular flooring business, and meeting customers to better understand their needs and specific marketplace. Operating across multiple industry sectors (every business has a floor, right!) David’s experience ranges from manufacturing to retail, and everything in between.
Prior to Ecotile, David managed the marketing team at Argos for Business. He previously built a wealth of experience in the foodservice and construction industries as marketing lead. You can find David on LinkedIn
