Flawless victory

By Timo Jahen

A strong and reliable flooring system is an essential component in the fight to maintain hygiene and safety in food production. NGF speaks to Timo Jahen.

“The selection of correct interior floors and walls can help to reduce the risk of employee accidents as well as food contamination.”
-Timo Jahen, Altro

What specific properties are required from industrial interior surfaces in the food production and processing industry?

Timo Jahnen. The food production industry presents some particular challenges when it comes to interior surfaces. Extreme temperatures at both ends of the scale, a high risk of spillages and exposure to chemicals make this a very demanding environment. Under EU regulations, interior surfaces must be smooth, non-absorbent and easy to clean and disinfect. Furthermore, walls and floors must be durable and impact resistant. Health and safety is also a consideration. With the necessary handling of a wide range of food and drink substances and chemicals it's no wonder that accidents are common in the food industry, particularly slippages on wet floor surfaces.

The selection of correct interior floors and walls can help to reduce the risk of employee accidents as well as food contamination. Floor coverings in food production must be able to withstand spillages of foods and liquids, but also to provide a slip resistant surface for employees to walk upon. Specialist safety flooring is an ideal choice, offering enough surface roughness to provide grip while still being easy to clean to meet food hygiene requirements.

Hygiene is of paramount importance in the food industry. What role do interior surfaces have to play in safeguarding against contamination?

TJ. The food production environment is often hot and damp, providing a breeding ground for bacteria. Because of this, surfaces need to be impermeable and impact resistant so no cracks can appear and no water can penetrate allowing bacteria to grow. Impermeable surfaces with an integral bacteriostat to inhibit bacterial growth, combined with a finish that makes them easy to clean, can contribute enormously to providing a long lasting hygienic solution or the food production industry.

What is it about your product that sets you apart from the competition? Are there particular technologies or techniques that are unique to you?

TJ. Thanks to advances in technology and manufacture, specialist surfaces offering advanced hygiene, durability and ease of cleaning are now available to provide unrivalled performance in the extreme environments of mass food production.

The key difference with Altro's PVC safety flooring and hygienic wall cladding is the impermeable surface that is watertight, does not crack and needs no grout. Floors and walls are fully bonded to the substrate, and corner installations are pencil rounded so there are no 90° angles. All this means that there is nowhere for bacteria to hide. Both the walling system and Altro's heavy duty safety flooring range are tough and designed to withstand the demands of man and machinery in the food industry.

In the current business climate any downtime in a factory or processing plant has to be avoided. Is it possible to install durable and effective interior surfaces while minimising disruption?

TJ. Sheet material such as Altro PVC safety flooring and wall cladding are significantly quicker to install than traditional materials; the flexibility and simplicity of the system means less down time when installing. In the case of Whiterock wall cladding, there are also additional savings in substrate preparation as panels can be fixed directly to most sound and dry substrates including good quality brick or block work, rendering, plasterboard, plywood, ceramic tiles and plasters.

Biography

Timo Jahen started his career in the flooring business over 12 years ago with Altro, one of the world leaders in specialist floor and wall covering. After two years experience in the field and four years in marketing he takes over responsibility for the German speaking countries in Europe as Area Manager.