Case Study: Bristol Myers Squibb / Lotte Biologics
Poured Flooring Installation , removal of Decades of floor surfaces.
Background:
A Pharmaceutical Production facility, BMS, required an upgrade to its existing manufacturing clean room floors. The facilities proactive approach would ensure product safety and regulatory compliance. The floors required multiple repairs and patching for decades until such time that the failing epoxy floor system needed to be removed in its entirety. Multiple layers of tile, uncured epoxy waterproofing membranes, patch material and epoxy floor layers were removed. This would be paramount in the new systems long term success. The project was undertaken to enhance the facility’s safety, hygiene standards and eliminate production schedule interruptions with floor repairs. The installation was completed by NUFLORZ INC., a company specializing in industrial floor coatings for 30 years. This project was completed ahead of schedule by working first, second and third shifts. NUFLORZ met the facilities expectations and high testing standards ahead of the project schedule.
Project Details:
- Scope: Removal of the failing floor system, uncured epoxy waterproofing membranes and install a 6-layer Poured flooring system with a Cementitious urethane Base.
- Timeline: Scheduled for completion in 5 weeks.
Issues Encountered:
- Particulate Contamination: Testing exposed unacceptable air born particulate contamination that required investigation and corrective action.
- Delamination: Sections of the epoxy mortar began to chip and delaminate away from the concrete substrate and perimeter walls.
- Slippery Finish: Some areas of the floor were worn and slippery presenting the potential for a slip fall accident.
- Floors were not sloped to the process drains. The existing floor surfaces were not installed to promote liquid flow to the waste drains. This resulted in puddling and required hand work to move liquids to the disposal drains.
Analysis:
Upon investigation, several issues were identified:
- Improperly installed and uncured Material: Component layers of athe previously installed floor systems had never fully cured. This indicated an error in the mixing ratio – this material would never cure. The multiple layers of epoxy broadcast systems covered h this problem, but long term failures resulted and the required production interuptions and downtime were immeasurable.
- Substrate contamination: The failures were also attributed to continuous liquid penetration due to floor cracking. Over time this compromised the characteristics of the entire floor.
- Obsolete Flooring: The original tile and epoxy floor systems were not capable or designed to withstand severe impacts that it was subject to.
- Floor Abuse: Heavy tooling and objects were dropped on the surface causing damage that added to the failures.
Corrective Actions Taken:
- Removal of the entire floor surface: The failing tile, membranes, and epoxy mortar floor was removed. This involved demolition of all of the existing floor coating system.
- Surface cleaning and preperation: The concrete was cleaned with an environmentally friendly degreaser neutralizer. Once dry, the floor was shot blasted utilizing a Blastrac 2020 global to remove the top layer of contaminants and prepare the concrete for the next step.
- Floor Application Procedures: NUFLORZ INC. utilized a Decorative Cementitious urethane based coating system at ¼ “ with 6 inch cove base and three topcoats of a chemical resistant polyaspartic coating to prevent future problems.
Outcome:
BMS reported increased satisfaction with the quality of the finished floor, observed improved ease of maintenance, safety and enjoyed long term regulatory compliance without production schedule interference.
Lessons Learned:
- Installing a poured system on the Correct Substrate is essential: The correct floor preparation and demolition is essential when installing a poured floor system.
- Hire a qualified contractor that is familiar with the products that are being installed and understands the importance of proper mixing. Adding additional layers will not hide underlying problems.
This case study highlights the importance of thorough preparation, precise application, and continuous improvement in ensuring the success of Poured epoxy flooring installations.