Floors often get the least attention in a warehouse or distribution centre. Yet, if one considers that these surface beds literally support all the activities that happen within the DC, then f loors and their role in the warehouse environment take on a whole new dimension.Nic de Carvalho, head of New Floors and Operations at Concrete Laser Flooring (CLF), says that delivering durable floors with high tolerance levels is critical.
“We are busy developing low shrink, jointless floor technology to reduce repair and maintenance overheads and improve facility efficiencies,” he explains.Some of the biggest challenges in the warehousing environment when it comes to floors are poor workmanship, the use of sub-standard material, low strengths, and incorrect design methodology – all of which often results in defective floors that are not within f latness specification and are very costly to maintain and repair.“All of this results in excessive costs, downtime, and poor productivity,” says De Carvalho who also warns against a reactive approach to warehouse f loors saying this can be just as costly and result in serious downtime.
“CLF, which has been placing new floors in warehouses and distribution centres for over 20 years, is constantly innovating. Research and development is ongoing to address the challenges in the sector and to come up with solutions that are efficient and that address cost,” he says.The company was, for example, the first to introduce Somero Laser Screed machines into South Africa as well as steel fibre reinforcement.
He says there are moves towards having fewer joints in floors and flatter surfaces with higher racking to increase storage capacity as industrial land is increasingly becoming more scarce. Fewer joints also have the benefit of reducing long-term maintenance costs.Commenting on how this compares with international trends, De Carvalho says while South Africa does follow international design quite closely, it certainly lags behind the international market, particularly in the area of automated facilities.
But, with a dramatic increase in the demand for space to cater for the increase in volumes, the outlook for the warehousing sector overall is very positive, in his view. And that’s good news for f loor specialists like CLF.“We are very positive about the future for warehousing and depots in the South African market. In addition we feel there is realistic scope for significant growth in sub-Saharan Africa, with particular emphasis on developing countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, Mozambique and Namibia.”While the effects of the recent pandemic, coupled with poor local economic performance, tended to create a rather bleak outlook, De Carvalho says it is pleasing to note that the trend in this segment of the construction industry is promising with strong growth expected in the foreseeable future