HIGH PERFORMANCE EPOXY COATINGS SOLVE
FLOOR AND WALL PROBLEMS AT MONFORT MEATS

They didn't know it at the time, but when the management team at the Monfort Red Meat Division in Greeley, Colorado, found Tom Behunin and resin-rich epoxy coatings manufactured by International Coatings, Inc. (ICO), they also found a solution to the problem of protecting concrete floors and walls in their processing plant.

"We were pretty skeptical when we met Tom, a flooring contractor from Arvada and Norm Klapper, ICO's local sales rep, back in 1994," says Doug Kayl, Manager of Monfort Beef Plant in Greeley. "We had tried almost every resurfacing product on the market without success, so we didn't get too excited at first."

Monfort operates seven plants in the United States and processes nearly 40% of the country's red meat supply. The plant in Greeley processes livestock and packages product for customers who subsequently cut the meat for retail sale. The 700,000 square foot plant consists of separate processing areas for slaughter, fabrication, ground beef and trim.

As in any meat processing operation, the daily activities are not kind to concrete. The floors and walls are constantly exposed to the natural by-products of processing such as blood and the daily rigors of high-pressure hot water cleaning with detergents. If they are unprotected, concrete surfaces will deteriorate quickly in these conditions, causing constant repair and safety problems. Unfortunately, as Monfort discovered, there are also few coating materials that can withstand this kind of environment.

For floors, Behunin uses ICO-Guard 51, a 100% solids 1/4" epoxy that is trowelled on in a single step application. The fast cure version allows 4 1/2 hour full cure time even in damp freezers, and its resin-rich formulation provides excellent bonding characteristics, thermal and mechanical shock resistance, and durability for high-pressure cleaning.

For walls and ceilings, Behunin uses ICO-Glaze, which is applied by rollers to provide a seamless, high gloss protective coating that is impervious to liquid transmission and bacterial growth. For vertical and overhead surfaces that require an ultra smooth appearance, Behunin uses ICO-Gel prior to applying a coating. ICO-Gel is an epoxy patching material with the consistency of peanut butter, designed to fill cracks and large holes up to 1" deep.

"All of ICO's high performance epoxy products are odor-free and offer long lasting protection in the tough world of food processing," says Norm Klapper, president of Process Equipment Corp. (PEC), a Boulder, CO sales representative for International Coatings. "In fact, work often proceeds on the epoxy application directly next to food processing operations, with no danger of meat contamination."

"But a great coating product is not enough by itself," continues Klapper. "The other reason we've had such great results at Monfort is the installation expertise of Tom Behunin. His vast experience--he was in-house Construction Supervisor at Coors Brewing Company for 20 years before starting Behunin Construction--and thorough preparation makes a huge difference!"

Installation normally takes two days--one day for meticulous prep and one day for the quarter inch trowelled application. One the first day, the old 1/4"-3/8" flooring is completely removed, by hand, using air-powered chipping hammers. "To guarantee long lasting results with the new coating," insists Behunin, "it is essential to get down to the concrete substrate." After that, Behunin's crew uses a proprietary sanitizing technique that assures permanent bonding of the new coating.

Special Product Applied with Special Expertise

"To evaluate the International Coatings epoxy resurfacing system," recalls Monfort Kill Floor Engineer Jeff Kayl, "we allowed Behunin Construction to do some small patchwork projects in the most hostile area of the plant--the kill room floor."

After comparing the results side-by-side with vinyl ester coatings and other epoxy products, Monfort managers became true believers. Other products failed because they're brittle and they tend to crack. Once that happens, moisture quickly reaches the concrete substrate, inevitably causing delamination. By contrast, ICO coatings are flexible enough to contract and expand in temperatures from 30-180 degrees without cracking.

"Sincle the overwhelming success of the trials five years ago, Tom Behunin has resurfaced about 100,000 square feet of wall and ceiling surfaces in our Greeley facility and we have not experienced any failure of the product!" explains Doug Kayl, Plant Engineer of the beef plant.

That amazing result is equally attributable to the special formulation of the materials provided by International Coatings and the meticulous preparation and application workmanship provided by Behunin Construction.

On the second day the ICO-Guard 51 is carefully applied using hard trowelling techniques that assure a high-quality, level finish. The floor is ready for use 4 1/2 hours after application, depending on the ambient temperature of the floor and surrounding area. During the application procedure, Behunin broadcasts copper slag or specially-graded cilica quartz aggregate into the coating, tailoring the amount of anti-slip material to the specific floor requirements.

"One of the things Monfort likes best about the system," adds Norm Klapper, "is application speed and curing time. Most resurfacing projects can be completed during weekends, holidays or planned maintenance shutdowns, so it minimizes lost production time."

"You Get What You Pay For"

Protecting concrete floors and making them safe is only one small aspect of running a processing plant, but it can be a monumental and costly headache without the right coating solution.

After years of trial and error, Monfort finally discovered the solution that works in the warehouses, coolers, kill floors and processing rooms of their Greeley plant. "The key issues at Monfort," says Jeff Kayl, "are preservation of concrete, cleanability of floor and wall surfaces, and safe traction. International Coatings products have satisfied all three requirements.

"When it comes to protective coatings for concrete floors and walls, it really is true that you get what you pay for," concludes Doug Kayl. "The International Coatings products and Tom Behunin's installation services cost a little more upfront, but in the long run it's a great value because we don't have to keep replacing the coating every year or two!"

Tom Behunin agrees: "To maintain my reputation and to provide customers with a strong performance guarantee, I only use International Coatings products. They are user-friendly, they are odor-free since there are no VOC compounds in the materials, and the protection is unequalled by any other product. In order to be the best, I have to use the best--it's as simple as that!"