Decades of durability
Floors have to withstand massive static and dynamic loads, especially in the industrial sector. This is no different in the Schleuniger production hall in Thun. Here, the floors are subjected to heavy loads every day, mainly by fork lifts and pallet trucks, but also by other industrial trucks. The rubber floor with ESD protection installed there in 2001 is a norament® lago ed floor – the predecessor of norament® 926 grano ed. It has withstood these high loads for almost 18 years because its material composition makes it extremely resistant. It has therefore hardly changed at all in appearance. Speaking of resistance, we should mention that the floor has also retained its conductivity to this day. Some floors can be damaged even by light objects with sharp corners falling on them. Not so with rubber floor coverings from nora systems. They are abrasion resistant, retain their shape permanently and are easy to clean. Their high levels of elasticity enable them to resist impacts caused, for example, by dropped tools or metal parts. Even the dropped items themselves are damaged less. “We are thrilled with the durability and resistance of nora rubber floor coverings. The heavy loads that have been applied to the floors for almost 18 years have not yet damaged them in any way” says Marcel Pfammatter, Infrastructure/Leasing team leader.
A healthy environment
Ergonomic workplace design can contribute significantly to job satisfaction. This is because workers who stand for hours on end can suffer from serious muscle tension. Furthermore, the body becomes fatigued more quickly on hard surfaces than on elastic floors. The permanent elasticity of rubber floor coverings like those offered by nora systems noticeably relieve strain on the back and joints and make it easier to stand and walk for many hours at a time. Workers at Schleuniger in Thun are also convinced of these ergonomic advantages: “It is very comfortable to walk on the nora systems floors. I don’t have any back pain or similar complaints in the evening after work, even if I have been on my feet for many hours”, says Pascal Hänni, warehouse clerk at Schleuniger.
Cleaning made easy
nora floor coverings leave the factory in Weinheim as high-quality products. Of course, correct cleaning is required to keep them looking good during daily use. After all, floors are the largest surface that must be cleaned in a room. Therefore, it is essential to use floor coverings that are easy to clean and that are cost-effective and efficient to help to keep running costs down. Density plays an important role here as the denser a material is, the easier it is to clean. This means that the surface will not become worn and will retain its original properties throughout the entire life cycle of the floor. This is a major advantage, and one which the employees of Schleuniger in Thun have benefited from for almost 18 years now: “The nora floor is very easy to clean and requires the use of hardly any chemicals. We restored the floor using only nora systems cleaning pads and it now looks almost as good as new again, even after many years of use in our production hall. Furthermore, the floor does not have any surface coating that could be destroyed and that would have to be renewed sooner or later at our expense”, concludes Pfammatter.