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World experts deliver technical seminars on all aspects of concrete industrial floor construction to a capacity crowd of contractors, developers and logistics firms

The hall was filled with 150 attendees from the Middle East, Europe, Australia and America at the first Middle East Industrial Flooring Conference held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 17 March, 2009. The full-day conference offered over a dozen seminars and interactive discussions with experts in concrete flat floor construction and finishing. This unique conference was organised by Construct-A-Slab, an alliance of four leaders of the concrete flooring industry; Face Consultants, Somero Enterprises, Multiquip and Permaban. Operating on a global basis, the Construct-A-Slab alliance brings together extensive experience using best practices in the design, construction and finishing of high tolerance concrete floors of the highest quality.

The attendance of prominent firms such as Fujairah National Construction Company (FNC), Core, DP World, Agility Logistics, Samsung Construction and the many positive responses from contractors, developers, engineers, architects and logistics firms, speak to the event’s success. Delegates commented enthusiastically on the excellence and relevance of the technical content presented, and the opportunity to understand the benefits in adopting best practices in industrial flooring construction. Each delegate received a copy of Technical Report 34 (TR34), the most up-to-date technical guide to performance based specifications in the construction of concrete industrial floors, produced by The Concrete Society.

Experts from Construct-A-Slab offered both general information on the history of industrial floor construction, and highly technical content regarding finishing processes, joint construction and performance based floor specifications and testing, based upon industry standards set forth in TR34. The conference was privileged to also feature presentations by others, including ArcelorMittal Wire Solutions on the use of steel fibres, and BASF Construction Chemicals speaking about concrete additives. Ashton Smith Associates, specialists in the design of large distribution logistics and industrial parks, offered the client’s perspective to the overall construction process, while UAE flooring contractor Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings spoke on the benefits of adopting the modern approach to industrial flooring. Stanford Industrial Concrete Flooring, one of the United Kingdom’s premier concrete flat floor specialists, brought all the information together and demonstrated with “real world” examples how the totality of the elements discussed fit together from a contractor’s perspective.

The presentations also addressed the importance and feasibility of overcoming the technical challenges to laying high quality floors in the Middle East. The benefits of adopting best practices in concrete floor construction—particularly in the current economy—are many. For the building developer benefits include increased rent ability, improved rates and a known quality of construction. The building operator benefits by receiving greater operating efficiency, reduced maintenance and minimized down-time. And the contractor is able to realise faster construction with greater consistency, minimal remedial and controlled injuries and costs.

The Construct-A-Slab alliance exists to promote the building of quality concrete floors, fit-for-purpose, and right the first time. Their mission is to foster on a global basis: best practice in construction of concrete industrial floors; performance based specifications based on industry acknowledged standards; and measurement with adherence to specification. Information will be posted on their website www.constructaslab.com when plans are finalised to bring together other assemblages of industrial flooring experts discussing best practice methods at future conferences. Persons interested in attending future conferences should send an email to:cogrinews@cogrigroup.com

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Concrete Grinding Ltd began the year by completing a large contract in France that they started towards the end of 2008 for a mail order catalogue company. The job itself was spread across 2 sites and consisted of whole aisle width Laser Grinding to 8 aisles 80m long and 2 wheel track grinding to 64 aisles approximately 49m long. Floor painting, joint repairs and reseals were carried out at the same time.

CG worked closely with the client throughout the project, which allowed warehouse operations to continue as normal.

Back in the UK, CG worked with Face Consultants at a Midland’s University to manually grind a small floor slab to a very tight specification. CG were initially contacted by the main contractor of the project and gave advice on how to cast the proposed slab as flat as possible. Once cast, CG and FACE worked together to grind the entire floor area to ±1mm. The reason for such a specific tolerance is that the floor is to be used by a laser measuring system for producing precise dimensions in the university's engineering department.

In Derbyshire, CG were called in to perform some joint repairs at an Agricultural Livestock Market. The farmers market had problems with joints in both the livestock holding areas and the public foyer. The entire project was completed in 4 days. CG received very positive feedback from a very happy client.

Over in Greece, CG worked in partnership with Eurolit once again to Laser grind a new VNA installation. The approach employed was the same as in IKEA, Athens a couple of years ago. Eurolit cast the floor as flat as possible. FACE then measured the proposed narrow aisles and instructed CG where to correct any problems. As before, this approach proved very successful for all concerned and left the client very pleased with what was achieved in the tight timescales involved.

In other European regions, CG remain busy in Germany and Switzerland. Numerous projects have already been completed and there are many more with start dates pencilled in to the works programme. In addition, work is due to begin in Spain, France, the UK and the Middle East.

What looked like a potentially slow start to the year has gradually picked up and looks very promising as CG continues to work well and aim for total client satisfaction.

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The first quarter of 2009 has been a testing period for CGFS with the present financial climate affecting the size and scale of projects we have been involved with.

We have undertaken a variety of projects including installation of safety line marking, removal of asphalt and replacing with Fastfloor IT and the installation of Fastfloor IT with a black pigment for a client’s new production facility.

A lot of hard work has gone in during this period with CGFS, along with CG and FACE teams, pro-actively promoting company name and group services.

Despite the slower pace to the start of the year, things are looking decidedly brighter for the forthcoming months, with approximately 20,000m² of floor due to be refurbished with Fastfloor IT between May and July. This includes our first project in the Middle East which is due to commence mid May 2009.

The successful refurbishment of the floor in a self storage facility, where the application of a new type of floor coating, with glass pieces within its mixture, has led to CGFS being brought in on a further 4 facilities for the client.

These are challenging but very exciting times for CGFS and our commitment to quality and high levels of customer service will ensure we stay on the right path. The future is bright, or at least grey coloured…..

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In the last few months, FACE have completed several projects, including surveying new Distribution Centres in Kent and in Teesport, to check for compliance with the FM2(Special) classification of TR34. The floor areas were around 76,000m² and 80,000m² respectively. Once completed, the DCs will be used by two leading supermarket chains.

FACE carried out Slip/Skid Resistance Testing for pedestrian traffic, as well as for vehicular traffic, at a proposed indoor car park in West Yorkshire.

On a joint project with Concrete Grinding Ltd, FACE worked in a supervisory capacity, on a contract at a University in the Midlands. Remedial grinding was carried out under FACE supervision to a bespoke specification in order to achieve a high tolerance of levelness.

FACE services were also called upon to check compliance with a TR34 flatness classification to a floor slab on an extension to an existing facility in Belfast.

A 28,000m² building in Bilston was surveyed for compliance with the FM2 (Special) classification of The Concrete Society's Technical Report No 34.

FACE are currently working on a new DC for a well known Supermarket in Malaysia.

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Concrete Grinding Ltd (CG) specialises in the upgrading of floors in new and existing VNA/narrow aisle warehouse units.

CG was formed in 1989, as a small manual floor grinding service, operating traditional single-headed, trolley-mounted grinding machines.

As the demand for CG services grew, CG needed to find a cleaner, more efficient method of grinding in an operational warehouse environment. There was no suitable equipment available to hire or buy, so Kevin Dare, CG’s Managing Director decided to design and build their own.

The early prototype machine gradually developed into the unique world-leading Laser Grinder^® technology that we have at our disposal today.

CG have now built 14 Laser Grinders^®, operating globally, and based at their main offices in the UK, Mainland Europe, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia and the USA.

The Laser Grinder^® is designed to grind either the individual wheel tracks of a forklift truck or the whole aisle width, for complete flexibility.

CG range of key expertise includes:

● Laser Grinder^® Technology
● Defined Wheel Track Grinding
● Whole Aisle Width Grinding
● Floor Joint Repairs
● SuperFlat Floor Construction

CG clients include IKEA Greece, Howden Joinery, Sony DADC, Alghanim Electronics and many more.

“The vision of Concrete Grinding Ltd is to be the most internationally recognised provider of advice and service to the materials handling industry, in their quest for high standards in floor flatness. We believe that every distribution centre can have an operational floor surface that will satisfy and not inhibit, the users demand for the efficient throughput of stock.", Kevin Dare, Managing Director.

The CG team includes Contracts Manager, Keith Burkinshaw, Technical Surveyor, Thomas Hanks, Contracts Assistant, Daniel Goacher, Service Engineer Manager, Justin Hanks, Engineering Assistant, Kevin Greenwood, Engineering Apprentice, James Dare, Small Works Foreman, Gordon Kilty, Small Works Technician, Shaun Guy, Advanced Technician/Instructor, Nick Mawtus, Senior Technician, Chris Stirk, Technicians, Wesley Thompson and Mark Buchan, and Junior Technicians, Sean Marsden and Leon Burgin.

Unfortunately, some of the team members are not shown in the photo below as they were out working on a project at the time.



To discuss your flooring requirements or to request a site visit, please contact 01484 600080 or email: info@concrete-grinding.com

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The CoGri Group has been involved in the Design, Construction, Upgrading and Testing of Industrial Concrete floors in South Korea since 1998 and 2008 has been its busiest year yet. Completed projects have varied from Laser Grinding for VNA and AGV (Automated Guided Vehicles) installations to Construction of floors to TR-34 Superflat tolerances and included Construction of Slab on Grades and Steel Fibre Slabs on Piles.

In 2008 LGA Logis became the first Korean Flooring Contractor to construct a VNA floor to tolerance and be certified to be fully compliant with the TR-34 ‘Superflat’ specification. In fact two Superflat floors were constructed in 2008, one for a leading Pharmaceutical company and one for a leading Cosmetics company. In both cases, LGA Logis was involved in the design and specification of the floors, which enabled its Clients to receive not only the high performance required but also cost savings in construction and long term cost savings from reduced maintenance costs.

Another first and another ‘Total Flooring Solution’ provided by LGA Logis was the Design and Construction of the first Steel Fibre only Reinforced Slab on Piles floors in Korea. The Client – a leading manufacturer of Industrial Transformers, was constructing a new facility to incorporate the use of an Air Pallet Lifter to lift very heavy loads with Imposed loads of more than 10 Tons/m² anticipated. The original design required a 500 mm heavily reinforced Slab on Piles. However the Client was concerned about the risk of cracking which would result in inefficient air lifting, in addition to the floor flatness, and came to LGA Logis for help. LGA Logis proposed a 300 mm Slab on Piles floor reinforced with 50 Kg/m³ of high tensile strength Steel Fibres. The project was complicated and involved the use of 5 different slab designs to provide the most cost effective solution. With the high standards of Quality Control offered by LGA Logis, the floor construction was a success and is expected to result in further work from the Client in the near future.

Another unusual facility which required a very unique solution from the CoGri Group was commissioned in 2008. In 2005 the South Korean ‘Agency for Defense Development’ contacted LGA Logis for advice on the floor design and construction for the Test Facility, which would be used to carry out Environmental Testing to F15 Fighter Jets. The testing was to involve the Fighter Jets being tied to the floor during simulated flight, then exposed to extreme temperatures including temperatures varying from +54^oC to -54^oC within a space of 24 hours. The floor would also be exposed to snow and heavy rain making the floor design very complicated.

LGA Logis engaged Face Consultants Ltd for design, specification and testing. After much research, detailed discussions and various trial panels and tests, the floor design was fixed as a Freezer type warehouse with a 300 mm Base Slab, a 200 mm layer of high density Extruded Polystyrene Insulation boards and a 200 mm Wearing Slab. The Wearing Slab was reinforced with a combination of Steel Fibres and Steel Fabric to provide suitable control of event cracking. The concrete mix was specially designed for long term durability under extreme conditions with the addition of Microfibres, Silica Fume and various other admixtures. A Long Strip construction method was required as slopes in two directions were required for surface run off without ponding. Again the CoGri Group provided the Client with a Total Flooring solution from Design and Specification to Construction of Base Slab, Insulation layer and Wearing Slab. Apparently this is one of only two such facilities in the world and a big improvement on the floor in the first facility.

2009 has started well for LGA Logis with various projects already completed including:- a 13,500m² floor for a 3rd Party Logistics company, a 3,600m² Ground Supported Slab for the leading Cosmetics company in Korea and a 2,600m² freezer warehouse floor. In addition the largest ever contract by the CoGri Group in Korea has just been completed – a 25,000m² VNA Warehouse floor for a South Korean automobile manufacturer. A new contract has also just been secured for construction of a 6,600m² Steel Fibre Slab on Piles floor for a European Electronics company. Final negotiations are also under way for construction of a 25,000m² VNA Warehouse. LGA Logis looks forward to working with other CoGri Group companies in 2009 to further develop concrete flooring technology in Korea.

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In anticipation of upcoming projects, CoGri Malaysia Sdn Bhd (CGM) was born.

The new company will help facilitate the group’s projects in Malaysia, with its first contract awarded for a new 50,568m² Distribution Center in Bukit Beruntong, requiring a Pile Supported Metal Fibres Reinforced Slab.

In preparation for their first project, CoGri Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (CGAP) has been busy arranging the necessary preparation for the project.

On 6th of January, 6 of CGAP’s staff were sent on the Green Card Program.

This is an integrated program that involves the registration and accreditation of Construction Personnel, to enhance safety levels at Construction Sites.

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The CoGri Group welcomes Gemma O’Toole and Rebecca Illingworth to the team.

Gemma joins the Accounts Department as an Accounts Technician. She will be working alongside Accountant, Louise and reporting to the Group’s Financial Director.

At present, her role includes dealing with purchase ledgers and company expenses. She has previously worked in the Accounts department for GF Interiors, a joinery company based in Brighouse.

Gemma is also studying part-time at the Kirklees College for her Association of Accounting Technician's (AAT) qualification and is due to complete her studies in 2011.

Rebecca joins the Marketing department as a Telemarketing Professional. This new role has been created to help generate sales leads for the Group.

Rebecca has been on a career break for the last three years, whilst raising her daughter, Kayleigh. She has previous Telesales experience. Prior to that, Rebecca worked for Kirklees Council in Residential Care and as a Home Care Assistant for 5 years.

From our Singapore office, CoGri Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (CGAP) welcomes new employees, Yeoh Lin Lin, Rob Walker and Elvis Wong.

Lin Lin joins CGAP as an Account Executive and has been with CGAP for almost 4 months. She has more than 10 years working experience in Accounts.

Elvis join us as site technician.

Rob joins CGAP as the Project Engineer. He has five years experience in engineering and will assist CGAP on the Malaysian Project. Rob completed his Master Degree Honours in Civil Engineering at the University of Durham in 2003.

CG Flooring Systems website has been given a revamp, in line with Concrete Grinding and Face Consultants websites. .

All the three websites were first launched nearly 10 years ago and have now been updated to keep up with the latest technology.

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Green support services provider eaga has been granted UK sole distribution rights for an innovative product designed to help thousands of at risk households shore up their flood defences.

Designed to be compact, lightweight and easily stored in the house, FloodSax^® are about the size of a small pillow but can hold up to 22 litres of water.

eaga Group Development Director, said: “Climate change means extreme weather conditions are becoming far more frequent, so we must do all we can to give individual households extra resilience to protect themselves. These FloodSax^® can do just that."

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FACE Middle East Fzc will be exhibiting at Materials Handling Middle East on 31st May - 2nd June 2009, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE. Opening time: 10:00am-7:00pm.

We will be at stand number MH1003.

If you would like to come along and meet us at the show, we have a number of VIP invitations available. Please contact Malcolm Godbold, General Manager, FACE Middle East Fzc, on +971 50 6524102 or emaill: Malcolmg@eim.ae

Fro futher information about the show, please visit the Materials Handling Middle East website

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