2019
Littlefield, Texas
SELECT MILK SETS ANOTHER HIGH STANDARD WITH SIKA FLOORING
When Select Milk formed in 1994, it consisted of a group of dairy farmers focused on “Setting a Higher Standard” for quality milk production. These high standards again came into play when Select Milk was choosing a flooring system for the production area of its new state-of-the-art dairy processing facility in Littlefield, Texas. Select Milk partnered with Continental Dairy Facilities to build this plant, which will process over four million pounds of milk per day, producing dry milk powders, condensed milk, cream, and butter.
“For this new production facility we wanted a floor that would be durable and low maintenance, hold up to the chemicals used in our production, be sanitary, and be safe for food handling and for our employees,” explained Steven Cooper, president/general manager of dairy manufacturing operations at Continental Dairy. “We also wanted a floor that looks nice, since we have many international customers that will be visiting our new facility.”
SELECT MILK | LITTLEFIELD, TEXAS
NO CRYING OVER SPILT MILK
Usually the company uses a lot of tile floors in their plants, but the general contractor on the job had another idea: A Sikafloor PurCem polyurethane cement flooring system.
Sikafloor PurCem is a heavy duty performance flooring system that easily meets FDA Food Code 2009 specifying food establishments must have floors that are “smooth, durable, and easily cleanable,” providing compliance with new FSMA rules.
“We wanted something that wasn’t too slippery or too rough,” Cooper stated. “We produce dry milk in the facility, so a floor that is too abrasive would make it too difficult to sweep up any spilt dry milk.” T.W. Hicks, Inc. of Lake Dallas, Texas, an Elite level Sikafloor Installer, provided Cooper with some samples of Sikafloor PurCem, which he found very impressive. “We threw powder on the samples and were very pleased with how easy it was to sweep it off,” he remarked.
Kurt Dreger, business development manager/operations manager at T.W. Hicks, said they were happy to steer Select Milk toward the PurCem system. “We felt it was the floor that would hold up the best and also suit their needs,” he said.
MOO-VING THINGS ALONG
The installation of the 130,000 square-foot production floor began with T.W. Hicks preparing the substrate, which meant accommodating a fiber-reinforced concrete they hadn’t anticipated. “We had to use a PurCem scratch coat as a primer before we put down the negotiated floor system,” Dreger explained. They then applied Sikafloor 22NA PurCem, and broadcast with Sikafloor Aggregate-508 to rejection. The next steps were to trowel apply the PurCem 29NA cove base material followed by the Sikafloor 510 N LPL Polysaspartic top coat in gray beige, which will provide them with excellent chemical resistance while producing a superior aesthetic finish.
“We had a lot of delays due to construction issues, but fortunately PurCem is very user friendly, so we were able to do large areas at a time,” Dreger pointed out. “Sika Flooring was able to provide the materials in totes which expedited the mixing process. It really is a fantastic product.”
CREAM OF THE CROP
Today the floor looks great and is performing up to expectation. “We have pretty long hallways in this facility, which usually makes it easy to spot imperfections in the floor. But there are NO imperfections with this product,” Cooper commented. “T.W. Hicks did a great job.”
In fact, Select Milk was so pleased with the floor installation that they have asked T.W. Hicks to install another PurCem floor in their expanding butter production area. “I’m very glad that we went with the PurCem floor on this facility,” Cooper said. “The floors came out beautiful and are very durable.”
You could say the Sikafloor PurCem floor system is the cream of the crop.
PRODUCTS USED
SIMILAR URETHANE COATING PRODUCTS
Looking for other great flooring products similar to the ones used at Select Milk Dairy facility? Check out our line of Urethane UV Resistant Coatings.