Floors to eat!

The chocolate factory in Wieze is an important site for the international group Barry Callebaut and it's the world's largest chocolate factory. In 1996 Callebaut merged with Cacao Barry to set up the international group Barry Callebaut. The company was given an international dimension, but remains very much rooted in Belgium. Moreover, in 2005 a world record with production of 250,000 tons of liquid chocolate was set: a unique phenomenon in the chocolate industry! The popularity of chocolate and chocolate products is worldwide still growing every year. In Belgium as well, chocolate is a desired product: every single Belgian is annually consuming an average of 7 kilos of chocolate. They are heavy users, as the French and the Dutch use only 4,5 kilos of chocolate per year.
Libert Paints was asked to give a new protecting coating to the floors, that consist of metal tear plates, on which heavy machinery is heavily trembling day and night.

Decontaminated floors

From the first contact between Barry Callebaut and Libert Paints it was obvious that there was only one option: to treat the decontaminated floors as best as possible. A chocolate factory implies a caution to the health of the employees and the final consumer product, chocolate. Prior to the paint system the biodegradable degreaser Eco Degreaser was used. The highly polluted parts were sanded and then cleaned with a damp rag.
Paint system

Oxypaint SL Floor Primer was used in only one single layer. This solvent-free paint was chosen because of its solvent-free character. Such paint is ideal for the food industry: the taste of chocolate won't be affected in any way. Furthermore, during application, the employees nor the painter are bothered by solvent exhalations. Subsequently, one layer Oxypaint SL Floor was applied. Besides its excellent properties and high scratch resistance, Oxypaint SL Floor is also characterized by its high abrasion resistance, excellent chemical resistance and excellent water resistance. Optimal results were thus obtained.

Libert Paints' presence during the production of delicious Callebaut chocolate is thus a fact!