Stonhard installed 19,000 m2 of its well-known and extensively used, Stonclad GS epoxy mortar on the main production floors at the site in Telford.
Products used for Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), UK:
Single-source industrial flooring specialist Stonhard has met one of its heaviest-duty challenges in years by laying a high performance, power-trowelled epoxy floor mortar to withstand traffic from 70 tonne tanks manufactured by a Shropshirebased defence engineering company. Stonhard provided a robust flooring solution for Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL). RBSL is a joint venture between BAE Systems and Rheinmetall providing military vehicle design, manufacture and support.
Stonhard installed 19,000 m2 of its well-known and extensively used, Stonclad GS epoxy mortar on the main production floors at the site in Telford. The fl ooring installation is part of RBSL’s £20m internal investment programme to improve infrastructure and create a world-class manufacturing facility to deliver key armoured vehicle programmes.
Prior to Stonhard’s involvement, RBSL had manoeuvred the heavyweight vehicles over a painted concrete floor. To demonstrate the benefi ts of a more resilient approach, the technical services team from Stonhard took RBSL engineers into other companies to view fl oors that had been laid eight to 10 years earlier in similar heavy-duty environments. After a series of site visits and some extensive research RBSL upgraded to the long-lasting Stonclad GS epoxy mortar alternative, also taking advantage of another specialist product from Stonhard - Stonproof CT5 to mitigate future cracking risks.
Steve Lyon, Technical Services Manager from Stonhard, said the project had been a hugely satisfying one. He added: “RBSL now has a durable flooring solution which can properly withstand years of what is probably the ultimate in heavy duty traffic. Tanks and other military vehicles can roll over this floor with confidence.”
Andy Lovatt, Senior Facilities Engineer at Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) said: “Installing a new floor in a 60-year old factory, while maintaining production activity, has been a unique and logistically challenging project for RBSL and Stonhard. “Stonhard was selected because of its proven experience in delivering market-leading flooring products. The new floor will provide a long-term, durable surface which greatly improves the environment and reduces maintenance costs. It is transforming the factory and we are delighted with the quality of the finished product.”
Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) is a defence engineering company specialising in the design, manufacture and support of military vehicles used by the British Army and international customers. RBSL has a proud heritage, having designed and delivered many of the British Army’s armoured vehicle fleets under different business names. Whilst continuing to provide in-service support for these vehicles, RBSL is also in the process of delivering two of the UK’s latest vehicle programmes for the British Army – Challenger 3 and Boxer. RBSL has a skilled workforce of more than 530 employees, including 260 engineers and 40 apprentices, based across UK sites in Telford, Dorset, Bristol, and near Newcastle.
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