HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Resitec is a resin application company, focused on three main businesses: industrial flooring, waterproofing and grouting.

Resitec and the Role of Subcontractors in the Heavy-Duty Industry

Interview with Jo Neefs, Managing Director of Resitec

Wommelgem, Belgium info@resitec.com

During one of our many travels across Europe to distribute ipcm® Protective Coatings, we had the pleasure of getting in contact with Resitec, a company specialized in resin application. In this interview, Jo Neefs, the company’s General Manager, explains to us the pivotal role played by service providers in the heavy-duty industry.

© Resitec

The systems applied by Resitec are particularly suitable for production environments and the manufacturing industry.

In an industry as multifaceted as the heavy duty one, in which projects are often big, governed by strict specifications and requiring different experts to work jointly to bring them to fruition, for sure an important role is played by service providers. They not only bring a set of skills not easily replaceable but also count on an experience that makes them able to evaluate the project as a whole and therefore understand if said specifications are correct. This invaluable set of skills, together with quality products and technologies, are the elements that make it possible for all projects – whether they are meant for the marine, infrastructures or Oil & Gas and Energy fields – to work. During one of our many travels across Europe to distribute ipcm® Protective Coatings, we had the pleasure of getting in contact with Resitec, a company specialized in resin application. In this interview, Jo Neefs, the company’s General Manager, explains to us exactly the pivotal role played by service providers in the surface treatment industry.

What services does Resitec provide?

Resitec is a family-owned company founded in 1989, which counts 23 employees at the moment. We are a resin application company, focused on three main businesses: industrial flooring, waterproofing and grouting. We are mainly active in the BENELUX area and in the French regions close to the Belgian border. The largest business of the company is industrial flooring, that is, the application of functional floorings which provide waterproof, antistatic, slip resistant, chemical resistance properties etc., such as epoxy floors and polyurethane floors. Our systems are particularly suitable for production environments or the manufacturing industry, especially in the food, pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries, where a good and functional flooring system actually represents an added value in terms of production and safety.

How do you choose which products to apply?

There is a wide range of products available on the market when it

comes to industrial flooring. However, it’s not always easy to find the best solution according to the need of the customer. One of the strengths of Resitec is that we have a great team of engineers who has extensive knowledge of the products available on the market and is therefore able to provide the customers with the best solution for their needs, sometimes even by combining the products of different suppliers. This is actually one of the main challenges in our line of business: if you only have one supplier, you have a better understanding of their products. However, not every supplier has the best solution for every application, which is why we work with a variety of suppliers. Having said that, our main suppliers, such as Resiplast, BASF Masters Builders and Sika, support us on the daily in understanding if the system we’re thinking to apply for that specific project is actually the best solution or by suggesting better alternatives.

When do customers contact you and which steps do you take?

Most of the times our customers contact us when there is a problem, for example the concrete floor getting damaged because there’s an issue with waterproofing. When this happens, we go on site for an inspection so that we can pinpoint the right solution to provide and understand when we can do the reparation. This is quite often one of the main challenges for us because production usually cannot be stopped, meaning that we always have to work as quickly and efficiently as possible. In addition, our clients often don’t know which products were applied before. Regularly, the application dates back at least 20 years, so we have to understand which new products combine best with what was applied originally. We also intervene during the construction of new buildings, following the specifications provided by the customer. In this case as well we do a similar site inspection to actually see if it’s feasible to apply the specified products. In fact, it happens sometimes that these specifications are done based on other specifications for similar projects, which can mean that they are not actually appropriate for the application at hand. To ensure the best results, we discuss this with the customer and explain which product would actually be better, according to our experience.

What kind of systems do you usually apply and how long does it take?

Most of the applications require 3 to 4 days, we have also had projects that lasted months.

© Resitec © Resitec

Depending on the kind of application, we apply a system that usually comprises 3-4 layers. We always start with surface preparation, which is shot-blasting or grinding, depending on what the system requires. Then, we carry out a dedusting operation and a final check to make sure that the surface is actually clean and that all oils and greases have been removed. Afterwards, we apply the primer, which usually facilitates the adhesion of the subsequent layers, followed by 2 or 3 layers of coating or self-levelling coating. We finish off with 1 or 2 top coat layers. We use airless sprayers every now and then but most of the times, we apply the system manually, since we find that it’s the best way we can effectively apply thicker layers.

Industrial flooring application is not the only service provided by Resitec.

Indeed, as I mentioned earlier, we also do waterproofing and grouting services. When it comes to waterproofing, we have two kinds of applications: waterproofing of bridge decks and waterproofing of reservoir tanks. These are usually coated with a chemical-resistant layer or anti-static layer. Grouting is mainly done in facilities housing compressors or pumps, which are usually installed on a concrete foundation. The space between the concrete and the equipment is filled with grout, a shrink-free resin. This application is very common in the petrochemical industry. For instance, we applied grouting for a major expansion project of the Antwerp facility of one of the main players of the Oil&Gas industry, a project that took us two months and a half to complete. ‹

© Resitec From left to right:

In early 2022, Resitec applied a waterproof membrane system on a bridge in Mechelen, Belgium.

Application of a coloured coating on existing self-leveling epoxy floor.

Food, pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries are among the most important markets of Resitec.