From time to time, our employees pass by projects in their free time that were realized with our floor protection solutions. Well, with a project as large as this one on Germany's largest shopping mall, it's pretty difficult not to pass by. A few months ago, our field team was already on site during the installation phase, providing direct support and advice to the customer. Even then, a setup consisting of three different floor protection solutions was planned. x:tek 3 heavy-duty road pads were primarily intended to protect the area used by heavy construction equipment. Our v:tek 46 heavy-duty road pads, on the other hand, were primarily intended to protect the area used as a storage area. Last but not least, our BM12 floor protection mat was intended to protect the area that construction workers had to pass through with their usual equipment.
As can be seen after several months of intensive use, the existing flooring of Frankfurt's Zeil would have been so severely damaged over the long term and at great expense that, in essence, one construction site would have caused another. Not to mention the pollution typically caused by a construction site.
Due to the sensitive subsurface, the road plates were connected to each other using our individual Plastic connectors. Unlike the x:tek 46, the v:tek 12 lacks smartGRIP profiling, which consequently causes the screw heads of the individual connectors to protrude slightly. To counteract natural wear, these were taped in a square pattern.
As is typical on a construction site, situations and circumstances change over time. Especially on construction sites, the saying "If it doesn't fit, we'll make it fit" applies. This also applies to previously planned parking areas. Originally, skips and other stationary equipment were to be parked on the v:tek 60 road plates, which can support loads of up to 12 t. However, if the planned space is no longer sufficient, other areas must be used. This only works, however, with proper advance planning. The x:tek 25 high-performance road plates, which can support loads of approximately 46 t higher, naturally allow for this.
The fact that we have obviously done our job well is demonstrated by the fact that we are once again supplying the ground protection solutions for the current construction sites on the Zeil. This time, however, primarily our most innovative product, the x:tek 46 high-performance road slab. Due to the so-called SmartGRIP profile design, this slab is unique worldwide, as it works perfectly for both pedestrians and construction machinery. This is particularly important for construction sites in inner-city areas. The x:tek 46 trackway panels were only laid in the middle of the shopping mall, as this is where construction traffic is mainly expected. Nevertheless, pedestrians will also cross the area. So what works for construction machinery is not necessarily suitable for pedestrians. The same applies vice versa, of course. And this is precisely where the x:tek 46 offers the ultimate solution.
Due to their low weight of approximately 32 kg, installation by hand is quite easy with just two people. Even cutting the road plates to size is possible, if desired. The HDPE plastic used can be easily processed with any tool that cuts, sands, or saws.
On the outer sides of the shopping mile, where pedestrians are more likely to be seen than construction equipment, the tried-and-tested BM22 floor protection mat is used, which has already served faithfully during the construction of the Upper Zeil.
