Chemical-Free Stripping At Miami International Airport

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Problem
Large buildings, such as stadiums, K-12 and higher education institutions and major airports have relied on cleaning expertise from DTZ, a leader in property services, for more than 60 years. For its work at Boston’s Logan International Airport, DTZ used a floor care system that produced quality results but didn’t offer the same cost advantages and proved more time consuming and labor intensive. It required staff to repeatedly scrub and recoat floors in order to keep them looking presentable.

“Floors need to maintain their appearance level, especially in busy atmospheres like airports,” said Greg Zifcak, Category Manager- Purchasing, DTZ. “We realized there was room for improvement at Logan and decided to create a living laboratory in a similar environment to find a system that would best suit our needs.”  

For the pilot location, DTZ selected Miami International Airport, one of the busiest airports in terms of annual visitors from around the world. Heavy foot traffic made it an ideal place to test a new floor care system. Additionally, since the airport has millions of square feet of floors, it would be easy to observe two systems side-by-side within the facility.

Solution
DTZ turned to Diversey to develop a floor care solution that could be tested alongside a leading competitor. Diversey developed the Crystal Shield System, an alternative floor care program for concrete, terrazzo and other stone surfaces, for the trial. Throughout the trial period, the entire system’s processes were evaluated and refined to ensure it would be both efficient and effective.

"Diversey spent six months working with our Miami DTZ maintenance crew to design the perfect floor care system,” Zifcak said. “Miami International welcomed more than 38 million people in 2011; that exceeds 100,000 visitors per day. The living lab demonstrated that the Crystal Shield System could endure a great deal of stress, day-in and day-out, without compromising the appearance of floors.”

The Diversey Crystal Shield System is a total integrated solution using diamond-impregnated tools (floor pads), chemical protector and maintainer, and TASKI machines.  It is unique because, unlike traditional floor care systems, it does not require chemical stripping.  Eliminating chemical stripping reduces maintenance frequency and allows for quicker application compared to traditional strip and recoat programs — all while delivering beautiful-looking floors. The floors retain their glossiness despite the constant barrage from visitors, luggage and airport-operated golf carts.

“The results achieved by the Diversey system far exceeded those of the prior, conventional floor care program,” said Alex Gomez, DTZ General Manager- Miami International Airport. “If the Crystal Shield System can withstand Miami International’s trying conditions, we know it will work well within the many other large facilities that DTZ services nationwide.”

Results
Diversey’s Crystal Shield System provided numerous benefits, including:
• Increasing efficiency with less labor-intensive processes
• Improving employee satisfaction by reducing worker fatigue
• Keeping airport floors looking glossy, despite continuous duress from travelers
• Limiting chemical usage since less finish and no stripper is required