Johnstone Supply Shows Off Their Clean Floors

"Visually, when someone walks into a facility with a Tennant floor coatings, they are very impressed with it," remarks Jerry Quilling, Vice President of Distribution for Johnstone Supply Incorporated. Quilling should know - Johnstone Supply, a wholesale distributor of heating, venting, air conditioning and refrigeration parts and equipment, has protected its floors with Tennant floor coatings for the past eight years.

In 1990, Johnstone Supply was preparing to move its Portland, Oregon Distribution Center to a larger building. Their existing facility had uncoated concrete flooring that wouldn't come clean - even with regular sweeping and scrubbing. For their new facility, Quilling recalls, "We wanted something that would decrease the amount of dust caused by forklifts traveling across the concrete." In addition, Quilling wanted to increase the light level in the facility by adding a reflective coating to the floor.

After completing thorough research, Quilling recommended that Johnstone Supply coat its floors with Tennant floor coatings. Quilling notes, "I thought the cost was reasonable, and I like the quality."

As a result of his recommendation, Johnstone Supply decided to coat both their 165,000 sq.ft. facility in Memphis, as well as their new 100,000 sq.ft. facility in Portland, with Tennant floor coatings. They coated their floors with a Tennant product similar to the current VOC-ITS Industrial Traffic System. VOC-ITS is a durable, moisture-cured urethane that provides a gloss finish that withstands industrial traffic, and is designed for use in main traffic aisles, production and assembly areas. After eight years, they have not had to recoat the main floor and, Quilling notes, "It still looks glossy and shiny."

Four years ago they decided to recoat the front receiving and shipping docks with Tennant VOC-HTS High Traffic System. VOC-HTS, a high-solids satin finish urethane, contains special fillers to give it twice the wear-life of standard urethanes, and is ideal for loading docks and areas with extremely heavy traffic.

In addition, they decided to apply Tennant's VOC-CRU Chemical Resistant Urethane in both their battery-charging and hazardous material areas. VOC-CRU is ideal for areas exposed to harsh chemicals. Quilling remarks, "It has resisted corrosive spills very well."

Quilling believes Johnstone Supply benefits from Tennant floor coatings in other ways besides improved cleanliness and appearance. Quilling says, "It helps sell Johnstone as a company. It helps make the place look clean and organized, and when people see it they are very impressed with Johnstone Supply's whole operation."