Project

Jonarik customer De Winter Natuurdarmen NV, which operates in the food industry, had a massive corrosion problem with the pallet trucks and stackers previously used in production. Up to that point, the Belgian company had been using materials that in all cases showed visible pitting corrosion after a short time. De Winter prepares natural casings for further food processing using intensive amounts of salt and at the same time has to meet strict hygiene regulations. Water, heat, salt, cleaning agents and a high mechanical load on the tools therefore demanded special corrosion protection – a specific challenge for the companies involved: Jonarik Services, De Winter and Galva Power.

Realisation

For this project, steel pallet trucks for the food industry were finished with a high-aluminium microZINQ alloy for the first time at the ZINQ site in Hagen. This was a novelty and at the same time a special challenge for all cooperation partners, because despite years of experience with micro-galvanised surfaces in other applications and countless laboratory values, there was no definitive certainty for this problematic, microclimatic environment. During the joint practical test, Chris Sapart, business development expert at ZINQ Technology, was regularly on site and checked the zinc coating for potential wear. And while all previous alternatives showed clear traces of corrosion after just six months, the components finished with microZINQ showed no signs of corrosion damage whatsoever. In the meantime, the micro-galvanised vehicles are in continuous use and are functioning impeccably despite the highly corrosive atmosphere.