Meet a legend in the flooring industry, Göran Nyman

It takes many years to gather solid knowledge in an industry, and for Göran it all started with a sabbatical that never ended. What makes you get stuck in an industry and how has it looked over the years? We dive deep into the seamless industry together with, what we like to call, a legend - Göran Nyman.

Floor systems may not sound like an interesting topic of conversation for some, but even for the least refined person, it is a joy to listen when Göran starts to tell about Flowcrete's different floor systems. After a conversation with Göran, you will know everything you need for the next time you need to choose a floor system. After over 40 years in the industry, it is no wonder that they have learned everything there is to know about floor systems.

In this interview, we talk a little more about what the work looks like at Flowcrete and what Flowcrete is for. Come along!

Hi Göran, can you first tell us a little about who you are and what your role is at Tremco CPG Sweden?

My name is Göran Nyman and I am 63 years old. I work as a consultant for Tremco CPG Sweden's brand Flowcrete and am hired as a Business Development Manager (BDM) - which I would call a product manager.

What is the most enjoyable thing about working as a product manager?

This is when I get to answer questions about the products and with technical advice. I also enjoy being out with the customers and doing investigations into what has gone wrong or how we should do things and so on. That's what is most rewarding and that's what I'm good at and that's where I can contribute with my knowledge.

If you were to try to explain to someone who has never heard of Flowcrete what Flowcrete is, what would you say?

Flowcrete is a supplier of thermoplastics for the manufacture of industrial floors, primarily for industry, but also for other surfaces. The floors consist of some type of thermosetting plastic, often 2-component epoxy, and then you add sand or filler, and in that way you make a mass that you spread or cast, directly on site. So there is no ready-made carpet that you roll out and no ready-made tiles or clinkers that you lay or glue there. You make a casting, not often more than maybe 3, 4, 6 mm, directly on a substrate for a finished floor.

How has the development of jointless floor coverings looked in the last 10-15 years?

Static – the seamless industry today is very similar to what it has always been, if you look at the products themselves. Some substances have been added or dropped for obvious environmental reasons, but product names that existed 10–15 years ago still exist today.

Why are Flowcrete's floor coverings the market leader in Sweden?

Flowcrete has always had a good reputation. We have products of good and consistent quality, we are good at color matching and producing products. We have fast and safe deliveries. Flowcrete has always been good at that. We have good relationships with talented contractors, which is an important aspect for the end result to be a good, attractive and durable floor.

Imagine a customer contacting you with questions about Flowcrete floor systems, what questions would you most like that customer to have asked?

After all, it is often me who asks questions to the customer, for example "what kind of business is there on the floor?" “What are the temperatures?” "What kind of solvent is that?" I will counter with that, because they often ask questions like "What do you have that can handle this?"

Our floors often come into tough environments. "We have studded tires. What can we have then?” Or "We handle chemicals, what should we have then?" "We want a nice floor, what should we have then?". These are often questions like that. And then it is often the case that customers call and then ask them "Why is it like this?" and then something is not working. But I like it when they have tricky questions.

Like what questions then?

For example, one of my most recent assignments then calls them and says “Dude, we got a floor here six months ago and it's hard to clean. So we don't get it clean. What can we do about it?” And then I go and look and then I write a report and make a proposal for action. And it's a typical question regarding slip protection vs cleanability. It is not the products themselves that determine it, but the execution. If you miss any step in the execution, the end product can be different. So you have to ask different questions to find out what might have gone wrong. "How thick have you painted? "Did you scrape/round off the loose sand before painting? "Have you painted twice?" "How did you do?"

What's the most unusual use for Flowcrete you've heard of?

Yes, this may not be so unusual but we would make an industrial surface where they would mount transformers. Then we made something called precision flooring. The floors were to be extremely flat and smooth and had to have a maximum tolerance of 0.2 mm, regardless of the measured length. It's a tolerance requirement that doesn't really exist and it was just so they could dock the core into the transformers without having to weigh them in. The work was done so that we measured square squares over the entire surface that was to be laid with flooring. We then did a precision weighing with 5 points in each box to calculate how much epoxy we needed to pour into each box to get as low a tolerance as possible. One box maybe needed 3.4 liters and another maybe 5.6 liters. It was a special project with unusually high tolerance requirements. I am actually very proud of that work. It was my idea and the result was perfect.

What is so special about Flowcrete, and what keeps you coming back?

So Flowcrete, what I really like is the Seamless industry and in the Seamless industry, Flowcrete is still the market leader. Flowcrete has meant a lot to the development of the industry and also to me over the years. It is a well managed brand with good products and manufacturing. It just feels natural to be here and work together with people I know well and like.

How do you think the flooring industry will develop in the next 10 years? What needs to be focused on?

We must try to meet the environmental requirements. Either change the environmental requirements or change the products. I don't think the jointless floor as it looks today will have disappeared in 10 years, however, there will be certain substances in the products that have been replaced by more environmentally friendly substances.

Tell us a little about the latest product launches from Flowcrete:

October: LE products
November: Deckshield

LE means low emission. Flowcrete has had low emission products for over 10 years, so LE itself is nothing new. However, we are now expanding our range of low-emission floors. The products we launched this autumn are Rustik LE, Peran SL LE and Flowcoat SF41 LE. Another big plus is that the LE products are UV-resistant and color stable. These products are tested in Eurofins Indoor Air Comfort Gold and M1 - in this way we can ensure that our products and also our systems contribute to a healthier indoor environment. This creates a more environmentally friendly profile and makes it easier for architects and regulators to recommend our products and systems.

Deckshield is a product aimed at parking garages. Parking garages consist of large concrete surfaces and the concrete must have a cover that can be driven on. There, Deckshield has been successful. Now we have also launched a system called Deckshield LBD. Deckshield LBD is aimed at parking garages that are below ground level where there is often negative water pressure from below. Problems that can arise when parking garages are built below ground level are that coatings can loosen, water penetrates through and it damages the surfaces. Deckshield LBD is a fairly advanced system that is specially designed to dissipate negative water pressure. The result is then an intact coating that protects the concrete against wear.

If you could only sell one floor in Flowcrete's range, what would you choose and why?

Yes, then I would probably actually choose Kristalina and only because it is so pretty. It sparkles, it comes in lovely colors and it's just a very nice floor.

And finally:
Why should the customer choose Flowcrete?

We have a good product selection, we have solutions that meet most needs and requirements. We have good technical advice and we collaborate with talented contractors. Point.