Gate Gourmet is the leading global provider of airline catering solutions and provisioning services for airlines, both in-flight at more than 200 airports as well as at airport lounges. Part of HNA Holdings, headquartered in Hainan (China), Gate Gourmet was founded in 1992, evolving from Swissair Catering, and has its own HQ in Zürich, Switzerland. In addition to food preparation and packaging, Gate Gourmet also prepares carts ready for in-flight loading and cleans and disinfects unloaded carts.
Gate Gourmet’s decision to relocate its Madrid operation to a new state-of-the-art facility in Coslada, just eight minutes’ drive south of Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas Airport, involved realizing an ambitious scheme. The objective was to create a cutting-edge 9,600 m2 modern production kitchen that would meet high expectations. Underpinning the project was the need to create the right environment for the culinary expertise of Gate Gourmet’s Michelin-starred chefs, who are dedicated to delivering innovative and inspired meals to all classes of airline passengers. Bringing the production kitchen to completion presented a major challenge for both the client and the companies involved in the design and build of the project, which was constructed under LEED (Leadership, Energy and Environment Design) principles. It was critical to define and implement standards and best practices in all functional areas.
From a flooring perspective, this meant using the best available technologies and solutions, guaranteeing three essential factors: safety, quality and speed of delivery. These requirements were especially important for critical areas such as kitchens, washing and sterilizing lines, and areas that had to comply with halal and kosher standards for product handling and packaging.
A key challenge for flooring specification was the ability to provide suitable high-performance systems for a broad range of areas with different uses and requirements. Our wide range of products allowed us to adapt specific solutions to the needs of each area. For example, MasterTop 1207 on-site epoxy mortar was ideal for areas that would need to withstand heavy traffic and spills, while the unique resin technology of Ucrete systems was a great fit for hygienic areas needing flooring with chemical, mechanical and thermal resistance properties in addition to ongoing spills and cleaning. Within the flooring specification, two Ucrete anti-slip systems were chosen, providing safety underfoot:
The reassurance of our track record of meeting and surpassing the food and beverage sector’s expectations for over 50 years made MasterTop and Ucrete systems a reliable investment for the client and designer. They could be confident that our highly durable surface protection would offer reliable service many years into the future.
From a logistical perspective, speed of installation was also critical. Our fast-curing systems helped to keep fit out on track. In total, we supplied 4,000 m2 of flooring, comprising:
Gate Gourmet’s next-generation catering facility opened officially on November 12, 2019, meeting the company’s goal of achieving a facility able to support sustainable, innovative working processes, giving Gate Gourmet’s customers the best operational excellence, efficiency and culinary expertise possible.
Learn more about Ucrete on www.ucrete.com