Refoam mats made from recycled material.
The company Jan Heuvelmans bv, known for the Refoam mats, was recently by Joosten Plastics acquired. The foam mats remain available from recycled material under the trusted name Jan Heuvelmans bv.
‘The products are guaranteed to have a fall-absorbing and draining effect for many years and are circular. Joosten decided to take over because of the long-standing good relationship, numerous innovative applications, and our duty to take into account the environment says the proud manager Hes Derksen.
‘We have been involved in Refoam products for years by Jan Heuvelmans, an established name in the market for foam plates. The collaboration liked it so much that at the beginning of this year we
opportunity arose, and decided to take over. This brings the exclusive dealership of Apetek, producer of the products Refo Play, Refo Protect, Refo Sport, and Refo Click, into the hands of Joosten Kunststoffen.
But we just continue under the name Jan Heuvelmans bv and the former owner of the same name will support us in the coming period. Our customers can therefore rely on the service and quality that they are used to. ‘Circular and reliable Derksen has been enthusiastic about the Refoam products made from recycled material for years: ‘In this time, in which we must be careful with our residual flows, it is of great importance to stimulate high-quality reuse. During the manufacturing process, PE residual waste is processed into homogeneous stable mats in different thicknesses. The origin of the residual waste is easy to trace: red comes from Coke bottle caps, black from the automotive industry, and trendy colors from the soles of sneakers.’
The properties of the material guarantee years of operation. But even to the end of life or remain during renovation the plates are valuable. ‘The material is easy to clean and reuse.
When the end of life is reached means that the foam is back as chips until new plates can be pressed. The addition of these products fits in with our policy to always be sustainable and preferably also circular products to choose from.
Shock absorption Derksen explains: ‘We mainly use the plates as fall damping under artificial grass pitches and playground equipment.’ Good damping of the substrate helps to prevent serious (head) injury in the event of a fall. With the head injury criterion or HIC test, based on the standard NEN-EN 1177, the degree of damping is established.
Derksen: ‘With the precisely determined HIC value for our products, the designer can build the substrate in the right way. The Refo Play 35 mat can be used with a thickness of 35mm and can be used under playground equipment with a maximum drop height of 1.50m, and the Refo Play 45 even with a maximum drop height of 2.00 m. It is also possible to use a create better fall damping by multiple layers on top of each other.’
New application possibilities Although application as a shock pad is obvious Derksen also sees other possibilities. ‘Because we mainly focus on Joosten-wide dealing with products and total solutions for civil engineering, green roofs, and greenery in urban areas, we are looking for new possibilities within
these areas. Think of applications in water management concepts on the roof or in a growing place for trees, because also the strong water permeability is an important property of the plates.
Everywhere we go virgin material can be replaced by a high-quality recycled product, we put a step toward a more sustainable society.
www.joostenkunststoffen.nl
