KUALA LUMPUR, 3 September 2026 — Nearly two-thirds (62.8%) of Malaysian businesses surveyed have experienced operational disruptions due to flooring issues, highlighting how flooring failures can create costs and risks that extend far beyond routine maintenance expenses, according to a new industry survey by Nippon Paint.

Automotive 4S Centres

The Industrial Flooring Performance & Business Impact Survey gathered responses from 129 organisations across various sectors, including manufacturing, logistics, food and beverage processing, healthcare and pharmaceutical, retail and other operational environments. The findings highlight growing concerns over the impact of flooring performance on business continuity, productivity, safety and compliance.

Besides the 62.8% of respondents who reported operational disruptions, 51.2% said flooring problems had recurred after repair or rectification. Meanwhile, 48.9% indicated that they were definitely or likely to undertake a flooring upgrade, replacement or major repair within the next 24 months.

The findings suggest that industrial flooring should no longer be viewed solely as a facilities or maintenance matter. When flooring systems fail in production lines, warehouses, clean rooms or food-processing facilities, businesses can face workflow interruptions, higher operating costs, worker safety concerns and potential hygiene or regulatory compliance risks.

Data Centre

“Industrial flooring is quite literally the foundation on which many businesses operate, yet its performance is rarely considered from a business continuity perspective until something goes wrong,” said Tay Sze Tuck, General Manager of Nippon Paint Malaysia.

According to the survey, the financial impact of flooring failures can be significant. Nearly half (46.5%) of respondents reported spending more than RM50,000 on direct flooring-related repair or rectification work. More notably, 18.6% said their expenditure exceeded RM500,000, including 8.5% who reported costs of more than RM1 million.

However, repair bills represent only part of the potential financial impact. Production efficiency and workflow emerged as the most commonly reported business impact at 45.0%, followed by cleaning and hygiene management at 41.9%, worker safety at 40.3% and audit and compliance performance at 38.8%.

Food Processing

The survey also found that 31.0% of respondents experienced significant downtime because of flooring issues, while another 31.8% faced minor disruption. These figures underline how flooring failures can affect day-to-day operations and potentially result in productivity losses alongside direct repair expenses.

Recurring problems are another concern for businesses. More than half (51.2%) of respondents said flooring issues had returned at least once following repair or rectification, while 34.1% reported that their flooring problems required multiple repair attempts.

Resolution can also take considerable time. Some 21.7% of respondents said their flooring issues remained unresolved, while 20.2% reported that it took five weeks or longer to resolve their flooring problems.

Aviation

“This creates a repair-repeat cycle where organisations can end up spending repeatedly on the same asset while continuing to absorb operational disruption,” Tay said. “For business leaders, the question should therefore not only be, ‘How much will this repair cost?’ but ‘What is the total cost to the business if the problem happens again?’”

The survey further showed that businesses are increasingly recognising the importance of selecting flooring systems that are suited to their specific operating environments. More than half (57.3%) of respondents believed their flooring problems could definitely or possibly have been reduced or prevented if a more suitable flooring system had been selected from the beginning.

Different facilities place different demands on flooring systems. Manufacturing and logistics environments, for example, may experience heavy vehicle movements and mechanical loading, while specialised facilities can require resistance to chemical exposure, stringent hygiene standards or controls for electrostatic discharge.

Manufacturing Production Plant

Reflecting these considerations, 48.9% of respondents said they were definitely or likely to undertake a flooring upgrade, replacement or major repair within the next two years. The reasons for such investments also suggest that businesses are increasingly focusing on operational performance rather than aesthetics.

Less downtime during operations was the leading factor that would justify an upgrade to a better flooring system, cited by 48.8% of respondents. This was followed by improved durability and lifespan at 46.5%, and greater confidence in audit and compliance performance, also at 46.5%.

Other factors included improved worker safety at 41.1%, reduced long-term maintenance costs at 39.5%, and better technical guidance and system recommendations at 38.8%.

Warehouse

The findings point to the importance of shifting from reactive repairs towards a more long-term approach to industrial flooring. Rather than assessing flooring based only on installation costs or individual repair bills, businesses may benefit from considering its overall lifecycle performance, including durability, maintenance requirements, downtime risks, productivity and compliance.

Nippon Paint Malaysia said its FLOORSHIELD industrial flooring solutions are designed to address the differing performance requirements of industrial and commercial environments. The solutions cater to facilities including production and logistics sites, chemical plants, automotive and aviation facilities, data centres, electronics plants, food-processing facilities and cold storage.

The offering forms part of Nippon Paint’s Total Coating & Construction Solutions (TCCS) approach, which combines coating and construction solutions with technical expertise to address the specific requirements of different built environments.

“The findings reinforce a simple point: the right flooring decision starts with understanding the environment it needs to perform in,” Tay said. “By matching the flooring system to the operational demands of the facility from the outset, businesses can reduce the risk of recurring failures and the disruption and costs that come with them.”

As Malaysian businesses continue to prioritise operational efficiency, safety and cost management, the survey highlights the need to treat industrial flooring as an important component of operational infrastructure. Choosing the right flooring system at the outset could help businesses minimise recurring failures, reduce disruption and achieve better long-term value from their facilities.