In 2012 the Crawford group, one of the world’s largest suppliers of Industrial Door and Docking Systems was purchased by ASSA ABLOY, joining the ‘Entrance Systems’ division in the UK. In the two years following acquisition, sales of Crawford docking equipment have increased steadily.
The Crawford brand has enjoyed a long and successful association with the logistics industry, providing solutions to an exhaustive list of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and even 4th party providers across the UK. Renowned across the globe as a first class provider of innovative and cost-effective products, ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems continues to successfully provide solutions for Industry. Crawford levellers, shelters, doors and Loadhouses are a mainstay of loading bays across the UK in ambient, cold and sub-zero cold chains. In 2013 the ASSA ABLOY group turned over in excess of £4.5bn and is undoubtedly the world’s largest supplier of door opening solutions.
Traditional sandwich panel overhead sectional doors are a key part of the offering to temperature controlled and ambient facilities and the brand new Crawford OH1042 is a reworking of the classic 42mm thick Crawford panel design, with enhanced features for better performance and insulation values. Cold storage doors are available with panels up to 70mm thick, for near perfect cold-air retention. Also new in 2014, is the recently released Crawford Vehicle Restraint which combats early drive-off and trailer creep by hydraulically locking vehicles in their docked position.
Crawford Loadhouses, which ‘bolt-on’ to exterior walls of a building and combine leveller, door and shelter, may not be new, but are increasingly popular for UK business leaders. With no need to allocate a dock leveller pit in the floor space of a warehouse, and their capacity to keep the interior of a building annexed and entirely separate from the loading bay area, Loadhouses are seen as a logical addition for, in particular, cold distribution.
Internal and external high speed fabric doors continue to add value where hygiene, temperature control and traffic flow are important factors. Crawford external speed doors are durable, low-maintenance solutions offering tight-seal and self-repair features with opening speeds up to 2.8m/s. Demanding environments can be served by the advanced features of ‘application’ doors from the Crawford portfolio, which are designed to meet specific needs. These include airtight ‘Cleanroom’ doors, stainless steel ‘Hygiene’ doors and highly effective ‘Freezer’ doors, which combine near-perfect seal with features to combat the build-up of ice in sub-zero environments.
In addition to the growing product sales, the service operation at ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems in the UK now stands at over 100 engineers strong. With coverage in all areas of Great Britain, this expansive, well-trained team underwrites their policy on both pro-active maintenance and 24-7 rapid response to emergency call-outs. Engineers are located across England, Scotland and Wales. Service, maintenance and modernisation excellence is high on the business agenda too. A dedicated training and improvement centre in Yorkshire opened in 2013, specifically aimed at enhancing skill and proficiency.
In August 2013 Forbes listed ASSA ABLOY as the 78th most innovative company in the world: a significant achievement considering Apple Inc. was listed 79th.
Crawford products are designed, manufactured and installed to the individual circumstances of each client. Appointments with a local representative can be arranged through the new products team.
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