It is arguably natural that manufacturers should concentrate their investment on their production machinery while other capital spends not of a value-adding nature, like doors, lighting, etc, are relatively ignored, especially when it involves maintenance costs. But why should a ‘non value’ adding capital investment like doors be treated lightly if it can cut total operating costs just because they relate to overheads? After all, it is always the bottom line that counts, a figure that can be impacted in so many ways, like accidents, illness, product contamination, energy loss and damage.

bill-new-greyIt must surely make sense that a more holistic approach to overall costs will reduce those costs. The loading bay is one area that highlights the importance of doors but doors can be pivotal in production areas where clean issues and strict temperature control are vital to the sensitive production process. A case in point is the Austrian company, Constantia Teich, which produces flexible packaging materials, using aluminium, paper and plastic, for the food manufacturing industries. An important part of the production process is the maintenance of the wax or glue-bound materials in temperature chambers at a steady 60 deg C for five days as part of the hardening process. A critical part of these chambers is the extremely, well-insulated Efaflex doors, where door failure is not an option because heat treatment times would rise sharply. Given that hygiene was also a key issue the doors were specified with an increased wind class to help the production hall operate under positive air pressure so that particles will always be carried out of the building rather than in when the doors are opened.

But how does one begin to justify treating industrial doors with the same value and care as production equipment? Given that energy savings are usually a prime benefit of fast-acting doors it makes sense to begin with an energy audit, and in this respect all the leading door suppliers will carry out an energy-saving audit or provide a template to be downloaded to help customers do their own sums. The findings can then be compared with what the energy consumption would be with the most appropriate new doors.

Owing to the wide range of industrial doors, buyers should give full information to prospective suppliers regarding expected daily operating cycles.

This will help both parties choose the most suitable door. If high door damage levels are a problem owing to truck collisions then a door crash-out facility that allows quick, in-house repair, along with warning approach systems, would be advisable. To save valuable forklift driver time, consider remotely door-activated systems that avoid frequent driver dismounts.

It is important always to remember that not all rapid roller doors are of good quality and nor are all after-sales servicing plans up to scratch. G A Petfood Partners found that before switching to a new Klimate fastacting external door to prevent pest ingress and maintain temperatures their door met with poor after sales service response times and high ongoing maintenance costs. For this reason it is advisable to visit existing door users to discuss their experiences with the doors and the quality of the after-sales service. In this respect all the leading door makers would be prepared to provide and/or arrange site visits to their clients’ premises.

As with forklift maintenance contracts, door buyers can draw up after sale’s service contracts, or stipulations, defining precisely what the call-out times should be and penalties for failing to comply. This would be important in certain production industries sensitive to temperature changes and contamination risks. Some door makers, like Union Industries, provide a comforting factor here with their Lifetime Warranty Scheme, a cover that is included as standard.

There may, of course, be applications where during operations it is not feasible to have fast-acting roller doors owing to very high traffic levels. An alternative could be air curtains like those from Airbloc, who say that their curtains can cut energy loss by over 80%. They can be so effective that doorways can remain open all day with very little effect on the heating system’s energy consumption.

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