As the Energy Act 2011 comes into force in less than two years warehouse operators may want to take a fresh look at their industrial doors, especially those on or near the loading bay. A good place to start would be to consult the leading door suppliers who will provide a free energy audit of your premises. Doors, of course, do far more than keep the elements at bay, including vermin, pests and the nefarious, but the energy issue is probably paramount among most warehouse operators, which explains the popularity of the fastacting PVC roller doors. Initially these may not be cheap but the sensible assessment is to consider the life cycle cost. It is not unknown for a set of fast PVC doors to pay for themselves within months through energy savings alone. Such doors may also be vital to maintain temperatures within a narrow range owing to sensitive production processes or to maintain rigid hygiene levels.
Keeping external doors open most of the time to accommodate high traffic volumes because old shutter doors are still in use may not be a sensible choice any more. The problem can also be acute at the interface between docklevellers and lorries because according to one university study energy loss could be reduced by 80% if there is an effective dock seal in place, like an inflatable dock shelter. For over 30 years now industry has been moving away from energy-wasting manual shutter doors to the highly popular rapid roller doors, originally offered in PVC, but which have now evolved to include thermally insulated slatted doors and knock-out facilities to cope with forklift collisions for easy, quick repair. With clear view panels the PVC doors have the added attraction of letting in more natural light, which in itself can be an energy saver. An alternative to the roller door is the air curtain, which costs less to maintain but loses the pest control element. The changing nature of distribution, like the move to multi-channel deliveries boosted by the internet, is also putting pressure on the industrial door industry. In an age where online customers expect deliveries on the same or next day, delays caused by unscheduled door downtime will not always go unpunished. This is why it is so important to have a robust door maintenance service in place from a reliable supplier, a situation that is still somewhat lacking though is improving.
To get a handle on door supplier reliability, if time permits potential buyers should visit door users for feedback on the reliability of the doors and the after-sales service. Most leading door manufacturers will happily provide potential kit buyers with a list of sites to visit. If one has a variety of door makes on site it would pay to seek a door maintenance company that can cope with different makes.
In view of changing environmental regulations buyers should also consider asking any potential door supplier about the environmental impact of their doors and see if they provide environmental product declarations. If proposing to move into a specbuilt warehouse the doors already provided may not be sufficient for your purposes so it is important to see if the lease prohibits door alterations without the landlord’s consent. This is also an issue that could apply to roof solar panels.
If specifying your own new warehouse then it is best to ask the door manufacturers for their input at an early stage because their experience is broad and invaluable, and it comes free. Forget about the architects and builders when trying to foresee any problems that could stymie an efficient warehouse.
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