A FlexiEdge fast-action external door supplied by Stertil Door Products ensures safe access for pedestrians and wheeled vehicles in an area of high wind loading for Greencell Spalding.
Established in 2000, Greencell is a member of the Westfalia Fruit Group and is a leading supplier of fruit and vegetables throughout the UK. A workforce of 100 operates from three separate locations – Dartford, Spalding and Paddock Wood – to service a growing number of customers including retail, government, food services, food processors and wholesalers. At the company’s Spalding plant, set in the heart of England’s vegetable garden, a Stertil FlexiEdge M2 fast-action door was specified to replace an existing external door that had reached the end of its working life.
The FlexiEdge range comprises 16 models of many different types and styles including internal and external doors, all-weather doors, cleanroom and freezer/coldroom doors plus emergency exit doors incorporating breakthrough curtains. Standard models are available in widths up to 11 metres and heights of 5.5 metres whilst bespoke and special sizes may be specified. Also, the range provides standard travel speeds up to 2.7 metres per second (opening) and 1.2 metres per second (closing) to shorten work cycles and increase productivity.
The door curtain is fully flexible with a soft bottom edge which not only self-adjusts to seal on an uneven floor but also avoids any possibility of causing injury to users. In addition, the incorporation of an infra-red photocell, fitted 300mm above floor level, supported by a bottom edge wireless detector ensures instant halting of all door movement in the event of sensing an obstruction of any kind. Also, the flexible soft-edge curtain provides maximum resistance to damage caused by a vehicle collision. If the door edges are knocked out by the collision, they are automatically re-inserted in the side guides as the door opens.
A wide range of activation systems allows maximum versatility of FlexiEdge doors in many different applications. Alternatives to the standard push button pads include wired and wireless pull cords, key switches, induction loops, photocells, radar, radio or infra-red transmitters, presence detectors and touchless hand-wave detectors. Depending on the particular requirements of individual applications, the most appropriate activation method may be specified to ensure that the doors may be used intensively, minimising ‘open time’ and meeting the needs of the busiest high traffic areas.
At Greencell Spalding, rapid opening and closing of the FlexiEdge door is activated by overhead sensors installed both inside and outside although pedestrians can opt to use the adjacent push button control panel. Apart from pedestrians, the door is used by personnel driving a range of forklifts and pedestrian operated pallet trucks. By minimising the time that the doors are open during these procedures, internal temperatures are maintained and expensive energy consumption is avoided.
Due to the exposed nature of the Greencell Spalding plant, the Stertil FlexiEdge door has to cope with adverse weather conditions including unusually high wind loadings. However, the incorporation of top quality materials including galvanised steel for structural strength allied to reinforced polyethylene side guides ensures that the door’s performance and reliability is not compromised.
Furthermore, the door curtains, which have been developed to offer flexibility and durability, incorporate no rigid elements. A hi-tech manufacturing process involves the insertion of reinforced polyester within a PVC sandwich to produce a high strength yet lightweight door curtain.
STERTIL UK LIMITED
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