We're all on the journey to save costs, particularly in the warehouse Sector
And with the rise of eco-friendly and sustainable knowledge, there are more and more opportunities to save costs on energy. Reducing our energy footprint can drastically shave thousands off the electricity bill each year.
1. Speed of Operation
The most obvious factor is speed. The faster your doors open and close, the faster your products / staff or vehicles can access and leave site, and less chance of temperature controlled air escaping the facility. Especially important where fresh produce is involved and should be kept in a temperature controlled environment with minimal outside factors getting in contact with the, potentially, sterilised produce.
2. Insulated Doorways
How well insulated are standard roller shutters? Mostly, not very well insulated at all. Even if your site is not temperature controlled, it may still pay its due to consider an insulated door to protect your stock or staff against outside weather differences.
Most certainly if money is spent on temperature controlled air, it makes sense to keep that air within your site with well insulated doors.
3. Warehouse Flow
Most facilities, especially older facilities, have a few 'sore spots' where to get from A to B is not as straight forward as they would like. This usually comes about from growth where the flow used to be just right, but as the team or product line grows, the flow becomes less and less efficient as the space is filled up with storage, parts, machinery etc. to adjust to the growth. The most simple procedures, such as getting stock out to the delivery area, can feel like a journey through a maze.
Why is this an issue for the energy use on site? A couple of reasons: bottlenecks and storage conditions. The efficiency, effective utilisation, running costs, working environment of your warehouse all depend on its fitness for purpose. If you are trying to maintain certain conditions within site (for example if you store perishable goods), then multiple flows through the building are going to make it difficult to seal and keep the temperature controlled air where it is meant to be.
On the other end of the argument, bottlenecks can happen when too many people or vehicles are trying to get through one area all the same time. A well planned site, can make good use of doorways, such as Rapid Doors and partitioned areas so that there is a clear pathway to get goods from A to B safely.
4. Maintaining a Good Seal
Standard Roller Shutters as we know, provide little insulation for site, but there are alternative options for warehouses such as Insulated Roller Shutters, Rapid Roller Doors with thermal properties and insulated Sectional Doors.
For Cold Storage sites in particular, there are several measures to take in order to control cold store temperatures effectively:
- Minimise air temperature variation by reducing the number of door openings and traffic movement in and out of the cold storage facility
- Install necessary mechanisms to lower temperature as soon as they are increased
- Ensure defrost cycle systems are adequately designed to prevent any product heating up
- Install appropriate trigger alarms to ensure prompt corrective action
- Ensure damaged walls and door seals that could leak cold air out and allow hot ambient air in are promptly repaired
- Ensure optimum stacking patterns and floor layout to facilitate airflow
- Most importantly, conduct regular checks of the facility including compressor, defrost cycle, thermostat, cooling tower equipment, walls and doors to ensure everything is in good working order.
To find a rapid door that best suits your cold storage facility, refer to our Buyers Guide to Rapid Roller Doors.
