Feature Loading bays & doors Regular servicing takes a load off
For distribution centres and production sites, specifying the fastest and most efficient industrial doors can be the first step to improving work flow and maintaining regulated room temperatures. However even the best doors require maintenance; a regular service schedule can make sure that doors operate hassle free for many years. For Reynolds, national distributor of fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy and cheese products, the after sales support from Sara LBS is helping to keep its products fresh
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eynolds offers over 2,500 differ- ent products and supplies some of the UK’s largest catering sup- pliers. Much of the warehouse site is refrigerated to protect its perish- able goods; to help maintain the required air temperature Reynolds uses high speed ‘Sprint’ doors from Sara LBS. The fast acting doors also offer a high degree of thermal insula- tion which keeps energy costs down. Graham Shore, facilities manager for Reynolds, comments: “We moved into our current facilities in 2005. At that point we decided to use the Sprint door from Sara LBS as they offer the fastest opening and closing speeds available, as well as a number of impressive safety features. The major- ity of the doors operate on a loop to allow seamless passage by our vehi- cles, though they also open for person- nel on foot as well.”
The site has extremely high vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow which means that the doors experience request use; in fact some doors have logged more than 1,000,000 cycles in the past seven years. With such fre- quent use a malfunctioning door could seriously affect the smooth flow of operations around the warehouse. More worryingly, a broken door that exposes a refrigerated room to ambient temperatures for prolonged periods could spoil the products that are stored inside; some doors that open to exterior areas could also potentially allow vermin and rodents to enter the storehouse. To make sure that each door can withstand the pressures of frequent operation Reynolds has retained Sara LBS on a contract to carry out site inspections and servic- ing every six months.
Graham says: “All the way through the sales and installation process the Sara engineers offered fantastic service and expert advice. We were aware that the doors’ continued operations were vital to our business and couldn’t imagine anyone else offering superior maintenance services. Every six
months an engineer inspects each of the many doors we have on site and carries out a thorough service when required. They will also advise on any preventative maintenance that they feel is necessary and provide an instant quote.”
Reynolds depends on Sara LBS for regular servicing of its high-speed ‘Sprint’ doors
In the event of a mechanical failure, or accidental damage to one of the doors, Sara operates a 24-hour call out service. It has service facilities located across the UK meaning that most calls are answered extremely quickly. Engineers carry a number of spare parts with them meaning that in many instances on-site repair is possible. Graham adds: “Most of our call outs have been due to accidental damage; mechanical failures have been very rare. The times that we have called them out we have had a quick response and the doors have been repaired with urgency. I’ve always had the impression that they respect the importance that our business holds to the doors’ smooth operations.” Sara LBS offers one, three and five year service contracts to help make sure that loading bay equipment and industrial doors are well maintained to ensure a prolonged service life. All its service engineers are CSCS trained and have many years experience in the industry. Contracts include regular servicing of equipment, preventative maintenance - to stop a problem before it leads to downtime - and regular site inspections. Many of the UK’s leading manufacturers and distributers use Sara LBS to maintain their facilities, even if the original equipment isn't Sara LBS branded.
Sara LBS T: 01442 245577
www.saralbs.co.uk Enter 353
Loading bay doors protected against fire
oading bay specialist sara LBS is offering maximum safety and thermal efficiency in all sectional overhead doors by specifying Kingspan certified Firesafe door panel material as standard to ensure its doors offer the higest levels of protection. In the event of a fire, a door’s resistance levels can mean the
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difference between containing the fire to one area or it spreading throughout the building and putting lives at risk. Kingspan has over 40 years experience in producing fire resistant materials for the construction industry; it manufactures a urethane foam core which is sandwiched between galvanised steel stucco exterior panels to create a sara sectional door. In the event of a fire, the foam infill swells and expands to form a strong, carbonaceous char which will not add to the fire.
Ed Wilks, operations manager for sara LBS, comments: “During the design of a new building it is important that the worst case scenario is considered. No-one ever plans to have a fire but accidents can and do happen. We specify Firesafe panels as standard so that if the worst does happen there is a higher chance of containment in the early stages.” On top of fire safety there is an added benefit to sara’s door panels. Sectional overhead doors are often used as the entry point for loading bays as their design allows them to lift clear of approaching vehicles while maintaining a small footprint that doesn’t diminish internal storage space. Because of this, sara’s doors often play a key role in maintaining insulation. Wilks continues: “When positioned at an entry point, a door’s thermal efficiency can play a significant role in a building’s overall heating – or refrigeration – costs. A door with a high degree of thermal insulation can save hundreds of pounds each year; when there are multiple loading bays this can soon add up. The Firesafe panels from Kingspan have U- values up to 0.2W/m2K making our sectional overhead doors some of the most thermally efficient on the market.”
Materials Handling & Logistics JANUARY 2013 S11
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