In a busy manufacturing facility or warehouse, maintaining the smooth movement of raw materials and finished products is critical to efficient operation. One threat to this productivity is vehicle-door collisions. Rerouting traffic around a damaged door can significantly reduce productivity because forklifts must be redirected to alternate door openings. This increased activity can lead to traffic jams, which slow down overall operations throughout your facility until the door is finally repaired.
High-performance doors are manufactured with the latest materials, components and technologies to improve traffic flow and help maintain optimum productivity. Here’s how.
Breakaway Action
High-performance fabric doors can open and close quickly – from 50 up to 100 inches per second – but vehicle-door collisions can still happen. A well-designed door can take a hit from a forklift or other equipment and break away to reduce potential damage to the door, warehouse equipment, loads and nearby workers. Instead of absorbing the force of the impact, the door panel lifts out of the door tracks and easily moves out of the way without being damaged. Some high-performance doors are made of puncture-resistant, polyester multi-filament fabric. This rugged material provides a tight door seal yet is flexible enough to move out of the way in the event of a collision.
Fast, Tool-Free Repairs
After an accidental impact, many high-performance doors can be easily restored to normal operation in less than a minute. For example, certain Rytec doors like the Fast-Seal® fabric door are equipped with Break-Away™ tabs that allow the wireless bottom bar to release in either direction without damaging the door.
Other Rytec fabric door models like the PredaDoor® NXT® and Plexline® fabric doors have a Quick-Set™ repair system that allows the operator to reset the door with the push of a button after aligning the bottom bar. First, cutoff switches automatically shut off the door motor if the bottom bar is impacted. To reset the door, a worker simply aligns the bottom of the door to the side of the opening where the motor is located. Then, pressing the door activation button, the door quickly restores itself to full operation in seconds, without the need for tools. This functionality not only helps manufacturing and warehouse facilities minimize downtime. It also enables forklift operators to assess any damage to their loads immediately at the time of the accident.
Automatic Self-Repair
The self-repairing feature on Rytec® doors is particularly important for factories and warehouses because it allows doors to continue operating, even after a collision.
Some fabric door models, including FlexTec® doors and Turbo-Seal® Insulated doors for temperature controlled and cold storage warehousing, automatically self-repair without user intervention if impacted from either direction – instantly putting the door back in use without significant downtime.
Smooth Flow of Traffic
Versatile and durable high-performance doors provide maximum reliability for numerous interior and exterior applications. Their speed and reliability improve the flow of traffic and help forklift drivers to maintain high productivity throughout their shifts because they don’t have to wait for slower-moving doors to open.
Real-Time Door Monitoring
Remotely managing and monitoring activity of your Rytec High Performance Door has never been more convenient. Rytec Connect® remote door monitoring and management system uses cloud-based technology to ensure 24/7 tracking of door operations. It allows you to easily monitor door status, open or close doors from anywhere, proactively initiate preventive maintenance and service schedules, and view live maps of all connected doors.
Awareness and Safety at the Threshold
Rytec’s Pathwatch® and Pathwatch® II systems are safety light communication technologies designed to increase threshold safety. Unlike conventional warning lights, the Pathwatch® systems attract attention from nearly any angle or direction of travel — exactly when and where it is most critical. The bright LED lights effectively capture attention to warn personnel that the door panel is about to move, which keeps people and products moving smoothly through any facility to reduce collisions and door downtime.
Rytec provides a full portfolio of high-performance doors to increase manufacturing and warehouse productivity, reduce energy costs, and improve traffic flow and safety. Click here for our Manufacturing & Warehousing doors. Or contact us today to discuss your high-speed door needs.
