As a business owner, your number one priority is to improve productivity as much as possible while keeping staff safe, protecting your property and saving money. Thanks to their speed, efficiency, security and durability, high speed doors can help you achieve all of these aims and more.
Businesses involving warehouses, factories, distribution centres and car parks already make frequent use of roller shutter doors to ensure security
However, high speed doors can often require a larger initial investment due to their superior technology. So will they be worth it for you? Keep reading to learn more about high speed doors and discover if your business really needs them.
What are high speed doors?
High speed doors or high speed roller shutters are a faster and more lightweight alternative to traditional roller shutters. Whereas regular roller shutters will typically open and close at the speed of a few inches per second, high speed doors can reach speeds of up to 2 metres per second, allowing them to operate much more rapidly.
Another key difference is that high speed doors are usually constructed from a lightweight yet durable PVC curtain with a steel bottom rail. Regular roller shutters are usually made from strong steel slats, which provide a lot of security but prevent the shutters from rolling up and down as quickly and efficiently. High speed doors are designed to handle many opening and closing cycles each day, using their strengthened drivetrain and metal guides to swiftly roll up into the overhead canopy without causing too much strain. This means they need less maintenance despite their much faster operating speeds.
To learn more, read our complete guide to high speed doors.
What are high speed doors used for?
Naturally, high speed doors are used in high-traffic areas that would benefit from reduced waiting times when personnel are moving between different rooms. For example, if your business has a busy loading bay or warehouse, high speed doors will ensure that staff aren’t waiting too long to get where they need to go. This will reduce delays and increase the rate at which goods can be moved in and out of the building, therefore improving productivity levels and profits.
High speed doors are also essential for businesses that need to maintain a highly regulated indoor environment, such as businesses in the food processing and pharmaceutical industries. These fast-operating industrial high speed doors will minimise the amount of temperature-controlled air that leaves the building, ensuring that all goods stay at the exact temperature they need. Plus, this will put less strain on your heating and HVAC systems and help you save money on energy bills.
Types of high speed doors
Depending on their main priorities, businesses can choose from multiple types of high speed doors. Let’s take a look at two of the most popular examples below:
Rapidor
For businesses that need to prioritise speed above all else, Rapidor is the ideal product. Rapidor rapid roll doors can reach operating speeds of 2 metres per second to minimise delays and heat transfer. Their 3mm-thick PVC curtains are incredibly lightweight and durable, improving their energy efficiency and lifespan.
Just because these doors are lightweight, doesn’t mean they can’t offer robust security. Their cleverly integrated wind bars add extra strength to the doors without sacrificing speed, allowing them to resist both intruders and adverse weather conditions. Plus, these high speed doors feature full width windows for added visibility, which can improve security by allowing staff to see unauthorised individuals in restricted areas.
High speed insulated roller shutters
On the other hand, if climate control is your number one priority, you may prefer high speed insulated roller shutters. Although Rapidor high speed doors are fantastic at preventing heat loss due to their super-fast operating speeds, high speed insulated roller shutters take this one step further thanks to their 95mm foam-injected lath and double guide brush seal. These features expertly regulate internal environments to keep temperature-sensitive products in good condition (and save you money on your energy bills).
Since these doors are slightly more heavy duty, they aren’t quite as fast as Rapidor high speed roller doors. However, they’re still much faster than traditional roller shutters and can help improve productivity in addition to climate control.
Reasons why you may need high speed doors
These advantages of high speed doors all sound fantastic in theory, but how can they apply to your business in particular? If you’re wondering whether industrial high speed doors are right for your business, here are some of the reasons why you may need high speed doors. If these points apply to you, give us a call at SSS Industrial Doors to discuss your needs, preferences and the installation process.
1. To improve productivity
Some businesses may be fine with regular roller shutters if they’re used infrequently, but if your staff are constantly moving between rooms, high speed doors can massively reduce delays resulting from people waiting for doors to open and close. Although traditional opening and closing speeds may not initially seem like a big deal, they can quickly add up and significantly slow down traffic, the transfer of goods and task handling.
Thanks to their superior technology and design, high speed doors are much more durable and long-lasting, even when they go through many opening and closing cycles each day. This means that your high speed roller shutter doors will face minimal downtime. Combined with the much faster operating speeds, this makes high speed doors much more efficient than any other industrial doors for busy workplace environments. As a result, your business’s productivity will greatly increase, leading to improved profits.
2. To save energy
In addition to being efficient with time, high speed doors are incredibly energy efficient too. High speed doors improve your business’s energy efficiency due to their lightweight design, as these doors are typically constructed from PVC instead of heavy-duty steel slats. Plus, these doors contain fewer moving parts, increasing their efficiency even further.
Therefore, if you need to use your doors frequently, you can save a lot of money on your energy bills if you replace your traditional roller shutters with high speed roller shutter doors. In addition, since your new high speed doors will minimise the amount of heat transfer, your heating or air conditioning won’t have to work as hard to maintain a consistent indoor temperature. This will result in much lower energy costs.
3. To maintain a temperature-controlled environment
Not only is this important for saving money, but minimising heat transfer is also vital for regulating indoor environments. If you own a business that needs to maintain exact temperatures, such as a laboratory or food processing facility, then installing high speed doors can help you preserve the quality of your goods and materials.
Businesses with even stricter requirements may even benefit from installing two high speed doors in certain areas. This will create an air lock thanks to the minimised exposure times and high-quality seals of these doors, which is ideal for areas sensitive to temperature and pressure changes.
4. To reduce contamination
Controlled environments will also greatly benefit from the contamination control of high speed roller doors in addition to their temperature-controlling abilities. Since high speed doors minimise the amount of exposure time during opening and closing cycles, this means that contaminants like dust, debris and pests have far fewer opportunities to get inside. This is especially true for high speed insulated roller shutters, which feature high-quality brush seals to maintain exact temperatures and keep all contaminants out of your buildings.
5. To improve security
Although high speed doors aren’t as heavy duty as traditional roller shutters, they’re still fantastic for warehouse security, car park security and much more. Due to their much faster opening and closing times, they provide much fewer opportunities for unauthorised persons to slip into restricted areas. Plus, products like Rapidor high speed doors feature integrated steel wind bars, making them surprisingly robust.
For external doors, you may prefer the steel construction of traditional roller shutters, as they can easily withstand intruders and strong winds for long periods of time. However, high speed doors provide excellent security as internal doors between different rooms on the premises.
6. To maintain safety standards
In addition to supporting your security measures, high speed roller shutter doors will ensure that your business remains safe for all employees and visitors. Despite their high speeds, these doors are designed to minimise the risk of anyone becoming trapped due to the rapid auto-close mechanism. For example, some high speed doors can be fitted with an automatic reverse mechanism, which means they’ll immediately retract if an unexpected impact occurs. Plus, products like Rapidor are fitted with a soft, wireless safety edge to prevent injuries.
With Rapidor high speed roller doors, another key safety feature is their full-width window. Thanks to this extra visibility, people will always be able to see if someone else on the other side is about to come through, thus preventing potential collisions and improving traffic flow.
Check out our blog to learn more about roller shutter safety.
7. To spend less time and money on maintenance
Finally, if you need to tighten your maintenance budget, industrial high speed doors are a brilliant investment. Although these doors can be more expensive upfront, you can end up saving money in the long run due to the minimal roller shutter maintenance required. High speed doors are designed to withstand frequent daily use, so faults and downtime are both unlikely as long as basic annual maintenance is completed. Plus, high speed doors have very few moving parts, so the maintenance process itself is very quick.
Additionally, cleaning Rapidor high speed roller doors is extremely quick and easy because of their PVC construction. This will dramatically reduce the amount of time you spend on cleaning and maintenance, enabling you to focus on other areas of your business.
What businesses need high speed doors?
Ultimately, if you need to support a lot of daily traffic and maintain a controlled environment, high speed doors will be a great investment for your business. High speed industrial doors aren’t as vital for businesses that don’t experience a lot of traffic, but you may still appreciate the safety, security, productivity and maintenance benefits that come with these doors.
Businesses that typically get the most out of industrial high speed doors include:
- Car parks
- Food processing facilities
- Laboratories
- Shipping centres
- Warehouses
- Factories
Interested in high speed doors? Contact SSS Industrial Doors today for more information about our high speed roller door products. We provide and install bespoke industrial doors that fit your business’s exact requirements.
