With winter on the horizon, companies with large doorways that allow easy access will have to find a way of maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures to ensure productive working conditions.

Wim Dessing, sales executive at Apex Strip Curtains, and the South African pioneer of the use of flexible PVC strips in a number of industrial applications, says that it is important to deal with a reputable company when selecting the most appropriate option to do this.

Dessing’s company offers a range of solutions including the traditional Apex Strip Curtain which features the patented Balledge® design.

“While general purpose strip curtains will certainly do the job in closing off a doorway and prevent the ingress of cold into a working area, it may not be the most appropriate solution for a particular application,” he says.

Dessing urges companies to look at alternatives means of sealing doorways and says that the range of products available today cater for both application and budget requirements.

The days of just installing a roller shutter door are long over. The company manufactures a range of fast action roll-up and fold-up doors which are suitable for applications ranging from food preparation and the hospitality industry through to mining and manufacturing.

All doors have been designed using quality materials and components to offer a product that is safe to operate, extremely rugged and an effective barrier.

For example, the standard Traffic fold up door, which is ideally suited to provide exterior access in production plants, shipment areas and warehouses, is designed to resist wind loading of up to 50 km/hour. A custom model of the door is also available that can withstand speeds of up to 90 km/hour.

The Traffic door is manufactured from strong self-extinguishing Class 2 fabric which offers excellent thermal insulation and vision windows are incorporated into the panels. The supporting structure is of high quality galvanised steel. Installation is exceptionally quick and easy, because the support structure contains all the electric drive gear and a specialised mechanical counterbalancing system.

Like other doors in the range, the Traffic door is controlled by an electric unit which complies with all IEC regulations and can be activated by any type of remote control equipment including photocells, pressure sensitive mats, movement detectors or induction loops. To facilitate safety, the door is fitted with a release lever that opens it from either side in the event of a power failure or malfunction.

Safety features have also been incorporated and continuity of operation is ensured by a set of back-up batteries housed close to the electrical control panel. The door has a sensor bar on its lower edge which, in the case of an accidental collision, opens the door immediately no matter what stage in its cycle.

Another fast action roll-up door in the range is the Sector, a panel and window model, which uses the same counterbalancing system. This has an extension spring activated by a release lever to facilitate semi-automatic re-opening.

“All the doors are engineered for extensive opening and closing actions, and require virtually no maintenance,” Dessing says. “However, it is vital that the correct door be selected and factors such as doorway size and the type and volume of traffic moving through this opening must be considered in the purchasing decision.”

Apex Strip Curtains provides a technical information service to assist companies in selecting the most appropriate door. Installation and commissioning is also part of the package.