Allowing vehicles access into a production/processing facility often means that swarms of flying insects are close behind. Once that 8-by-10 or larger door opens up, the invitation for infestations that put product quality at risk is open, too.
Food products, of course, are at the top of the risk list, but insects cause havoc for precision products, too. These unwanted visitors mean sanitation and quality-control problems that can lead to product recalls, profit shortfalls and even plant shutdowns. Especially during warmer weather months, open doorways abound in these facilities -- despite most companies having rules about leaving doors open – as workers close to the doorway seek relief from the heat and dead air within the building.
Now, more companies are putting bugs in their place with the help of bug-blocking rolling-mesh screens. In distribution centers or commercial facilities, that can mean dozens of doorways that beat the bugs and the heat.
Used for exterior processing/production doorways, this protection against insect invasions provides benefits beyond stopping bugs and can include significant energy savings and improved employee productivity.
Produce is especially attractive to insects. In the case of Temecula, Calif.-based West Pak Avocado, one of the largest packers of this healthful green fruit, their process must keep food protection a top priority. As Robert Salaski, field manager for West Pak puts it, their goal is “Safety, safety, safety.”
West Pak is a leading grower and shipper of California avocados. Their current 29,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art packing facility in was built in 1992 to service their expanding customer base throughout the United States and Canada. Fresh air and sunshine is an asset that smart companies use to keep their HVAC and lighting costs down. The state government’s increasing energy conscious-ness has businesses finding new ways to minimize their BTUs, as well.
Through West Pak’s dock door thousands of pounds of avocados – delectable to insects – pour into the plant every day to be weighed, packed, palletized and shipped.
This high level of traffic and activity called for some kind of rapid-access door. Getting traffic in and out quickly is a must not only to accommodate fast traffic flow but also to minimize the window of opportunity for the insects waiting outside to invade the building. Many fabric roll-up doors can provide quick doorway access, but a fast-moving rolling-screen provides the added benefit of turning the doorway into both a vent and a window. It also provides door guides that enclose the screen sides.
This style of rolling screen is designed so the bugs have no access points into the building. The track and garage-type rollers enable it to stay in its guide tracks, withstanding winds up to 70 mph. A dynamic EPDM baffle under the valence prevents pests from enter-ing through the header.
Salaski also credits the rolling screen with enhancing security, and thanks in part to the rolling screen, West Pak earned a score of 98 percent on a recent food-safety audit.
In Northbrook, Ill., Hotcakes, a commercial baking company, went from being a dream of owner Suzanne Markus to a business that now has a 2,000-square-foot facility and is approaching $2 million in business a year.
Markus knows that in order to get out the most out of her team, the idea is to bake the pastries, not the employees. To beat the heat and the insect invaders that threaten product quality, Markus has turned her shipping/receiving area into a vent by using a bug-blocking screen.
“It gets pretty toasty in here,” Markus says. “Unfortunately, there is just no way to get air conditioning into the space — it’s just the nature of the beast. With the ceilings so high and the space so cavernous, airflow is difficult and costly.”
Markus explains that she tried keeping the doors open to allow cool air to come into the bakery, but along with the air came bugs. When the workers put their own screens up, it turned into a nightmare as they wrestled with moving the screens during busy operating hours.
By their second year Markus got tired of having to leave the door open to cut the heat and fatigue and installed a bug-blocking rolling-screen door on the dock doorway.
“As for the rolling screen they have now,” Markus states, “we’re loving it. The ventilation is great. We haven’t had any issues with insects coming in.”
The rolling screen is a 17-by-11 polyester scrim with openings too small for insects to penetrate, but it allows in fresh air and sunshine. The door offers a shade/screen improvement factor of 65 percent, bringing greater comfort without the operating costs.
Compared to the wide-open door, the mesh screen dramatically reduces radiant sun heat while welcoming air circulation.
“The rolling curtain screen has done a great job, allowing us to work and not feel the effects of the heat,” Markus says. “Based on our experience, the bug-blocking rolling screen has cut our uncomfortable days by about 25 percent.”
Tony Goff is president of Goff’s Enterprises, a company specializing in vinyl access and area separation products. For more infor-mation, visit www.goffscurtainwalls.com.
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