Commercial Door Business Basics

So, you want to tap into that commercial market share, but you aren’t sure where to start. What’s the difference between a jackshaft operator and a hoist operator, anyway? Not sure how to find commercial job leads?

The commercial market can seem daunting — but there’s no denying that there is money to be made there. Nonresidential construction, led by the health care and education industries, continues to be a bright spot, despite steadily declining new-home construction.

Armed with knowledge about the types of operators available for commercial applications, you’ll be well equipped to start smart and sell well. But first, you need to understand the six main door operators that suit this market and the optimal uses for each.

1. Jackshaft Operators

A jackshaft operator mounts on the side, and is used primarily to open high-lift and vertical-lift sectional and rolling doors. High-lift doors go up a designated distance along the wall before folding back on a horizontal track. Vertical-lift doors rise straight up, never folding back into a horizontal track. You’ll typically find these types of doors in warehouses and on loading docks where tall pieces of equipment, such as forklifts, need to enter and exit without worrying about overhead obstructions.
Jackshaft operators are also used on rolling shutters and grilles, a section of interconnected slats that run in tracks up and down and roll up on a barrel. Usually made of steel, these doors operate like giant window shades with internal springing systems that lift the weight of the doors.

2. Hoist Operators

A hoist operator is basically a jackshaft operator that’s outfitted with a hoist wheel and chain to aid manual door opening. It’s a popular option, as most of these types of doors are too heavy to lift manually otherwise during power outages or other emergencies.

3. Fire-Door Release Devices

A fire door’s job is to seal off part of a building during a fire and contain the flames and smoke, therefore limiting the damage. A fire-release door has built-in sensors that cause the door to come down automatically if a fire breaks out. They’re mandated by building codes, and only trained specialists should install them.

4. Slide Operators

Sliding doors are a smaller part of the market, and as the name implies, they open and close by sliding from side to side. Typical installations include barns, fire doors and small airplane hangars. These doors require specialized equipment and training to install and are best left to the pros until you’ve had more experience in the commercial market.

5. Trolley Operators

In commercial applications, these are used primarily on standard-lift sectional doors or high-lift sectional doors. A trolley operator has a rail that mounts parallel to the ceiling, and looks and operates much like a standard residential garage-door operator.

6. High-Cycle Trolley Operators

If the door cycles open and closed more than 100 times a day — such as in parking garages — you’ll need a high-cycle trolley operator. If the garage is underground with residences or hotel rooms above, you’ll want to use a high-cycle trolley with sound-muffling materials.

Most operators come in different duty grades (standard, medium, heavy and industrial-heavy), and you need to decide how heavy-duty an operator each application will need. To determine this, you can assess the type, size and weight of the door it will be opening, along with how many cycles per day and per hour it will go through.

Sell Well

Just as in the residential market, you can make commercial sales in new construction, retrofit and services. All require working with the decision maker, be that the project manager of a new-construction project, the architect on a renovation project or the facilities manager of a building.
Do your homework by tracking trends in the commercial market: Is there more of a demand for air doors or break-away doors in your area? Know the variety of options available for a particular application.
Continue your education. Door and operator manufacturers make this pretty easy by offering educational materials about their products, seminars, training and ongoing classes.

By adding commercial services and products, you’ll have an excellent opportunity to grow and expand your business. Once you have the education, you’ve done your research and gained a little practical experience, then let the bidding begin!