Welcome to our December 2009 newsletter. In this issue, find out how to provide additional protection for your customers’ doors and employees with our Condor sensor. It could help your customers save on their energy bills too. We also look at how the new Machinery Directive could affect you and at the Safedrive® Fi in action at a British Rail site.

If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to cover, please email your ideas to guthriedouglas@guthriedouglas.com.

As in previous years, Christmas wishes are through this newsletter with the money saved on Christmas cards donated to a local charity chosen by staff members. So from all at Guthrie Douglas we would like to thank you for your support and wish you a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Andrew Collett Director 01926 452452

PS Please take a minute to add our email address to your list of ‘safe’ addresses so that our next issue in February lands safely in your inbox.

Combining the benefits of a motion sensor and an inductive loop the new Condor sensor provides an innovative solution to increase safety, reduce costly collisions and false openings, and save energy.

The Condor sensor is the first dual technology sensor for automated industrial doors. It combines motion-detecting radar with presence-detecting active infrared.

The radar activates the door for approaching vehicles but ignores traffic travelling away or parallel to the opening. It is less sensitive to door vibrations and does not ‘see’ rain or snow. That means the door only opens when it needs to and closes immediately after a vehicle has passed, reducing heat loss or gain.

The active infrared sensor detects vehicles and/or pedestrians even when they are stationary, and ensures the door stays open. This prevents the risk of doors closing on vehicles that are parked in the opening for extended periods.

In many cases the Condor can replace a traditional induction loop and it’s installed much more easily. Once installed, all parameters are set from ground level via remote control. Its benefits have been recognised by Tesco, which specifies the Condor’s use at its sites.

Guthrie Douglas uses only the best quality components and suppliers so we’re pleased to be partnering with BEA to supply the Condor. BEA is the world’s leader in microwave and sensor technology. We believe they provide the most accurate range of industrial motion sensors available. 

To find out more about the Condor sensor call 01926 452452 or download the datasheet here. You can also learn more about measuring potential energy savings further on in this newsletter.

Our Safedrive® Fi drive system dramatically reduced site time and costs for a door installation at a British Rail maintenance site.

Our customer approached us when installing high-speed insulated rolling doors in buildings that house trains under repair. The doors had to work in conjunction with strip curtains cut to the size and shape of the train, allowing for quick sealing of the opening to prevent heat loss.

An additional challenge was the size of the doors. At more than 6m wide, traditional fast-action fabric doors could blow out in strong wind conditions. This is an exposed site, so the door company used high-speed insulated doors with the Safedrive® Fi system to fulfil speed and safety needs.

The Safedrive® Fi’s unique built-on inverter greatly reduces the need for on-site wiring and speeds up commissioning as many parameters are factory-set. Door speeds are set simply by entering the required drive in rpm.

The system is easily plugged in our TS range of controls. On this project, the TS981 allowed the doors to also electronically link into the warm air curtain system.

Click the links to find out more about the Safedrive® Fi and the TS981. Or call 01926 452452 for honest guidance on the right product for your needs.

 

In the past three months three Guthrie Douglas customers have used our expertise to train their employees.

One sales team benefited from full product training to help them better understand what they are selling to their customers. In another case a team of installers was trained to fit and use our TS control systems.

To talk to us about tailored training sessions for your team, call 01926 452452. You can also book our training facilities for your own purposes.

Changes to part L2 of the building regs are due in April 2010, throwing conservation of fuel and power in buildings back on the agenda. I strongly believe that automated doors play an important part in limiting heat loss. In fact, the Door & Hardware Federation is looking at research to demonstrate the energy-saving benefits.

Guthrie Douglas is already using the BEA Thermodynamic Tool. This compares a standard high-speed door, which relies on a timer to close it, with the same door fitted with a Condor sensor, which will close immediately after the vehicle has passed through. This could prove to be hugely beneficial in helping to show your customers potential savings.

The tool considers your building’s location, door size, number of operations per hour, the working day, the cost of energy etc, to estimate your energy and CO2 emission savings per year. We’d be happy to show you the BEA Thermodynamic Tool in action and demonstrate the savings that could be made. Just call 01926 452452.

The new Machinery Directive against which power-operated doors must be CE marked comes into force on 29 December. Our products are fully compliant with all regulations, and covered by a CE declaration of incorporation, but it is the installer’s responsibility to CE Mark the complete commissioned door. Failure to do so can lead to a fine or imprisonment. If an accident occurs, the installer could be prosecuted.

If you have any doubts about how to stay safe and legal, talk to our technical sales team who are up to date on all the latest regulations. Just call 01926 452452.

A. Yes, if it’s an automatically closing door.

If you have a roller shutter, sliding door or garage door which can close automatically (such as radio) or from a push to run button then you must have a 'force-limiting device'. The simplest of these is a safety edge but it must be proven not to exceed the force threshold and it must be self-checking. A simple photo-beam on its own is not sufficient. Where closing is automatic you will still need the photo-beam in addition to the safety edge.

There are other solutions such as a drive with force limitation or a light curtain which can meet the requirements but none as simple as the safety edge.

For advice on this and other safety questions contact the Guthrie Douglas service team on 01926 452452.