As Spring kicks into gear, the heat of summer hasn’t hit yet in most places. The time to implement facility changes that could help you control climate costs and provide a better atmosphere for your operations is now, not once the weather has changed. It’s not just a matter of air systems; smaller, incremental changes at entry points or near work areas can have a big impact on worker comfort and productivity. Theses changes can also save you money.

As temperatures climb, more air conditioning isn’t always the best, or even the most effective solution – and it’s certainly not the most cost effective.

Experts say that employee productivity increases when ambient temperatures are comfortable and plummets when they aren’t – as if you need a researcher to tell you that driving a lift truck or picking orders in 90 degree, high humidity conditions is harder than a dry, cool, comfortable facility. It isn’t just a matter of productivity, either – as workers fight through hot, sweaty conditions, they are more prone to non-heat-related injuries.

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Strip Doors and Vinyl Curtain Partitions are great tools in this fight – and some of the least expensive tools at your disposal.

- Strip doors are great to seal off frequently-used dock doors, as well as areas inside a plant. They work not only to help you retain cooled air, but also to keep dust and debris out of cleaner areas of an operation. They’re economical, too – a 10′ x 10′ opening can be segmented off using a strip door for as little as $713. The door will help contain air while still allowing easy access for foot or lift truck traffic as needed.

- Vinyl Curtain Partitions offer similar benefits, but don’t necessarily provide the easy access a strip door can.  They’re used mostly inside a plant, to help contain noise, debris, and air quality. Again, for under $700 (prices are as of today, and can change without notice), you can segment off a hot area 24′ wide x 10′ long from the rest of the floor, helping to keep the overall facility cooler than it otherwise might have been. Besides being good for climate control, these work in welding or grinding areas to limit sparks and debris, giving them a safety application.

Alternative: High-Speed Doors at the dock and other entry points. For automated, and even more protective access with a high degree of climate retention, consider high-speed door systems. They increase productivity by improving traffic flow efficiency while cutting energy and maintenance costs. These doors can open and close on average at 48″ per second, keeping heating and air conditioning where it belongs – in the building – not the parking lot. It can save you as much as 45% of your energy costs. Passage time costs can be reduced to zero with the proper activation system, meaning that a lift truck driver never has to worry about getting the door open or closed – it’s done for him.

Food Processors and Pharmaceutical companies no longer have to shut down production lines for costly door repairs. Manufacturers need to keep traffic moving. High speed doors  save man hours can prevent wear on forklifts and equipment. Cold Storage companies will save energy by eliminating infrared heaters and air curtains as well as saving time by using high speed freezer and cooler doors.

Utilize High-Volume, Low Speed Fans to help control facility temperatures

If you can’t air-condition, or can’t adequately do so, there are methods that can cool large amounts of square footage for relatively low costs. Floor fans are all right for specific areas, but they suffer from their high volume. One of the most productive methods is to employ high volume, low speed fans. Warehouses have very high ceilings and vast spaces that are often reconfigured when stock and materials change. Warehouses and distribution centers face ongoing temperature control battles during the summer months, with or without air conditioning.

Industrial ceiling fans are much better at ventilation and providing a consistently cooler area; I’ve been around them (we have one in our Dallas warehouse) and it’s kind of like standing in a breeze rather than a strong wind. These fans continuously mix incoming fresh air with stale air, minimizing the total amount of ventilation required to achieve adequate air quality. No other fan, system, or ventilation technology does this better. Most of the time, these fans are ceiling-mounted, but newer wall-mounted fans have been introduced to work specifically in harder to reach areas like taller rows of racks.

We’ve put together an article on helping to justify the expense of an HVLS fan system. Compared to the cost of AC and heating, they are relatively inexpensive and work in a broad variety of facility types.

Tags: ergonomics, facilities maintenance, Manufacturing, vinyl strip doors, warehousing

Scott Stone is Cisco-Eagle's Advertising and E-business Manager. He is a 20-year veteran of the material handling industry. He publishes the award-winning Material Handling Tips & Information Newsletter and works on all aspects of the company's communications efforts. See Cisco-Eagle on Twitter