W.E. Carlson—Knockout Loading Dock Door Protects Cold Storage Environments

W.E. Carlson and MxV Doors:
Protecting Cold Storage Environments

French fries and ice cream have more in common than being tops on Americans’ favorite food lists. To ensure consumers can safely enjoy some fries and a shake, government regulations dictate that these products are stored in a strictly controlled, cold-storage environment free of pests and other outside contaminants. Two long-time cold-storage customers, Total Logistic Control and Edy’s Ice Cream, came looking for dock doors that helped meet these stringent food storage requirements. The solution? DL Manufacturing’s MxV Knockout Sectional Dock Doors.

“No one else could show me these doors”
As Chief Campus Engineer, Tom Zhe runs the maintenance department for Total Logistic Control in Rochelle, Ill. His crew is responsible for everything inside the facility, from the lighting and paint to the 53 loading docks and doors. Not to mention the 14.3 million cubic square feet of frozen-food storage filled with French fries.

All loading docks are used—and abused—24-hours-a-day, six-and-a-half days a week. Every time a fork lift ran into one of TLC’s old wooden dock doors, not only did a panel have to be replaced, but the damage compromised the integrity of the door’s seal, critical to maintaining the high food-storage standards TLC clients, and regulators like AIB International, demand. Zhe needed doors that could withstand impact and the scrutiny of the regulators. A W.E. Carlson showroom visit had him convinced MxV Knockout Doors were the answer.

Self-correcting design, brush seals set MxV apart from competition

Reduce maintenance calls, avoid costly downtime and achieve a door seal pristine enough for food-industry regulations with the MxV Knockout Loading Dock Door:

Patented Polymer Guide System: uses a brush instead of rollers for a continuous seal
High Performance: rugged design resists damage better than other knockout dock doors
Exclusive, Self-Correcting Knockout Design: no spring-loaded rollers or pins to maintain; flexes and releases upon impact, just open and close to reset
Flexible, 3” Insulated Panels: lightweight and suitable for refrigerated loading docks or frigid winter weather

“AIB inspections used to be 8 hours, now they last a day and a half. I heard other big companies were putting them in, but I’m not just following suit. As soon as I saw the doors I said, ‘That’s it, that’s what we need.’” said Zhe. “We also have problems in summertime with the dock doors sweating, and I’m hoping because the MxV doors have a much better seal, the moisture problem becomes something of the past.”

“I’ve already substantially reduced my maintenance costs”
Donnie Novak, Warehouse Coach for Edy’s Ice Cream, is responsible for all of the maintenance and repairs at its Glendale Heights, Ill. freezer facility. Without an inside maintenance crew. 10 docks, three different shifts running 24/7, with loading dock doors opening hundreds of times a day. Every time one of those doors needed maintenance it meant a call to W.E. Carlson’s service department…and over time, his doors needed a lot of maintenance.

“Once the door was hit, the barrier was breached and they became waterlogged through condensation. The door was heavier than it was supposed to be and became a nightmare to maintain: you have to constantly replace the wheels, the pulleys came off, the weights had to be adjusted. Plus, I couldn’t get the seal that I needed anymore,” said Novak. “I wanted a door that could be hit and reset without having to put in a maintenance call. And because of FDA inspections, the seal was crucial. I needed a door that was sealed all the way around and didn’t need a lot of adjusting, which can also impact my maintenance costs. After extensive research, I chose MxV Doors. If someone came to me and said, ‘Would you put an MxV door in your facility?’ I’d say YES!”

For More Information
Dan Dumelle, 847.640.0011
ddumelle@wecarlson.com
www.wecarlson.com