One of the first steps in choosing a service door for your operation is determining which design will be more practical, efficient, and cost-effective in the long run. When it comes to high-performance overhead door suppliers, look for an excellent overhead rolling door company with a proven track record, a long history of high quality, and a top staff of professionals who will help walk you through what you need, and help deterimen what overhead door product is best for your facility.

Several critical factors to make sure you have the right door for the job include:

• Identify what separates a high-performance rolling steel door from a standard design.
• Know when you should use a high-performance rolling steel door.
• Be aware of the challenges that arise if a standard door is used in place of a high-performance one.

What is a high-performance overhead door?

The Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA) defines a high-performance door as “a power-operated rolling, folding or sliding non-residential door, generally characterized by either 100 or more cycles per day or 20 or more inches per second opening speed, and typically made-to-order and/or designed for higher durability, and/or designed to break away due to equipment impact.”

Breaking it down, the industry definition of high-performance doors states that they:

• Must be power-operated.
• Are typically used in a non-residential setting.
• Need to cycle (open and close) a lot or cycle quickly.
• Are usually designed for durability and quick repair.

While this general definition is excellent, there are a lot of factors that can lead to ambiguity. If you have an overhead coiling door opening that meets the definition of cycling over 100 times a day or needs to open quickly, you know you need a high-performance door. 

High-performance overhead door characteristics

Here are the primary attributes of a high-performance overhead door.

Door speed

If an overhead garage door will open and close frequently, time is of the essence. When a driver or forklift operator needs to wait until the overhead door has opened to pass through, a slow rolling door can lead to hundreds of hours of lost productivity. Compared to standard rolling service doors, high-performance doors can operate up to three times faster, saving as much as 20 seconds per cycle for a door that's 20 feet high.

Taking that 20-second saving and extrapolating that across 100 cycles per day in a 24/365 operation, you end up with a total savings of 202 hours per year.

But here's the flip side — once you get past a certain speed, speed starts to matter less, but the cost can go way up. DASMA defines a high-speed door as one that opens at a rate of at least 32 inches per second, and some can go faster. That said, the cost of some high-speed rolling doors can be more than double that of a high-performance product that opens at speeds of 24 inches per second.  

You must consider whether the extra cost is worth it for a commercial overhead door that can open in six seconds rather than 10 seconds.

Durability

An effective high-performance rolling door must be built for durability from the bottom up. There is a myth circulating in the industry that springs equal cycle life. If everything about your high-performance garage door is the same as a standard service door, but you put high-cycle springs on it, you have a high-cycle-spring door, not a high-performance coiling door. 

The gold standard for high-performance rolling doors is a springless overhead door design. Springs inevitably wear out and require replacement, causing downtime and maintenance fees. What are the other requirements for high performance? The operator needs to be able to handle the maximum number of cycles in the minimum amount of time you expect to use it.  

A direct drive overhead door operator is a good investment, as there are no chains or sprockets to wear out. It should feature a soft start and stop. The speed of a best-in-class, high-performance rolling door should start opening slowly, ramp up in the middle, and then slow down before reaching the fully open position.

These speeds are necessary to reduce wear and tear on all rolling door components, especially the operator. The guides — the metal channels that hold the curtain in — must also be robust enough to handle frequent fast operation. Look for self-lubricating guides to prolong curtain life.

Safety

We can’t discuss overhead rolling doors without talking about safety. High-performance rolling doors should come with light curtains and photo eyes as standard.  A lower photo eye is very well known — it’s the device on most house garage doors that halts the downward progress of the door when something breaks the single beam at the bottom. It’s very good at ensuring people don’t get trapped in the door.  

But in a fast-paced, high-use environment, there are times when a lower photo eye may not be enough. Picture a full load on a forklift, and for some reason, the driver stops to chat with a co-worker, parking with the forks in the door's path. A photo eye may not see the forks and would allow the overhead door to close, potentially damaging the load and the forklift, not to mention the potential harm to the operator.  

Light curtains, which provide up to six feet of continuous protection, are necessary to ensure safety. 

How to choose between a standard rolling door and a high-performance design

The acronym PERFORM makes it easy for business owners and operations managers to remember seven critical questions before choosing between a standard rolling door and a high-performance design.

Productivity

If a passageway through a secure opening is a critical factor for productivity, a high-performance door will likely make a significant difference in efficiency.

Sometimes, it's challenging to imagine how a non-operational door can impact a company's productivity until a breakdown actually occurs. When an overhead door becomes inoperable, the opening is unusable until a qualified professional can install new parts and service the door. This process can sometimes take days, especially if replacement parts require special ordering or custom manufacturing. 

If a facility has one or more overhead doors that close after each use, or if operations cannot move forward when a door is idle, a high-performance model is essential.

Environment

A high-performance overhead door can significantly help regulate or save on utility costs and help your building maintain a more or less consistent temperature. Every time an overhead door cycles, the inside of the building is exposed to outside temperatures. A door that can open and close quickly is vital for maintaining your building's interior temperature.

In more extreme climates, a high-performance door with insulation can help maintain temperatures with faster cycling while minimizing air penetration around a door's perimeter.

Reliability

If your overhead door is inoperable, will your company lose money?

Most commercial businesses or manufacturing operations are customer-driven, so having reliable equipment with minimal downtime is paramount to the bottom line. This is especially the case if a building has a constant flow of incoming and outgoing raw materials and finished products. Keeping products moving through a facility without delay is critical for maintaining deadlines and achieving high levels of customer satisfaction.

When essential equipment like overhead doors becomes inoperable, it often affects delivery times in some shape or form. When faced with extended lead times, customers may turn to competitors for faster delivery, resulting in lost revenue. A high-performance rolling door with minimal maintenance needed can go a long way in ensuring smooth operation and keeping customers happy. 

Frequency

When choosing between a standard door and a high-performance model, it's important to differentiate between the total number of cycles and operating frequency. Even if a facility experiences fewer opening cycles, it could still benefit from a high-performance door, especially if most of those cycles occur at a specific time.

For example, if a parking garage only has high traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hours, it could still benefit from a high-performance door. This option would allow traffic to enter and exit the garage with less congestion, particularly if there's only one secure opening. Additionally, standard doors with increased operating frequencies often require more maintenance and downtime than their high-performance counterparts.

Operating speed

High-performance doors deliver fast operating speeds, allowing them to open and close up to three times faster than standard overhead doors. The focus on speed allows all traffic in your facility to run smoothly without needless interruptions.

Speed is critical for first-response teams like fire stations and paramedics. Seconds matter, and lives are on the line during an emergency. A non-operational overhead door creates a significant issue when a vehicle needs to leave a facility immediately. In addition, faster cycling speeds ensure a facility is secure when key personnel exit the building in a rush.

Routine traffic

Is the traffic entering and exiting your facility critical to your operation? If customers enter and exit your facility frequently and demand fast service, a high-performance door model may be a good fit. Similarly, if your overhead door is a primary entrance and exit for employees, a high-performance design ensures they can clock in and out with minimal holdup.

The same concept also applies to warehouses that must move consumables quickly into a climate-controlled facility, as well as airports that need to transport cargo rapidly.

Maintenance

If your usage frequency warrants installing a high-performance door, the maintenance and repair savings can significantly benefit your operation's bottom line. 

Maintenance costs can include anything from routine parts replacement to scheduling a service call when your door stops working. In addition to costing your company valuable production or shipping time, the expenses for replacement parts and the subsequent labor rates can quickly add up.

High-performance overhead doors can have a higher upfront cost than standard doors. But, the money you save over time by minimizing repairs and maintenance often leads to a lower total cost of ownership.

Consequences of not having a practical door for your high-traffic application

Choosing a standard overhead door instead of a high-performance model can have various consequences.

Hard costs

Each repair visit can cost upward of $800 in labor and parts — even more, if a severe problem arises. In addition, costs occur when an owner or manager diverts their time to handle the overhead rolling door issues. They must spend time on garage door solutions when they have responsibilities to keep their facility up and running. 

Inconvenience costs

When a commercial garage door is non-operational, employees must spend more time on tasks because forklifts have to go out of their way to use other entryways while more products go through fewer openings. This excess time can result in several hours of wasted time per day.

Reputation costs

Broken doors and increased downtime can result in orders not being fulfilled. When orders go out late, companies miss deadlines. Breaking your timeline promises can result in even the most dedicated customers taking their business elsewhere.

Organizational costs

Employees on the front lines often become frustrated with sub-par or inoperable equipment. They think management isn’t doing enough to fix the overhead commercial doors or look into other garage door solutions because they don’t care, and manufacturing turnover is at an all-time high.

Contact us today to learn more

At Cornell, our priority is helping clients solve their daily operational challenges. Our team works with you to choose the most practical, efficient, and cost-effective commercial rolling door solution for your facility. Contact our Architectural Design Support Team or find a local dealer near you to get started.