When it comes to running a secure and productive business or providing quality facilities for your tenants, the function and operational state of the doors to your aircraft hangar, commercial or industrial building are extremely important, but are often overlooked.

There are numerous reasons why you might need to consider replacing your aircraft hangar doors, commercial doors or industrial doors.

Whether due to old age, wear and tear due to high usage loads, exposure to harsh environments/conditions, lack of maintenance, pre-existing damage, change in operational requirement or just poor design, engineering, manufacture and /or installation; significant issues can arise and often result in some very harsh and costly outcomes.

In this article we highlight the 6 most common reasons why you might consider door replacement.

1. Productivity & Accessibility

There is nothing more frustrating than when old aircraft hangar, commercial or industrial door systems are no longer efficient or suitable and impede on business productivity or facility accessibility.

Doors that are significantly worn or structurally compromised, can be difficult and much slower to open and close. This state or condition can also limit the door’s range of opening which can reduce the amount of access to and from your facility.

Original door system fitted to the facility may have been suitable at the time but is no longer the right system to support the current functional or operational requirements you or your tenant have now.

Older style door system tracks can create obstacles affecting ease of access.

Older style door systems can intrude and obstruct otherwise usable space inside your facility.

Perhaps you or your tenants require a wider and/or higher ingress?

There are a range of door systems and options available that can be completely customised to fit existing building structures or that can be easily retrofitted with minimal structural upgrades.

Have you considered improving accessibility and productivity with automated opening options with your new door replacement? 

2. Security

Security is of utmost importance to ensure the safety and protection of your business or your tenants business. 

Doors that are not correctly engineered/manufactured/fitted, maintained or that are significantly worn or structurally compromised can increase the risk of break-ins, theft or damage/vandalism. 

Investing in new doors that are custom designed, engineered and manufactured to suit the facility – that also include the most up-to-date safety and security features – can provide an effective barrier against break-ins, theft and vandalism. 

Modern door innovation, technology, design and manufacturing can also offer far superior safety and security features like deadbolts, locking mechanisms, reinforced frames and access control systems that can help you or your tenant feel more at ease and provide a higher level of protection. 

3. Environmental

With the ever-increasing cost of energy and the dynamic Australian weather conditions, one building component that is often overlooked when it comes to environmental efficiency are your doors.

Drafts and air leaks to your facility can be caused by doors that are old, damaged or poorly designed, engineered, manufactured or fitted – which can lead to increased costs to heat or cool your facility. 

Old, damaged or poorly designed, engineered, manufactured or fitted doors can easily result in damage to goods, plant or equipment and other significant health and safety issues, for e.g;

> water ingress as a result of rainy weather conditions

> door and building damage or even critical failure or collapse under windy weather conditions

> dust, pests and other unwanted ingress to your facility 

4. Health and Safety

When the state or condition of your aviation, commercial or industrial facility door system is compromised, so too is the health and safety of you, your people, clients, suppliers and/or your tenants and their people.

Old, damaged or poorly designed, engineered, manufactured or fitted doors can easily result in significant health and safety issues, for e.g;

> Doors can be much harder to open. Trying to push or lift doors in this state or condition can result in human injury.

> Doors can come off the tracks or dislodge from their guides or mounting points, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

> Fragments or shards from old or worn door materials or failing door components can result in health issues and/or injury.

> Tilt or fold door support mechanisms can fail and collapse possibly resulting in serious injury or death.

> Speed and ease of access. In the event of a fire or other event, can you, your people or your tenants exit the building without delay or obstruction?

Do your doors meet the current building and safety regulations?

If your current doors exhibit any of the above issues or you are concerned that your doors may impact the health and safety of your building, you should contact OpenX Doors immediately for a full inspection to assess your repair or replacement options.

5. Durability and Longevity

As we have highlighted in some of the points above, doors can become worn out and damaged as a result of poor design, lack of maintenance, frequency of use/overloaded components, weather conditions and many other factors. 

To ensure maximum durability and longevity from your door replacement investment, we recommend that you consider the following:

> Your industry: aviation, commercial, industrial, mining, private/domestic sectors all have various factors, regulatory and usage considerations

> Usage Intensity: low, medium or high intensity usages all have a factor on the type of door system, design, engineering and manufacture, and of course budget required to replace

> Installation requirement – face mount, internal mount, external mount, internal space allowances, installation to new building or retro fit to an older existing building

> Height and width of the opening/s,

> The features and functionality required; seal kits, motorisation, automation, cladding/material options, cyclone rated, etc

> Choose a door system that’s designed, engineered, manufactured and installed by qualified experts and that’s supported by a strong guarantee.

> Ensure you have a professional to maintain your door system regularly

> In the event that your door stops operating as it should, contact a professional to inspect it immediately.

6. Compliance with Regulations

Aviation, Commercial, Industrial and Mining buildings are required to comply with a range of regulations – pending your particular Australian state or territory.  

Your door system/s may need to be upgraded to ensure that your business is in compliance with the relevant regulations in your area/that apply to your industry.

If you are unsure whether your facility meets the current codes, we recommend that you reach out to our OpenX Doors xPerts to discuss directly.

We hope that highlighting some of the above support you to determine whether you need to replace your aircraft hangar doors, commercial doors or industrial doors.

If your current doors exhibit any of the above issues or operational barriers or any of the above points are of concern for you, we invite you to reach out to the OpenX Doors team.

OpenX Doors offer a complete end-to-end specialist solution, from design, engineering and manufacture, installation and commissioning, maintenance, servicing and repair, through to survey and consultancy.

OpenX Doors products are ‘Built to Impress and Engineered to Perform’ and we make it easy to find the best fit solution for your needs with our product selection guide. Research by industry, usage intensity, height, width, features and more.
Click here to find out more.

To find out more specific details regarding OpenX Doors’ range of sliding, retractable, tilt, fold, fabric and high-performance specialised doors, Click here.

With over 25 years experience in delivering seriously big door solutions, you can trust our dedicated team of experts to help you find the best fit solution for your needs.

Contact us directly or complete the enquiry form below and one of our Xperts will contact you soon.