Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Manufacturing News

TECH FLASH

Case history: Dock doors provide solutions that go beyond just safety

Examining opportunities to improve dock doors can yield productivity gains and good return on investment.

By Shane O'Halloran
Headline: Case history: Dock doors provide solutions that go beyond just safety

Doors must stand up to forklift damage, extreme temperatures and more. Source: TKO Dock Doors

February 12, 2014

For years, the primary function of loading dock equipment has been to ensure safe truck and trailer access for the drivers of forklifts and other material handling vehicles. First, the development of the dock leveler provided a secure platform between the truck and the dock. Powered restraints to prevent trucks from prematurely pulling away from the dock followed, drastically reducing the risk of accidents.

As material handling needs across the food logistics industry have become more sophisticated and greater demands are put on capital investments, management is increasingly looking to get more return on their loading dock investment. Here’s a look at how some food processing and distribution facilities have taken a closer look at solving productivity problems by focusing on dock doors.

Cold dock too cold

Few operations are harder on dock doors than poultry processing plants. The Alatrade Foods plant in Albertville, Ala. was no exception.

According to Kevin Parnell, plant manager, “We send out our products fresh. That means we must keep our dock at 45°F, and it must be washed down continuously to satisfy both USDA and our customers’ requirements.”

But even with the doors fully closed, the doorways were not always sealed. The tight space on this dock led to forklift impacts with the doors’ panels and tracks, causing damage and the potential for energy loss and contamination.

The impacts from forklifts resulted in deformed tracks, which can damage traditional sectional guide rollers, making the door difficult to open. The dock crew was often enticed to avoid the potential back strain associated with moving damaged doors and left the doors open, exposing the facility to the hot, humid Alabama summer.

As for winters, Parnell says, “With our constant washdowns, our target dock temperature kept the wash water from freezing. Yet the colder outside air, which could drop below freezing, came into the dock through the doorway gaps and turned the floor into an ice rink, making it dangerous for foot traffic.”

Laura Starace, territory manager for TKO Dock Doors, determined Alatrade  needed doors that could stand up to the forklift damage and frequent washdowns. The TKO WelterWeight door has the ability to withstand these impacts, perform smoothly and provide a tight, consistent seal on the doorway.

The door has a unique, impactable design that allows it to stand up to the abuse it experiences on the dock. It  uses heavy-duty, retractable plungers vs. rollers and rides in a V-grooved track. When a forklift or other object collides with the door, the plungers retract, allowing the door to release from the opening and prevent panel damage.  If the door is knocked out of the track, a light pull on the door handles resets the door, putting it back into operation quickly—without damage—keeping workers’ backs safe and the facility cool.

Save-A-Lot at the loading dock

Retail grocers typically deal in tight margins, and for value chains such as Save-A-Lot, the margins are even thinner. Management for these operations is on a constant hunt to cut costs while providing quality products. Josh Brown, national sales manager for TKO, works with the chain throughout its network of distribution centers and recently assisted with its 300,000-sq.-ft. cold storage facility in Humboldt, Tenn.

As with all operations of this type, energy costs are a major operating budget item. Since opening in the 1980s, no matter how well it maintained its doors, the Humboldt facility had trouble holding a steady temperature of 40°F on the loading dock.

Though door damage is a common problem on most docks, it was not occurring at this facility because it used vertical storing dock levelers that doubled as steel barriers to protect the doors from impacts. Nevertheless, Plant Manager Tony Schmitt and his crew observed their doors were still inadequate because of poor weather seal design and panel thickness.

The Save-A-Lot engineering department consulted with Brown to find the right solution for doorways at 13 dock positions along their cold storage shipping wall. To cap these losses, Brown recommended the Save-A-Lot facility install the VertiCool door.

The VertiCool is designed specifically for use with vertical storing dock levelers on the temperature-controlled docks of cold storage facilities. The four-in.  thick, R-23 rated panels provide superior thermal protection against energy loss and increased year-round efficiency.

The VertiCool door is equipped with dual side compression seals that fill gaps along the door and are mounted directly to the door panel rather than the door jamb. Raising the door removes the seals from the impact zone to avoid damage and provide a consistent, continuous seal. The VertiCool door also has an equally durable double-loop compression seal at the bottom for a tight seal on the warehouse floor without running the risk of the door freezing to the dock.

The number of thermal breaks is also reduced on the VertiCool. Rather than utilizing standard 24-in. high panels, the VertiCool employs 48-in. high panels, making for 50 percent less exposure between the panels.

Moreover, the VertiCool door offers a full-height polymer thermal break track, which is enclosed in an energy-reflective foil fabric. Unlike traditional metal tracks, the VertiCool’s track design not only helps prevent energy loss, it also prevents the accumulation of moisture on the dock that can cause mold buildup and make the dock floors dangerously slippery.

As the material handling needs of companies across a vast variety of industries become tasked with meeting higher demands, TKO is sure to develop dock door solutions to help them resolve their unique challenges beyond just keeping employees safe on the dock.

For more information, contact Josh Brown, national sales manager, TKO Doors, 800-575-3366, www.tkodoors.com .

KEYWORDS: loading

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    People & Industry News
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Cleaning | Sanitation
    By: Richard F. Stier
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

More Videos

Popular Stories

Conagra Logo

Conagra Brands to Sell Chef Boyardee Brand to Hometown Food Company

Salt

FDA to Amend Standards of Identity to Include Salt Substitutes

Vilter IHP in plant

Industrial Heat Pumps: Sustainable Energy Solutions for Now and the Future

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 5, 2025

Mass Customization Driving Innovation in the Food and Beverage Industry

The food and beverage industry is at the nexus of transformative global manufacturing trends, driving a shift toward personalized, customer-centric solutions. 

June 5, 2025

How Cafe Spice Uses Automation to Propel Private Label

Learn about Cafe Spice’s new, state-of-the-art, highly automated manufacturing facility in Beacon, New York. 

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • fex0412aller1_feat.jpg

    Allergen Control: Using Techniques that Go Well Beyond the Label

    See More
  • Ben and Jerry's maintenance staff replaced rigid bottom panels on its receiving dock doors with flexible FLEX-BACK panels

    Dock doors get some needed attention

    See More
  • loading docks white doors

    Loading dock doors keep food safe, save energy

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 9780367351052.jpg

    Food Process Engineering: Safety Assurance and Complements

  • small-occ.jpg

    Occupational Health and Safety in the Food and Beverage Industry

  • cleaning-in-place

    Cleaning-in-Place: Dairy, Food and Beverage Operations, 3rd Edition

See More Products
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!