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!
Case Studies & Field Reports

Field Reports

Maintaining cold air helps produce more frozen pizza

Rytec Turbo-Seal door

The Rytec Turbo-Seal doors on Palermo’s freezer storage room quickly open this tall doorway for the company’s high-mast forklifts. Source: Rytec.

June 10, 2016

Founded in 1954, Palermo’s Pizza has grown from a small bakery to two plants with a combined 200,000 sq. ft. of processing space. To keep up with a growing appetite for its product, Palermo’s needs to get ingredients and finished product in and out of its 35,000-sq.-ft. freezer quickly during its 20 hours of daily production time.

To maintain product quality, Palermo’s can only allow the product to be on the production line for a limited time before it must go into the freezer. The doors play a big role in keeping the cold air from escaping. Steve Daniels, Palermo’s plant engineer, says one of his biggest challenges is the cost of refrigeration.

“Our freezer is maintained at -15°F. Any time you open the door, you get some infiltration of heat. Needless to say, with open doors, I lose refrigerated cold air to my production space,” explains Daniels. “That does two things. My production people are miserable working with -15°F air blowing on them. And, of course, I’m working harder to keep the space cold when I shouldn’t have to.”

With the old doors that were hard to open and close, Daniels estimates Palermo’s lost at least seven to eight tons of refrigeration a year. However, since the company installed two Rytec Turbo-Seal doors, it now uses less energy in the freezer room.

“With the Rytec doors’ rapid-roll design, it’s up, down very quickly—no more than 10 seconds open time. That’s plenty of time for our operators to get in and out, so we don’t lose nearly as much refrigeration,” says Daniels.

The 10- x 18-ft. Rytec doors accommodate the high-mast forklifts that work the upper shelves. Their speed contributes to containing cold air in the freezer by opening at more than 101 in. per second, providing a fully accessible doorway in two seconds.

When the doors are closed, the insulated one-in. thermal closed cell insulated panel provides an additional measure of protection against heat transmission. Also, the soft bottom bar on the doors conforms to the contours of the plant floor and teams up with the other door components to provide a full perimeter doorway seal. Quad seals in the side columns provide double seals on the front and back of each panel. Double brush seals, combined with the idler barrel, seal at the top of the door. This tight seal not only keeps the cold air in the freezer, it also prevents the formation of ice on the floor.

“We like the solid seal when the door comes down. Plus, the Rytec doors have built-in heaters to keep frost from building up on the side of the door and freezing in place,” explains Daniels.

In the event a forklift hits the door panel, the breakaway tabs allow the bottom bar to separate from the side columns undamaged. Then, it can be easily and quickly reset without tools, reducing unplanned downtime.

“Our guys are going back and forth through that freezer constantly all day long, taking raw materials to the line. If we can’t keep that flow going, we’re shut down,” says Daniels.

The LED safety light system along the door columns warns employees when the door is closing. Two through-beam photo eyes, a dual pneumatic reversing edge and threshold warning lights protect and alert workers by reversing the descending door panel if an employee is in the doorway.

“It’s also safer for pedestrians walking by. They can see if the door is going to open or close,” notes Daniels.

The Rytec doors’ controller enables door operation adjustments at the floor level and offers self-diagnostics to minimize maintenance surprises. The AC drive offers soft starts and stops, while providing smooth motion for longer component life. The Rytec Wi-Fi system further reduces maintenance by eliminating the coil cords usually attached to the bottom bar and communicates with the controller to continually track door operation.

“From what I’ve seen so far,” says Daniels, “I’m already planning to replace the other doors next year.”


For more information:

Michael Watkins, 888-467-9832,
mwatkins@rytecdoors.com, www.rytecdoors.com.

KEYWORDS: doors freezing

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...
    Latest headlines
  • 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

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

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

More Videos

Popular Stories

Vilter IHP in plant

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

FMTE Formed by Four Food Manufacturing Companies

Coalition Unites Europe’s Food Manufacturing Technologies and Equipment Sector

Butterfly pea flower

FDA Approves Three Food Colors from Natural Sources

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

  • Keith Cox

    Instrumentation helps provide more accurate fish quality analysis

    See More
  • pallet rack

    Rugged Pallet Rack Helps Cold Storage Distributor Optimize Operations

    See More
  • Home Runn Inn Recall front 1170x658.jpg

    Home Run Inn Frozen Foods Recalls Frozen Meat Pizza

    See More

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • June 17, 2025

    Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ State of the Cold Chain

    Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.
  • October 30, 2024

    Today’s Cold Chain

    On Demand This R&FF webinar will focus on an overall look at the “state of the industry,” with a research and statistical focus on some of the consumer trends driving product development, as well as a look at the cold storage landscape and how F&B manufacturers and processors can best work with third-party logistics (3PLS) and cold storage providers.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

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!