In 2016, for the first time in history, over 70,000,000 passenger cars were produced in a single year. It’s estimated that there are over one billion cars on the roads around the world. The numbers are increasing, and the demands and car park managers, building owners and operators are changing.
Underground car parks are often considered as dark, uninviting environments. There is a shift to improve the lighting, the layouts, and usability which is driving facilities managers and architects to look for better, safe, and more durable door solutions. The old traditional roller shutters and over head sectional doors are slow to open. They can struggle to cope with the volume of traffic into the entrances and out of the exits and suffer from costly downtimes and hefty maintenance bills.
EFAFLEX the global leading manufacturer in high- speed doors are well versed with such problems. The are becoming the car parking solution of choice for many applications. Not only will you find their high-speed doors within car manufacturing plants, such as Audi, Bentley and BMW, but you’ll find them in car workshops, and showrooms too. Their sleek design can be tailored to match the brand of the company and blend seamlessly into place.
Car parks are changing as users expect better facilities that are safer and more secure. They are becoming lighter, brighter, and more user-friendly. One recent installation was for an exclusive high-rise apartment block owned by Acton Developments over-looking Lake Burleigh Griffin in Canberra, Australia. Here the car park entrance was used up to 300 times per day. The sectional door struggled to cope with the volume and had experienced numerous breakdowns; that’s frustrating and expensive for the building owners but more importantly annoying for the residents. As a result, they contacted DMF International Pty Limited who specialise in high- speed doors. They partner with German manufacturer EFAFLEX to provide premium performance products to their clients. Following a site survey, a bespoke design was drafted which included a pressed aluminium fascia to ventilate the facility, allowing for air flow to assist in exhaust retraction. In addition, due to the aperture size and headroom clearance, additional fixing supports were commissioned and installed. EFAFLEX have a range of door blades designed to suit differing headroom clearances. Their oval shaped uses far less space than their spiral design and ideal for car park applications.
Capable of operating up to 250,000 cycles per annum (or nearly 700 times per day), the EFAFLEX range of high-speed doors are built to last and more than ample for this volume of traffic. It has resulted in a reduction of maintenance costs and downtime for the building owner.
Speedy access is key for the residents. It improves not only traffic flow into the car park and surrounding streets, but also improves their safety. This door was fitted to activate using their existing remote-control units and one resident commented, ‘I could sit and look at this door operate all day…. it’s that pleasant to watch.’
Safer, more secure, and far speedier than conventional roller shutters, the PS range is ideal to provide the perfect car park environment.