A summary of the issues
The Loblaw Maplegrove Distribution Centre in Cambridge, Ontario is an extremely busy facility, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Loblaw’s primary issue around the loading dock area was temperature stability. The Loblaw facility’s interior temperature temperature around the loading dock is maintained at 34°F (1°C).Loblaw was seeking a solution to keep their dock doors open and operational up to 50 minutes every hour without losing their internal cool temperature even during warmer months in Canada.
The solution and results
Northern Dock Systems recommended and installed Enershield Air Barriers at the Loblaw Distribution Centre to create a strong environmental separation for their cold storage facility. The Durashield model of Enershield Air Barriers helped to maintain consistent internal temperatures while allowing their dock doors to remain open without sacrificing operational efficiency.Installing air barriers also helped this Loblaw Distribution Centre lower their energy consumption while prolonging the lifetime of their existing HVAC system by reducing the number of cycles needed to efficiently cool their interior space. The air barriers provided an ambient, laminar air flow, blowing across the door opening at 800 feet/minute. Photo-eye sensors activated the air barrier while the door remained open to create up to a 90% seal which prevented outdoor heated air from mixing with the indoor cooled air. To further enhance Loblaw’s energy efficiency and create a weathertight seal, Northern Dock Systems installed dock brush weather seals at the rear of the air barrier units to seal any gaps between the air barrier and their full vertical lift door. Loblaw is now looking forward to installing more Enershield Air Barriers at the rest of their dock positions.
