Dear reader

This issue we take a closer look at the Ranger drive unit. Available for rolling shutter and sectional doors, it’s a master of all disciplines – versatile, flexible and reliable. It’s ideal for new installations and is saving our customers money in the refurbishment market too.

We put a face to someone many of you have spoken to, as we interview senior technical sales engineer Robert Booth, and announce news in relation to Guthrie Douglas supplying Garog products in the future.

If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to cover in future issues, please email andrew.collett@guthriedouglas.com.    

Andrew Collett Director 01926 452452

PS Please take a minute to add our email address to your list of ‘safe’ addresses so that our next issue in December lands safely in your inbox.

Forming a key part of Guthrie Douglas’s drive unit range, the Ranger succeeds in virtually every discipline. It provides exceptional performance on sprung and unsprung rolling shutter doors and on sprung sectional doors. Plus, there are models to suit all size of door.

So what are the main strengths of this all-rounder and how can it help you?

Flexibility

• Can be mounted vertically or horizontally – ideal if you’re tight on space
• Hand chain automatically adjusts to the right plane without any changes to the mechanism
• Drives can be handed on site
• Range of industry-recognised mounting arrangements to suit all applications
• Digital or mechanical limits available.

Reliability

• Maintenance-free gearbox
• Proven hand chain system, designed with the UK market in mind.

Ideal for the refurbishment market

• A direct and cost-effective replacement for virtually all competitor drive units
• See our case study of how one customer in the service industry is using the Ranger.

Plug and play controls

• Simple plug connection between the Ranger and our TS control panels – quick and simple installations saving you time and money as electrician not required
• All our industrial door drives use these standard controls. So you only need to train your fitters once – if they can use one Guthrie Douglas product they can use them all
• All limits set from ground level – keeping installers safe and saving money on access equipment.

The Ranger models are: 90 & 201 for rolling shutter doors. Select the Ranger 90 or 201 depending on door size and application. Both units available with flange or foot mounting kit 51, 91 and 301 for sprung sectional doors. The Ranger 51 and 91 cater for most door sizes. Choose the 301 for larger doors – it’s available in three shaft sizes to suit 91RDU – our variable speed option for sectional doors (up to 65rpm). Widely used by the emergency services for high-speed doors (see previous case study). Its soft start/stop operation minimises the wear and tear on the drive and door, and prevents cables from coming off the door drums; while the high output speed ensures optimum performance.

When replacing worn drive units you don’t have to use like for like. Our Ranger drive is a direct replacement for many competitors’ products. Often it’s more cost effective and simpler to install too.

One customer in the service and maintenance market has discovered just that. They’ve recently replaced existing drives with Ranger 90 drive packages on rolling shutters at a car park and a plant maintenance site, saving up to £100 per unit on competitor models.

Why did they choose the Ranger? They told us:

• Cost effectiveness – in this case the customer made direct savings when compared with similar competitors’ packages
• Ease of installation – the Ranger has industry-standard fixings and shaft sizes, and can be mounted horizontally or vertically 
• Both sites needed to engage/disengage the hand chain at floor level – that’s standard on the Ranger
• Inbuilt maintenance counter for a regular service schedule.

We supplied Ranger 90 box kits complete with drive, control panel, connection cable and industry-standard flange mounting arrangement to make replacement even simpler.

The control panel was a key selling point for our customer as they can set the inbuilt maintenance counter for a regular service schedule. The fault code display will allow them to resolve most operational issues over the phone and ensure they are prepared if a site visit is required.

Separate motors are available if the existing control panels are to be used. However, the last person to service or work on a door is responsible for its safety, so it could be safer and more cost effective to bring it up to current standards with new controls. 
 

The HSE has issued new safety guidelines following the deaths of two more children by electric gates.

Crucially, the HSE says that force limitation alone does not provide enough protection to meet required standards, and advises using additional safeguards.

This reinforces our argument that if you have a door that closes automatically it must have a self-monitoring safety edge. This is why our range of TS control panels cannot have the safety edge overridden.

For example, we’ve advised customers who wish to add radio control to a shutter, that they must fit a safety edge. They mistakenly believe that they can operate the shutter in dead man mode, but the standard says you must be in the vicinity of and in clear sight of the opening for this. Obviously, radio control will operate from round the corner or even in a different room.

Our technical sales team are up to date on all the latest regulations, so if there’s something you’re not sure about, please speak to them on 01926 452452.

Robert heads up the technical sales team. He joined us in 1995 from the spray booth industry and has an HND in mechanical engineering. He’s also qualified to advise customers on ATEX product requirements. Robert lives in Walsall and is married with two sons in their 20s.

What is your day-to-day role?
It’s primarily customer facing, either answering technical queries or preparing quotations for orders. A large part of the role is actually looking at what customers have asked for. We don’t blindly send out orders – we carefully look at them to make sure the products ordered are compatible and meet the customer’s needs.

What type of customer queries do you answer?
It could be something simple like talking installers through how to set up control panels. Instructions are always sent out with our products but often they’re not left with the people who actually commission the door. We’re frequently called upon to take installers through the process step by step.

Another request might be that a customer’s old motor has gone down and we need to quickly identify a suitable replacement and get it sent out.

Where the team add most value I think is helping our customers interpret a shaky brief from the end user. It could be they’ve had a spec from an architect that doesn’t look achievable, or they’ve been told equipment needs to be zone 2 but they’re not sure what that means, or an end user has a specific requirement such as the doors opening in under 15 seconds.

We investigate what can be done technically, physically and legally to come up with a solution. Our standard products cover pretty much every application but we will also design bespoke systems from scratch.

You can book now for 2011 or grab the last few places left on our November Install Door Wiring Systems course. The training is beneficial for all fitters and also those taking the Specialist Installation Occupations (Construction) NVQ Level 2. Training costs £180 +VAT per person and takes place at our Warwick training centre on 23rd (full day) and 24th (half day) November.

To book your place please call Tanya Mark on 01926 452452 or email tanya.mark@guthriedouglas.com.  

Leigh Harwood has joined our customer-facing team.

Based in Warwick, he’ll be spending much of his time contacting customers to find out how Guthrie Douglas can better help you.