In the case of West Pak Avocado, that means keeping food safety strongly in mind. As field manager Robert Salaski puts it, their goal is "safety, safety, safety."
As avocados have grown in favor among health-conscious consumers who recognize them as a source of monounsaturated fats, West Pak has seen its customer base expand throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company's current 29,000 sq ft state-of-the-art packing facility in Temecula, CA was built in 1992.
Taking Advantage of Good Weather
Southern California has two assets that smart companies use to keep their HVAC/lighting costs down – fresh air and sunshine. With this state's increasing energy consciousness, businesses are finding new ways to minimize their BTUs. West Pak takes advantage of the outside weather while protecting product quality with the recent addition of a Goff's Bug Blocking powered rolling screen to the dock doorway. Summers can get quite warm in the area and use of outside ventilation can help the facility provide greater comfort to maintain worker productivity.
Through the dock doorway thousands of pounds of avocados – delectable to insects as well as humans – pour into the plant every day to be weighed, packed, palletized, and shipped. With this heavy activity level, some kind of rapid access door was necessary on the dock. Getting traffic in and out quickly is a must, not just for fast traffic flow, but to minimize the window of opportunity for the insects waiting outside to invade the building.
The Bug Blocking screen is powered by a low maintenance ½ hp motor that enables it to move along at opening/closing speeds of 36 in. per sec. For this 8 ft wide by 10 ft high door, that means it is open as little as 5 seconds, with the forklift shooing the bugs away as it passes through the doorway.
Damage to the door from this traffic would compromise the seal. The Bug Blocking rolling screen has a breakaway design to prevent door damage should it get hit by a passing forklift. The screen resets back into the track easily.
Multiple Benefits
Many fabric roll-up doors that can provide quick doorway access, but the Bug Blocker provides the added benefits of turning the doorway into both a vent and a window. The screen has a 65% shade factor to keep the facility cooler longer and has a 17 by 11 polyester scrim with openings too small for insects to penetrate, but that let fresh air and sunshine in.
The screen door blocks all potential insect entry points through the doorway. The Bug Blocking rolling screen has a unique double baffle valance panel to add an extra layer of pest protection, joined by EPDM seals on both sides to ensure a tight seal at vertical edges. A rugged custom-extruded guide track traps the rollers -- wind can't blow it out of the doorframe.
The door offers a shade/screen improvement factor to 65%, bringing greater comfort. Compared to the wide open door, the mesh screen dramatically reduces radiant sun heating while inviting in welcome air circulation.
The Bug Blocking rolling screen also brings industrial ruggedness to the West Pak packing plant: the 18-oz. vinyl door is rot, tear, and mildew resistant, standing up to the harshest weather. All seams are double-lock stitched for extra strength. With the screen in place, bugs just have no way into the building. The door's Draw-Tite™ design enables it to stay in its guide tracks, withstanding winds up to 70 mph. And a double baffle under the valence prevents pests from entering through the header.
In addition to enabling fast traffic, preventing the entry of bugs into the food-handling areas, and requiring virtually no maintenance, Salaski credits the Bug Blocking screen with enhancing security.
"As a food handling company," says Salaski, "food safety is at the top of our priorities and the Goff's Bug Blocking rolling screen makes perfect sense."
Thanks in part to the rolling screen, West Pak earned a higher score of 98% during a recent food safety audit.
