Blog Archives - Special-Lite

Mid-Panel Adds Versatility to Monumental Doors

Our SL-14 and SL-15 are aluminum monumental or stile and rail doors used to create memorable and robust entrances. Whether you choose the standard (SL-14) or wide stile model (SL-15), you have the option to add the SL-484 mid-panel. Why would choose this option? Simply put, do it for the branding potential.

This 12″ wide mid-panel has a closed-cell foam core, two tie-rods for added strength and an aluminum or FRP skin. Further, this skin can be branded with your chosen identity—corporate, collegiate, and more.

For example, consider what Drexel University did with their mid-panels. The university emblem is the dragon. It finds its way onto all identity materials and takes the form of the school mascot, Mario the Magnificent. So, why not put it on the entrance doors as well?

Drexel University SL-15 Entrance with mid-panel

What branding ideas do you have in mind? Share them with us and let’s see how your vision can look on your entrance system.

25 Do’s & Don’ts For Effective Selling at Trade Shows

I’m not sure I’ve ever met a sales professional who really enjoyed working a trade show or related event. But we have to do them. So we might as well learn to do them well. Here’s my list of 25 do’s and 25 don’ts that I have compiled over many years.

Do:

get yourself mentally set for a positive, dynamic selling experience. Trade shows are exciting events full of selling opportunities.
get yourself physically fit for standing while you are on duty. Select footwear carefully.
get a good night’s sleep. Leave the late-night partying to others.
get thoroughly briefed on your staff assignment—attire, work schedule, handouts, visiting VIPs, lead management, etc.—well in advance.
rehearse your facts and figures so you can make convincing presentations.
formulate some open-ended, qualifying questions.
practice the art of continuing to probe with qualifying questions. This technique shows genuine interest and is very informative.
ensure that your on-duty wardrobe is in keeping with your booth presentation.
look your best when you step on to the show floor—hair groomed, shoes shined, clothes neatly pressed.
arrive for your duty several minutes ahead of schedule so you don’t create unnecessary worry for your fellow staffers.
stand straight in a relaxed pose with hands clasped or at your side.
project a warm personality by wearing a smile and using non-threatening conversation.
extend a friendly greeting and initiate a good business-like handshake.
be courteous to all visitors, gracefully disengaging from those who are not qualified prospects.
concentrate on good eye contact throughout the qualification process.
listen actively and intently for hidden needs. Let the prospect do most of the talking.
be sincere and honest in your presentation. MOST people can see through inflated claims.
display genuine enthusiasm for your organization, its products, and services.
put all leads and business cards in a secure place with other leads.
keep the booth clean, uncluttered, and well organized.
take a short break after every two hours of booth duty. A stale staffer is an ineffective representative.
be a good neighbor. Make an effort to get to know the staffers in the booths around you and explain your reasons for attending the show. They may send you prospects or be prospects themselves.
take time to walk the show, surveying competition and observing other exhibits and exhibitors.
make mental notes of how your company’s participation could improve and share appropriately.
be on your best behavior throughout. Remember, you and your company are on display 24/7.

Don’t:

come to the show with a negative attitude. Instead, take the view that is a positive change of pace.
expect your exhibit to sell your products or company. Your job is to use the exhibit as a stage for your presentation.
forget your name tag. Pin it on your right lapel or side so it’s easily read while shaking hands.
let anything in your personal appearance, such as extreme wardrobe, distract your audience.
block access to your booth with people or exhibitry.
fold your arms across your chest, put your hands in your pockets or lean or sit on the exhibitry.
act like a robot with no feeling about what you are selling.
fidget, frown, or look impatient, bored, or tired.
eat, drink, chew gum, or comb your hair in the booth.
allow literature, briefcases, coats, sales leads, or business cards to clutter the booth.
be afraid to initiate a discussion. Attendees expect this.
assume anything about the visitor to your booth.
be patronizing to any attendee, regardless of age, gender, race, or any identifying characteristic.
ask general, dead-end questions such as “May I help you?”
disappear from the booth for any reason without explaining your absence to a fellow staffer.
talk too much, especially about yourself or company.
pass out business cards, literature, sample, or novelties (SWAG) without first qualifying prospects.
be tempted to talk at length with poor prospects.
waste the time of good prospects. You’ll make a much better impression by respecting their valuable time.
hesitate to encourage the prospect to compare your products to others at the show. This sort of confidence usually prevails.
forget to close your conversation properly with a qualified prospect by asking a leading question such as “when do you plan to move forward with your purchase?”
miss an opportunity at the end of an important discussion to suggest an exchange of business cards or to swipe their badge to the lead management system.
put leads or business cards in your pocket where they can get misplaced or not shared with team members.
fraternize too much with your competition.
underestimate the power of trade shows.

Doors that Brand: The Making of a Winning Entrance

Do you need Doors that Brand your building? Follow the making of a Winning Entrance

In March, we completed our #inoticedoors hashtag photo contest, and we announced the winning photo by Mike of The Lazzaro Companies: an entrance at Peoples Bank in Highland, IN.

A Winning Design

This entrance is unique, featuring not only curved framing but also curved muntins that complete the circular shape. Where the curved muntins run thru the door– completing the circle design– vertical muntins begin and travel down to the bottom rail. What an intricate design! Also notable– the vertical framing above the entrance echoes the lines of the inactive middle leaf. These are not your typical bank doors!

Arches with Curved Framing in Production

Little did anyone know, this entrance had caught our eye much earlier on! We had several projects coming through production with beautifully curved framing in December.

Any project with curved framing results in a show-stopping entrance– but it wasn’t until I saw the drawings that I knew this would be an entrance that brands a building!

An Entrance that Brands a building– and Endures

Many Peoples Bank locations feature a similar or nearly identical design with a circular shape and arched framing. However, this is the first to feature Special-Lite entrance products. According to Mike Nolan at The Lazzaro Companies, the original drawings called for aluminum-clad residential doors to suit the overall look the designer wanted. However, Mike advised the bank that Special-Lite was the way to go for this opening. Mike had experience using Special-Lite products in the past. He understood that residential doors do not accept commercial hardware well. In addition, residential doors are certainly not as durable as commercial entrance systems. With support from the contractor, Larson-Danielson, Mike worked with the engineering department at Special-Lite to come up with the opening you see in the photo.

Every entrance product at Special-Lite is made-to-order. This enables us to make a one-of-a-kind entrance such as this one, that stands out and communicates your brand. We love helping organizations create an entrance that leaves a lasting impression on all who enter!

Pin me:

PART 3 of 3 – Bullet Resistance (Ballistic) and Blast Resistance & How to Choose a Level of Protection

Bullet Resistant (Ballistic)

It is sad to think that we live in a time where we need to design entrance solutions for keeping our families and property safe, but we must continually innovate to overcome the threats that present themselves in daily life. Bullet resistant doors or ballistic doors and complete ballistic-rated entrance systems are an important part of this innovation. (We previously discussed in Part 1 the reason we don’t use the term “bulletproof door” when referring to these products.) What makes a product bullet resistant? There are several ratings that could describe the level of bullet resistance in a product. The most common are:

UL 752
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 0108.01
State Department SD-STD-02.01
ASTM F-1233
HP White Laboratories HPW-TP 0500.02
European Standard DIN EN 1063
British Standards Institution BS 5051
Councils of Standards Australia/New Zealand AS/NZ 2343

A certified test lab performs these tests in a controlled environment. The range of weapons varies from handguns to rifles, and the ratings are quite different depending on the standard to which you are testing. For example, you may hear someone refer to “Level 3”, which has a different meaning depending on which testing standard you are talking about. Level 3, UL 752, calls for a .44 magnum handgun. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Level 3 calls for the use of a 7.62mm (.308 Winchester) rifle. So, as you can see, there is a difference. I have worked on several projects developing bullet resistant doors using a fiberglass pultrusion process. When deciding on a bullet resistant opening solution I strongly recommend exploring the pultruded ballistic door options that are available. Believe it or not, steel is not always the answer to solving these complex entrance problems. When used properly, fiberglass has excellent ballistic properties without the concern of deterioration due to rust or corrosion.

Blast Resistant

In some cases, such as in government installations, there is a blast requirement for most if not all exterior entrance systems. There are a couple of different approaches to achieve a blast rating for a blast-rated door specification.

Arena Testing- This is obviously the most fun. As you can imagine by the name, this testing occurs outside in a controlled area, by setting off explosives to achieve the desired load and duration. The entrance system is instrumented to record the forces felt during the explosion. The advantage of using an arena test is that you’re not limited to certain dimensions on the product you’re testing. The downside with this method is that it is more difficult to obtain a specific pressure and duration due to the variation in explosive behavior.
Shock Tube- The shock tube is an instrument used to replicate and direct blast waves at a sensor or a model to simulate actual explosions and their effects, usually on a smaller scale. The advantage of using the shock tube is that you can repeat the test more accurately than arena testing. The disadvantage is that the size of the shock tube restricts the size of the specimen.

blast-test-doors — An Entrance Ready for Shock Tube Blast Test

How do I know what level of protection I needed for an entrance?

To be successful when ordering these types of systems, I strongly recommend that you take the time to understand the science behind the products that will protect you and your customers. Understanding the requirements of your state or local jurisdictions and having all the information ensures that you and your customer have on-time deliveries and products that meet the requirements for the project. For example, the load results for HVHZ approved systems are calculated in pounds per square foot. With ballistic systems, you need to understand the caliber of bullet that your entrance must withstand in an attack. This information will dictate the level of protection required. For blast-rated protection, you will need to know the blast load the product (in this case, a blast-rated door) needs to withstand, calculated pounds per square inch (psi), as well as the impulse calculated in pounds per square inch and milliseconds (psi-ms). For intrusion resistance, you need to know the amount of time that you want to hold a perpetrator at bay and if you want laminated glass or polycarbonate glazing.

More From this Series:

Part 1 of 3: Proof vs. Resistant and Intrusion/Forced Entry Resistance Part 2 of 3: Hurricane and Storm Resistance

Doors + Hardware Magazine | May 2017 | Proof vs. Resistant: The Truth is in the Test What is Fiberglass Pultrusion? A Win for School Security: Ballistic Door Wins New Product Award

PART 2 of 3 – Hurricane and Storm Resistance

Billions of dollars in damage occurs in the U.S. annually due to natural events, the majority caused by Category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes. Hurricane Andrew caused more than $25B in just Dade County Florida. Hurricane Katrina caused more than $100B in total economic loss. Fueled by this period of destruction, the science behind hurricane-rated products and building structures to withstand these storms has evolved considerably.

What does Hurricane or Storm Resistant Mean?

Let’s begin with looking at hurricane ratings. Most hurricane resistant doors are required to meet at least one of the following standards:

ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)
TAS (Testing Application Standard)
IBC (International Building Code)
IRC (International Residential Code)

Refer to the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) to determine which one to refer to for your area.

Hurricane Testing

What makes an entrance hurricane rated? Most test protocols will include static loads, cyclic loads, air infiltration, large missile impact, water infiltration and forced entry.

Welcome to #RandD product testing! This is an AF-217 hurricane test in Miami last week, and that’s a 9lb 2×4 @ 34 Mph 😮 #flexin pic.twitter.com/3ylKrxmU0b
— Special-Lite Inc. (@SpecialLite_inc) November 22, 2016

The most stringent of these requirements is an approval in Miami-Dade County. If a product can make it through Miami-Dade’s NOA (Notice of Acceptance) protocol (TAS 201, 202 and 203), we can generally submit it in other states or regions (such as the Florida Building Commission and Texas Department of Insurance) with a high degree of confidence. Product testing requires a lot of homework to determine how a product will perform under test conditions before sending it to the testing lab. This upfront work reduces the likelihood of a failure during testing. Water infiltration is an excellent example. Water is not your friend in the test lab. One drop of water that infiltrates a test specimen results in a failure. Through many trials and tribulations, we found that all-fiberglass or fiberglass/aluminum doors perform exceptionally well during this type of test. Furthermore, due to their resistance to humidity and salt water, they are great options when considering new or replacement doors in the coastal regions of the U.S.

Hurricane-Rated Special Requirements

Hurricane-rated products come with stricter requirements than some other types of tested and rated products. One important thing to remember is that the size of the product that you intend to sell or install cannot exceed the size of the specimen tested– although it can be smaller. The hardware and seals must be consistent with the configuration the approval states. You can deviate from the approval only with permission from the AHJ. This is why a manufacturer will sell a complete hurricane rated entrance: door, frame, hardware, seal, etc. in exactly the configuration tested.

More from this series:

Part 1 of 3: Proof vs. Resistant & Forced Entry (Intrusion) Resistance Part 3 of 3: Bullet Resistance, Blast Resistance, and How to Choose Your Level of Protection

The University of Florida is Set to “Judge” Building Architectural Products and Entry Systems The University of Florida’s Website: Multi-Axis Wind Load Simulator

PART 1 of 3 – Proof vs. Resistant & Forced Entry (Intrusion) Resistance

There is a growing need to create entrances in our schools, businesses, and government facilities that are blast, bullet, intrusion, and storm resistant. It is sad to think that we live in a time where we need to design entrance solutions for keeping our families and property safe, but we must continually innovate to overcome the threats that present themselves in daily life. Within this growing segment of the industry, we find a new set of labels, terminology, and testing standards. At times these can get quite confusing and misleading. However, they do not need to be if you have a good understanding of a few key terms.

Proof vs. Resistant

Have you ever heard someone say that an object was Something Proof and in reality, it should have been Something Resistant? According to Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of proof is: “Able to withstand something damaging; resistant.” Ok, that makes sense… until you look up the definition of resistant in the same dictionary. That definition goes something like this: “Opposed to something; wanting to prevent something from happening.” So, proof or resistant, tomato or tomato? They should mean the same thing, not exactly. The “proof” is in the pudding. Yes, bulletproof sounds more impressive than bullet resistant. Using the term bulletproof is an absolute statement and not an entirely factual statement. At the end of the day, if someone or something wants in, the laws of physics will work against you. If something is big enough, powerful enough, hard enough, wet enough, fast enough– you get the picture– it’s coming in. For this reason, I would rather see the term “resistant” used in all descriptions having anything to do with bullet, blast, intrusion or storm rated entrance systems.

What is Intrusion Resistance?

If you are looking for solutions that would slow down a perpetrator from gaining access to your building, one of the options is to add intrusion resistant glazing to your entrance. The definition of intrusion is; “the act or an instance of intruding; an unwelcome visit.” Intrusion resistant products are also commonly called attack resistant or forced entry resistant.

Intrusion Resistance Testing

There are several test standards used depending on the approval. The most common are ASTM and UL (Underwriters Laboratories), and the U.S. State Department forced entry test. Also, some state correction facilities utilize their own set of standards. Some companies are trying to “update” the current standards that would better represent current conditions. Depending on the data that you look at, the national average for the police to respond to a 911 call is between 6 and 10 minutes. The goal of an intrusion resistant entrance system is to delay intruders from gaining access until the cavalry arrives. These systems may or may not be bullet resistant but remember the object here is to delay the intruder from gaining access to the facility not to stop a bullet.

Intrusion Resistant Glass and Glazing

There are two innovative variations of intrusion resistant glazing that can be utilized for this requirement. One option is a patent pending product that slows down intruders up to twelve minutes before gaining access. The laminated glass comes in 5/16″ and 1″ insulated. This glass is a bit more expensive but provides all the benefits of a glass vision lite that an end user may prefer. The second option is a clear polycarbonate that has a scratch resistant coating. I strongly suggest packing a lunch if you are trying to break through this material. You can literally go after it with a sledgehammer and not break it! This polycarbonate is an inexpensive solution for intrusion resistance.

A Complete Forced-Entry Resistant System

It is important to note that the glazing material is only one aspect of an intrusion resistant system. The doors and vision lite kits used to hold this glazing material are just as important. They must all work as a system to counteract the threat. When selecting intrusion resistant products, it is important that you choose intrusion-resistant doors, frames, glazing, and vision lite kits. Manufacturers typically reinforce vision lite kits with more fasteners and material to allow the system to withstand a threat. I know what you’re thinking: More fasteners? No one is going to buy that! Well, just because there are more fasteners doesn’t mean you have to see them! Some companies have developed ingenious ways of disguising their intrusion resistant glazing kits so to the average person it does not look reinforced.

Stay Tuned

Read the rest of this blog series to find out why it’s important to direct attention to testing standards when explaining the levels of protection or comparing products!

More from this Series:

Part 2 of 3: Hurricane and Storm Resistance Part 3 of 3: Bullet Resistance, Blast Resistance, and How to Choose a Level of Protection

Courthouse Doors will be Trouble-Free Long After John Retires

A few weeks ago, I spoke to Special-Lite Sales Representative Joe Hoffman of D.A. Loss Associates. He excitedly told me that he had just been on-site at a courthouse, where Special-Lite doors had been installed over 30 years ago and still looked great! Joe enthusiastically shared his story:

In 1981 Fond du Lac County built a new courthouse with Special-Lite SL-16 Aluminum Flush doors. Around that time, we [D.A. Loss Associates] started representing Special-Lite. John Nelson started working for the County in 1977, but will be retiring soon. He has come to appreciate the longevity of the doors, “They were installed when the building was built and we have not had any problems.”

John recently asked for help when he needed a new weather brush. He decided to use our SL-301 Adjustable Bottom Brush that Special-Lite invented a few years back, and now these courthouse doors will be better than new. I love my job because I get to work with people like John and see how we have grown to become a part of many communities in Wisconsin. I hope I get to see John before he retires, if not I wish him all the best.

Joe, John, and the Courthouse Doors

Project Profile: Newark USD Discovered the High Cost of Inexpensive Hollow Metal Doors

Many years ago, the Newark, California, public school system in the east bay area near San Francisco was struggling with chronic graffiti problems, high entrance maintenance costs, and frequent door replacements. They were searching for answers when Director of Facilities Larry Mara learned about Special-Lite^® FRP Doors at a trade show. Larry thought they looked durable, so he decided to try four pairs on the toughest location in the system — the field-side gymnasium doors on the Junior High. Students were always kicking these doors open which destroyed hollow metal doors in mere months. The district had to paint most of their school doors almost annually, driving up maintenance costs. As Newark USD was getting close to passing a bond issue for renovations and new construction, Larry met with a Special-Lite sales rep. Larry had appreciated the SL-17’s ability to resist vandalism and reduce maintenance costs, so he worked to specify Special-Lite as the district “no-sub” standard exterior door for both replacement and new construction.

Custom Colors Add More Life

Like many school systems in California, Newark USD has a district standard color which appears on lockers, chairs, wall panels, and many other furnishings, including interior and exterior doors. Special-Lite painted early Newark orders to match the district’s light blue standard color. When the bond issue passed, and hundreds of Special-Lite Doors were specified, Special-Lite created a custom-matched through-and-through colored FRP in “Newark Blue.” Special-Lite can offer custom FRP colors for orders of 100 doors or more.

Easy Cleaning FRP

To control their graffiti problem, Newark made it a policy to remove it within 24 hours. Quick removal discourages repeat attacks, and the SpecLite 3® FRP face sheets on the SL-17 made this easy to do without damaging the door finish. As a result, Newark has virtually eliminated its graffiti problem.

Bond Issues Don’t Pay for Maintenance

In 2003, the “test doors” on the gym were still in service. Larry Mara had retired, and the new Director of Facilities David Goldin was presiding over a major retrofit project involving the installation of more than 600 SL-17 FRP Doors with 10-32 Insert Frames on ten schools in the system. New construction has since pushed the total door count past 700. Mr. Goldin has moved on to the San Francisco Public Schools, where he has said he plans to continue solving entrance problems with Special-Lite FRP Doors.

“The bond program doesn’t pay for maintenance. We’re building all these new buildings but the bond program doesn’t add one new custodian to the program. This district made a decision to spend more money on certain products, bathroom partitions, Corian bathroom wall panels, FRP doors… things that will minimize the need for more custodians, because the money is not there.” – David Goldin

Even when school systems are successful in passing a bond measure to fund the construction of new schools, it won’t solve the problem of escalating operating and maintenance costs, unless building products and systems are specified that can reduce maintenance requirements while delivering longer service life, to provide the lowest possible lifecycle cost. Newark USD found that for exterior entrances, the right spec is the Special-Lite^® SL-17 FRP Door.

Click here to view or save the PDF!

What is Fiberglass Pultrusion?

Is your building in a wet area and prone to rust and deterioration? Are you processing food, serving food, or needing to sanitize doors? Do you need easy care and maintenance in a beautiful, smooth finished door and frame with a long life expectancy? If you are asking any of these questions, your answer is FIBERGLASS. Now… how do you choose what type of FIBERGLASS door and frame? Let me explain… There are many different commercial fiberglass door and frame manufacturing methods, but the one that is proving to be one of the best – if not the best – is the Pultruded Fiberglass Door and Frame. Many are familiar with fiberglass pultrusion manufacturing process from its history in producing pultruded products such as FRP door frames. Today, we use this high fiber-to-resin ratio approach in the production of the toughest fiberglass doors on the market.

What is the Fiberglass Pultrusion Process?

Pultrusion is a process where raw materials (in this case glass fiber reinforcements and resins) are drawn into a profile die by a mechanical pulling force. These fibers are injected with resins while under tension where they are combined and cured. This technology is used to create an entirely pultruded door panel. A high-density, closed cell polyurethane foam core accompanies the woven rovings, woven knits, veil and resins into the die. This core reduces the weight of the door without diminishing its strength and delivers outstanding thermal performance.

Multiple layers of glass fiber reinforcing fabrics envelop both sides of the core panel as it moves through the process: a woven layer for impact resistance, two layers of random continuous filament for flexural strength, and a thin veil top layer to provide a smooth surface finish. Glass reinforcements wrap around the panel edges from both sides to improve the door’s structural properties. This combination of reinforcing fabrics is necessary to consider, as it is this high fiber-to-resin ratio that gives the fiberglass door such impressive strength. An FDA- and USDA-compliant resin fully saturates the glass fiber fabrics before the door enters the profile die. Here, the die compresses reinforcements around the core panel. The resin fully cures around the core as the panel passes through the heated portion of the die. This process produces a hermetically sealed, incredibly durable door panel free of voids. The FRP has as much as a 65% glass content and provides excellent impact resistance and screw holding strength.

Performance Beyond Avoiding Rust and Rot of Metal and Wood Doors

While fiberglass doors have gained favor in both the commercial and residential markets, it is important to point out key opportunities for improved performance that a fiberglass pultruded door delivers. The benefits go far beyond the avoidance of rust, rot, and the replacement cost of using wood and steel doors.

Constructed with Materials that Last

There is no door built to last like a fiberglass door. Fiberglass boasts impressive strength to weight ratio. Lighter weight allows the hardware attached to have a longer life. All fiberglass doors, so long as they are sealed, are impervious to moisture, chemicals, seawater and salt solutions. A fiberglass pultruded door delivers extraordinary performance.

No molds – No Gel Coat

The pultrusion process works without the use of a mold and therefore does not require the use of a gel coat. A fiberglass pultruded door is prime coated and finished with a two-part urethane finish that delivers superior UV protection. This 5 mil thickness finish is resistant to corrosive airborne agents and is not susceptible to chalking, discoloration, or leaching. The color maintains a high gloss appearance and flexibility for many years, even in full sun exposure and corrosive environments. This aliphatic polyurethane coating allows for easy surface damage repair. Pultruded doors with this finish are FDA and USDA compliant.

Hermetically Sealed – Really

A manufacturer can feed various core materials into the die. There is a bias toward the use of a closed cell polyurethane foam core to enhance its structural performance. This process allows doors, in constant contact with water or high humidity, to avoid constant expansion and contraction. Continual expansion and contraction quickly deteriorates a metal or wood door and damages the physical properties of a fiberglass door. Since pultruded doors are hermetically sealed, they avoid this damaging expansion and contraction.

Above and Beyond

Finally, pultruded fiberglass doors can use alternate cores adding scalable protection performance. You can order these doors manufactured with fire or ballistic cores adding safety performance to entry ways where needed. You even can order oversized doors pultruded in very long lengths without any seams! Click below to read the original article by Special-Lite VP of Sales and Marketing, Roger Stempky, as published in DHI’s November 2016 Doors + Hardware Magazine:

Elephant Doors: Swing Open Frame Units

Extra Large Doors Big Enough for an Elephant!

Do you have large equipment you need to move in or out of your building? Do you have a showroom where you regularly rotate large promotional items, such as trucks or cars? Will you need to occasionally move a large animal, like an elephant, from one building to another? If you shook your head YES to any of these questions, Special-Lite has your solution! We celebrate Special-Lite’s dedication to bringing engineered solutions to you. Does this mean we employ entrance designers and skilled craftspeople? Oh yeah! We know that our customers sometimes need something out of the ordinary. Is there any better way to communicate to you our unique skills than to show you? Just look at how we solved this customer’s need.

The Showroom’s Entrance Solution

Would it be possible to bring massive products in and out of a beautiful building without huge roll up doors? Does function have to trump aesthetics? Working with Special-Lite, a showroom found the perfect solution. Collaboration between building owner, sales representative, installer, and Special-Lite resulted in a custom designed, large commercial opening, with all of the functionality and design appeal desired. The design uses an aluminum frame system that can swing out of the opening for ‘moving’ day, yet have man doors for everyday use! The side hinged frame sections and doors are equipped with continuous gear hinges for ease of use and durability, eliminating the need for trackways and side clearances. The frame units are locked down with flush bolts on top and bottom when closed to provide added security. You have the option for removable center posts for rigid support in securing the doors.

Beautiful Doors with Secret Superpowers!

Special-Lite^® Elephant Doors provide a brilliant solution for accommodating the passage of large objects in and out of a facility. They are perfect entrance solutions for shopping malls, convention centers, sports arenas, dealership showrooms, zoos, and museums. elephant-doors-swing-out-storefront-frame

elephant-doors-swing-out-storefront-frame

Intrigued? Meet with one of our Special-Lite Reps and find out what we can do for your building!