Storage/Staging: Sliding curtain improves employee comfort, productivity

A recent facility upgrade at a Memphis-area heavy equipment manufacturing plant was designed to address the workspace environment of its assembly line workers. By installing a sliding curtain wall, managers improved worker comfort, energy efficiency and operational flexibility.

The manufacturer had to come up with a solution to handle the impact of outdoor temperatures on its assembly area, which is located approximately 25 yards from its loading docks.

There are eight dock stations on the north side of the building, as well as a 20 x 20-foot door that is used for forklifts and garbage removal. Opening the overhead doors creates a severe wind draft, with gusts up to 30 mph rushing into the building. Workers on the nearby assembly line were not only regularly distracted by these icy blasts of air, but their productivity suffered as a result.

A permanent wall would have prevented cold breezes in the winter, but would have limited refreshing breezes during the hottest days of summer. Instead, the company installed a sliding curtain wall made from fire-retardant, industrial vinyl fabric. Straps on the bottom hold the curtain wall tight to the ground to prevent any drafts, while a sliding track-and-trolley system on top makes the curtain easy to move into and out of position.

The curtain wall is a flexible option on the north end of the building, and easy enough to install that it can be moved to other parts of the plant if the facility’s needs change in the future. Employees are now comfortable, their productivity has increased and the manufacturer has realized energy savings.

“Our No. 1 asset is our people,” says the firm’s vice president of manufacturing. “If we take care of them, they take care of us.”

Zoneworks
800-553-4834
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