Fans improve worker comfort, protect paper products

Humidity and stagnant air at a paper distributor’s facilities was causing massive damage to product and subjecting employees to temperatures approaching 100 degrees. Using large-diameter, low-speed fan technology, facility managers were able to bring moisture issues under control, regulate temperatures and provide a more comfortable environment for their employees.

Kentucky-based Papercone Corp. specializes in the production and distribution of high-quality envelopes. After installing thermometers to gauge the incredible heat at the facility, inventory manager Robert Wilson says temperatures at the ceiling level of the 45-foot-high warehouse exceeded 140 degrees on the hottest days, when it was about 85 degrees on the ground. Envelopes and corrugated boxes were collapsing on themselves due to moisture absorbed from the air.

“Several times I’ve been on the forklifts myself, and it was amazing the temperature change from the floor to the roof,” says Wilson. “It was hot down on the floor but it was much hotter up at the roof and the humidity was absolutely beyond belief.”

Engineered to effectively circulate air in any environment, large-diameter, low-speed fans move the air slowly, creating quiet, gentle, non-turbulent airflow. To effectively mix the air in the space, it is necessary to circulate about one-third of the air volume inside a building each hour. Just one large diameter fan is capable of covering an area as large as 30,000 square feet.

Previous to the fan installation, ice water was the only remedy Wilson’s workers had on their side. “This will be our second summer with the fans,” he says. “Just the sheer comfort of the guys being able to work over there now and perform at peak level is impressive.”

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