When it comes to designing workplaces, Raphael Bitter is uncompromising: "The ergonomics have to be right," emphasizes the divisional manager responsible for real estate and expansion at the Brüder Schlau Group. The company specializes in the wholesale and retail of paints, wallpaper, curtains, sun protection, floor coverings, carpets, bathroom fittings, beds, accessories, construction chemicals, tools and accessories. The new warehouse in Wustermark near Berlin was also designed with ergonomics in mind. Since April 2018, the investment of around 14,000 square meters has expanded the logistics location there in order to consolidate three regional warehouse locations in the greater Berlin area and tap into new synergies. Warehouse staff are under great time pressure, especially when loading and unloading; against this background, the doors and loading technology installed in Wustermark should be as easy and quick to operate as possible.

Fast delivery was crucial
In cooperation with the general building contractor Willy Johannes Bau from Hemslingen, Schlau opted for Hörmann product solutions. In addition to the problem-free handling, the good product processing as well as the fast and reliable readiness for delivery were decisive factors. The hall was erected within just nine months. The order placed with Hörmann included 28 industrial sectional doors, dock shelters and loading bridges as well as seven sliding fire doors and four fire protection doors.

The DDF door seals with tear-resistant tarpaulins on foam-filled side cushions mounted on the outer façade are visible from afar. They are pressed in when a vehicle docks inaccurately or deflect sideways without causing damage. Due to the very different heights of the trucks, Hörmann has supplied extra-long head tarpaulins that also adapt to the contours of the lower 7.5-ton trucks. This enables energy-efficient and draught-free loading and unloading.

Good thermal insulation and smooth door operation
At the interface between the hall and the truck, Schlau opted for Hörmann's HTL 2 hydraulic dock leveller. The design with interlocking platform and feed beams as well as lateral sliding profiles ensure that the dock leveller is guided evenly. The 1,000 millimeter long feed can be extended and retracted with centimetre precision using separate operating buttons and positioned on the loading platform in a controlled manner. The markings in the feed indicate the minimum and maximum support depth of the bridges, which gives employees a feeling of safety at all times.The SPU F42 industrial sectional doors installed consist of double-walled, 42 millimetre thick steel slats, which are filled with PU foam for good thermal insulation. The integrated Duratec plastic glazing is scratch-resistant and allows natural light to enter. Insulation is provided by 60-millimetre-thick sandwich panels, which are fitted underneath the loading bridges and seal off the free space on the loading gate intended for lifting flaps at the top.

The industrial sectional doors are equipped with a WA 300 S4 operator, which has been specially designed for the requirements of logistics buildings. The operator, which is connected to a 230-volt AC CEE socket, operates with 24 volts direct current instead of 400 volts three-phase current, as is the case with conventional industrial door operators. This means that the price of the WA 300 S4 is significantly lower than that of a three-phase AC operator with identical features, and daily power consumption is up to 75 percent lower. S4 stands for "Soft-Start Soft-Stop" and ensures quiet and gentle door operation, which extends the service life of the door system. Only 200 millimetres are required at the side to install the operator.

Safety in every case
Another feature of the operator is the safe "door-close" movement with a speed reduced to ten centimetres per second from an opening height of less than 2,500 millimetres. Above this height, the door opens and closes at a speed of 19 centimetres per second. The standard force limiter ensures that the door hits people or objects below it with limited force and then reverses automatically.
The seven FST 90-1 sliding fire protection doors installed also provide a feeling of safety, preventing the fire from spreading to adjacent hall areas in the event of a fire. They close automatically in the event of a fire and can withstand fire for at least 90 minutes. Four doors were combined with fire protection doors from Hörmann, which secure the escape route in the event of danger. Integrated wicket doors were chosen for the remaining three sliding doors. A smoke-tight sliding fire door closes off the hazardous goods warehouse.