3 Reasons You Need Industrial Slide Gates for Your Industrial Facility

Perimeter security for industrial complexes (factories, power plants, etc.) consists of many components, but two qualities stand out as most essential. The first is resilience to the outside world. Your facility needs a sturdy fence that not only delineates boundaries but which intruders cannot clamber over or crawl under. You don’t want unauthorized personnel or animals (domestic or wild) wandering onto company grounds; intrusion leads to distractions, unwanted situations, and interruptions in productivity. But the other major and essential quality is an entry/exit method that’s both physically dependable and convenient for authorized personnel. After all, industrial areas are staffed by a large number of hard-working professionals who need to enter in a timely fashion and, after clocking out, be able to leave just as easily.

Although some facilities use swing gates, these truthfully are not the ideal choice for installation sites prone to bursts of traffic. Here are the key reasons why industrial slide gates are the top choice for industrial areas over swing gates.

1. Superior vehicle processing. One of the issues with swing gates is that vehicles have to keep a considerable distance during operation, so as not to get caught in the gate’s path of travel. As such, the line becomes backed up at least a whole car longer than necessary. And each car that’s first in line must wait for the gate to reach its full open position before entering, and the next must wait for it to complete the full close, gain permission to enter, and the process repeats. The horizontal movement of a slide gate—versus the wide arc of a swing gate—saves you a great deal of headaches. Traffic becomes less backed up, and the horizontal movement means the gate travels a shorter distance and in a shorter amount of time.
2. Reduced likelihood of vehicular damage. Continuing a point mentioned earlier: if your facility is safeguarded by a swing gate, vehicles must remain clear of the vast, arc-shaped path of travel. A vehicle caught in the gate’s path results in a collision—likely producing damage to both the automobile and the gate. And if the driver realizes he’s too close too late and attempts to back up, he might bump into the fender of the car behind him. This points to another benefit found in industrial slide gates; the barrier only moves horizontally. Now workers can drive up close, wait for the gate to open, and then pass through without the worry of a collision.
3. Reduced risk of blockage. Vehicles are not the only obstacles that must remain clear of a swing gate’s path of travel. The same is true of animals and debris. Consider, for example, snowbanks during the winter. Because snow doesn’t discriminate where it piles up, it remains incumbent upon your staff to constantly keep a broad area around the gate clear. That’s regular time taken out of their schedule that’d be better spent working. An industrial slide gate, however, because of its simple movement, does not require as much space cleared and it possesses greater strength against the pressure of accumulating debris.

There are, of course, other means you can take for perimeter safety. (Security cameras, for instance.) But you need a sturdy, reliable gate to complete the protection offered by your facility’s fence. Here at PalmSHIELD, we manufacture a broad variety of industrial slide gates; we also partner with America’s Gate Company, who lend their expertise for access control methods. Access control boosts security, as well, through devices such as keypads, sensors, and intercoms—dictating to a greater degree who and who can’t access property grounds. The sales team at PalmSHIELD is ready to answer all your questions.