Specialist in airtight door systems

A door ‘connoisseur’ recently described the Metaflex door as ‘the Bentley among doors’, although the company itself, based in the Dutch town of Aalten in the eastern part of the country, reacts to that comparison with characteristic level-headedness. However, it is an undisputed fact that it has been a leader of the door market in the food industry, among other sectors, for many years.

Metaflex is a specialist in airtight door systems and advanced automated systems, not only for the foods sector but also for the medical and healthcare sector, for clean rooms and laboratories. The company was founded in 1976 and also set up a manufacturing facility in India over 10 years ago, lending extra weight to the company slogan of ‘Open to the world, close to you’. There is a wide choice of doors, whether sliding or revolving models. Besides excelling in terms of quality, Metaflex sets itself apart in door automation. The mechanisms are fully concealed by the rail and cover, ultra-strong and without coiled cables or other hindrances.

Food

A stable temperature is essential to maintain the ideal conditions in food storage areas, and factors such as insulation and airtightness of the doors play an important role in this. “Our doors for the food processing industry are easy to keep clean and can be supplied with a food-safe coating,” says Harry Zomer, Account Manager. Especially in the meat industry, where forklift trucks are in operation 24/7, the Metaflex door has proven that quality makes all the difference. “They might not be the cheapest option in terms of the purchase price,” explains Harry Zomer. “But they always ultimately pay for themselves by generating savings on maintenance and refrigeration costs and by avoiding production stagnation. Doors which are slow to open and close disrupt the logistics process. Our door systems are reliable and low-maintenance. The doors can withstand knocks thanks to the robust design, and the airtight seal ensures low energy consumption. The useful life should also be factored into the total cost of ownership. It’s really not unusual to find Metaflex doors that have been operational for 25 years or more without any notable problems.”

In the project scope

“We recently replaced doors that had been installed by a competitor,” he continues. “They had only been in place for a couple of years but the user was fed up of the high maintenance costs, ice formation due to leaky seals and stagnation of his production process. He therefore decided to include the doors in the project scope from now on so that the contractor or panel builder would be obliged to source them from Metaflex.”
Metaflex supplies its products through any desired installer of insulation systems as well as through its own premium resellers – a network of specialised partners such as Stinstra from the city of Leeuwarden. As a supplier of total solutions, Stinstra often constructs complete cold storage facilities or temperature-controlled units which feature Metaflex doors as an essential component. “Users are keen to work with a single company which can handle the construction of the walls, the refrigeration and freezing cells and the temperature-controlled areas – including our doors.”

Any desired look

In order to give the doors an extra design ‘edge’, the company offers unique opportunities for personalisation. “Thanks to the high-quality 3M™ film finish, the door panel can be supplied in any desired look,” explains Harry. “For example, we can include a logo, an image of sliced ham for a fresh meat department or a picture of a mouth-watering meal on the doors of the ready-meal packing area. In addition to image elements, other options include text such as regulations or instructions. Needless to say, the doors can be cleaned using the same detergents that the client always uses.”

In other words, as Harry Zomer puts it: “To stay at the top you need to innovate and respond to what the market demands. That’s another reason for our slogan: ‘Open to the world, close to you’.”

www.metaflex.nl