Challenge:
Determine the best door-closure approach for four large warehouse service door openings to ensure sufficient clearance from two 10-ton gantry cranes operating in close proximity directly above the service door frames.
Solution:
Four Lawrence Doors by Amarr Model HWFM Weather-Edge Coiling Service Doors (H-Series), commonly known in the trade as roll-up service doors, each 28' wide x 15' high with full-perimeter weather seals to prevent moisture and dust infiltration, wind locks that provide a 20 lbs. PSF wind load rating, U.S. Gear SGH (SG Series) Heavy-Duty Service Operators, and a white powdercoat finish for extra durability and rustresistant protection.
Results:
More than ample clearance between the roll-up service doors (including their operators) and the 10-ton gantry cranes located directly above, while still providing plenty of height for mechanical tubing product pick-ups and deliveries via flat-bed trucks.
Application:
Architect:
Newport Beach, CA
Environment:
Industrial Warehouse
Location:
Hemet, CA
As industrial companies expand, they often outgrow their existing commercial assets and must find better solutions to meet the needs of their evolving markets.
Such was the case for Chicago-based National Tube Supply (NTS). Rather than continuing to utilize warehouse space at the company’s leased facility in Moreno Valley, Calif., NTS decided to build a much larger facility in Hemet that the company could design to its custom specifications and call its own.
Nestled in Southern California’s San Jacinto Valley and opened in 2025, the state-of-the-art NTS Hemet warehouse services the westernmost U.S. and Mexico. Located near the two largest ports in the U.S., NTS Hemet stocks and delivers mechanical tubing, bar, and commercial fluid power products for both the domestic and global supply chains.
At 90,000 square feet, NTS Hemet is twice the footprint of the company’s former warehouse in Moreno Valley. The new warehouse also has 7,000 square feet of office space and a 1,500-square-foot outdoor mezzanine on the second floor for employee recreational and other uses.
Roll-up service doors perfectly aligned
Key to NTS Hemet’s daily operations are four large service door entrances and exits, with two on the north side of the warehouse and two directly opposite on the south side, in perfect alignment.
The 28' wide x 15' high openings were designed to provide enough space for two lanes of flatbed trucks that deliver or retrieve NTSmanufactured products.
When NTS Hemet personnel want to close and secure the facility’s service entrances and exits, they rely on four heavy-duty Lawrence Doors by Amarr Model HWFM Weather-Edge Coiling Service Doors (H-Series), also commonly known in the trade as roll-up service doors.
To easily move product within the warehouse itself for loading, unloading, and storage, NTS Hemet features dual 10-ton gantry cranes that run parallel to each other the full width of the structure. The cranes service the two double lane drive-throughs, all designed as a system to streamline logistics and improve efficiency.
A dedicated team approach
The team that managed the design, construction, and service door installation for NTS Hemet included Steve Hong, architect (Steve K. Hong Architect, Inc.), Nick Huddlestun, representing the general contractor (Alston Construction), and Scott Stacey, roll-up service doors installer (Dock Pros). Rafael Nieves represented roll-up service door manufacturer, Lawrence Doors by Amarr.
“NTS had a general idea of what they wanted based specifically on their manufacturing processes and how they store things,” said Steve Hong, Principal, Steve K. Hong Architect, Inc. “I helped to fine-tune what they needed based on the scope of the warehouse size, as well as all structural and civil engineering requirements.”
“Applying the right door color and
coating is an impactful way to enhance
the appearance of roll-up service doors,
which typically have a more understated
industrial look.”
Steve Hong, Principal, Steve K. Hong Architect, Inc.
Hong further pointed out that service door alignment was critical for flatbed trucks to efficiently pick up and deliver NTS products. The door openings had to be properly aligned to not only handle busier time periods, but also the door widths had to easily accommodate the size and turning radius of longer trucks.
Hong further pointed out that service door alignment was critical for flatbed trucks to efficiently pick up and deliver NTS products. The door openings had to be properly aligned to not only handle busier time periods, but also the door widths had to easily accommodate the size and turning radius of longer trucks.
“Based on tight constraints and the way various flatbed trucks enter and exit the warehouse on the north and south sides, NTS needed the service door openings to be as wide as possible for easier truck access,” agreed Nick Huddlestun, Project Manager, Alston Construction. “Designing an efficient and easy flow pattern was the goal for loading and unloading NTS products.”
Huddlestun said that from both operational and safety standpoints, the size of the service doors was a big concern. The 28-foot-wide service door openings help to prevent trucks from turning into or clipping the door openings or injuring anyone who might be standing nearby. Huddlestun stressed, “the more clearance, the better.”
Crane clearance is also a major concern
The overall width of the warehouse site also had built-in constraints to accommodate truck traffic and the facility’s gantry crane operation.
“We essentially designed the warehouse from the inside out, starting with the gantry cranes, and then the envelope around it to make sure the north/south orientation of the service doors would be correct for truck maneuvering,” Hong explained.
He added, “because the gantry cranes were so close to the building façade, roll-up doors were the only viable solution for NTS Hemet.”
At 15 feet high, the service door openings provide plenty of room for load clearance during NTS product pick-ups and deliveries.
Scott Stacey, Sales | Project Management, Dock Pros, commented, “Based on the size of product that NTS was planning to move in and out of the company’s Hemet warehouse, the facility required extra-large service openings with extra-large service doors.”
Door finish made a huge difference
NTS Hemet’s four Lawrence Doors by Amarr Model HWFM Weather-Edge Coiling Service Doors (H-Series), are each 28' wide x 15' high with full-perimeter weather seals to prevent moisture and dust infiltration. They also feature wind locks that provide a 20 lbs. PSF wind load rating, and a white powder-coat finish for extra durability and rust-resistant protection.
“Each door’s 20 lbs. PSF wind load rating
(88 mph wind speed equivalent) is easily
capable of handling the region’s fierce
seasonal Santa Ana winds.”
Scott Stacey, Sales | Project Management,
Dock Pros
“Applying the right door color and coating is an impactful way to enhance the appearance of roll-up service doors, which typically have a more understated industrial look,” Hong emphasized. “The white powder-coat finish for NTS Hemet really complements the warehouse’s aesthetics.”
Featuring 20-gauge steel, the roll-up doors are also a very secure closure for the service door openings. Additionally, the electromagnetic brake in each door’s motorized operator ensures that the doors remain securely closed, preventing them from being opened.
“Each door’s 20 lbs. PSF wind load rating (88 mph wind speed equivalent) is easily capable of handling the region’s fierce seasonal Santa Ana winds,” Stacey said. “An extra benefit of the full-perimeter weather seals is that they prevent gaps for dust and light to shine through when the doors are closed.”
“. . . NTS needed the service door
openings to be as
wide as possible for easier
truck access.”
Nick Huddlestun, Project Manager,
Alston Construction
For added safety, the service doors also include a photo eye sensor. If an object or person gets in the way of a door while it's closing, and the photo eye’s beam is broken, the door will automatically reverse and open.
While NTS Hemet’s service doors are primarily open during the warehouse’s normal working hours, when they’re raised and lowered, they have the fastest motor operator available based on their size.
Each of the service doors is equipped with a one-horsepower, three-phase U.S. Gear SGH (SG Series) Heavy-Duty Service Operator (rated for 20,000 cycles based on frequency of operation) that opens and closes the doors at a speed of six to eight inches per second.
Several operator benefits
According to Rafael Nieves, Inside Sales & Marketing Manager, Lawrence Doors, SGH service door motor operators use an inline gear drive rather than a direct-drive shaft.
“The operator motors provide additional gear reduction and speed adjustments for the roll-up doors,” Nieves said. “The operator motor can also be replaced or easily maintained without removing the door, which would be required with a direct drive operator.”
Nieves added that Lawrence Doors recommended installing the service door operators “side mount below coil” to provide sufficient clearance for the gantry cranes directly above.
“We thoroughly analyzed the height of the service door openings in relation to the gantry crane track height,” Nieves continued. “Lawrence Doors then reverse-engineered the door design to fit the proper parameters, and to ensure a smooth process for Dock Pros’ installation team.”
“The operator motors provide additional
gear reduction and speed adjustments
for the roll-up doors.”
Rafael Nieves, Inside Sales & Marketing Manager,
Lawrence Doors
Reflecting on the Hemet warehouse project, Huddlestun shared, “because NTS wanted a warehouse facility that they would own, there was a substantial amount more effort put into the facility’s appearance so that NTS would be proud of how the warehouse looks from an image and branding standpoint.”
As NTS Hemet continues to enhance serving the company’s customers in the western U.S. and Mexico, the facility already has plans for future expansion built into the design of the warehouse. With enough room on the property’s west side to add 30 thousand to 40 thousand square feet, that could potentially mean adding at least two more roll-up service doors when that time arrives.
Architect Resources Available
For details on the Lawrence Doors by Amarr Model HWFM Weather-Edge Coiling Service Door (H-Series) and other coiling doors, visit Lawrence Doors by Amarr Coiling Doors.
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