With a myriad of door canopy options out there, deciding which to pursue can be overwhelming. Here are some considerations to help you spot an option that suits your unique structure and needs.
- Consider Your Facility’s Surrounding Environment: It’s important to ensure your personnel door canopy is engineered to withstand the unique environmental conditions your geographic region faces. If winter weather deals heavy ice and snow loads, for instance, you’ll want to make sure your canopy is strong enough to remain in place while holding that added weight. You may also want to consider a door canopy with enhanced engineering if your facility sits along the coastline or in other areas frequently impacted by heavy winds. At Metallic Products, we offer canopies rated for winds up to 180 mph and snow loads up to 100 psf — and custom ratings are available upon request.
- Consider Whether Your Accessory Provider Can Back Up Their Claims: It’s one thing to say a personnel door canopy is built to last. It’s another thing entirely to have the numbers that prove your point. Ask your potential accessory provider about what sort of testing went into their claims. They should be able to describe in great detail the lengths they’ve gone to push their products to — and past — their breaking point, so they know exactly what they can withstand. Metallic Products canopies undergo extensive third-party wind uplift testing, and engineering data is available. Just ask!
- Consider Your Unique Size and Aesthetic Needs: When choosing the right canopy for your building, you’ll want to make sure the company you’re working with has options that work specifically for your structure. Seek out a manufacturer with color and finish choices that compliment your look, and with canopy sizes that work for your space. Our door canopies are available in single and double-door sizes, and come in a wide range of colors.
- Consider Where the Personnel Door Canopy is Made: Although it’s possible to source your steel building accessories from locations around the globe, there are benefits to purchasing those manufactured closer to home. For operations housed in the U.S., simple logistical considerations mean American-made accessories often feature quicker turnaround times and lower shipping costs. In addition, there’s peace of mind that comes with knowing a product is produced in a country with strict manufacturing standards. On a less official — yet no less important — note, American-made products offer the benefit of knowing your company’s purchase is going back to a community in the country you call home. At Metallic Products, all of our metal building accessories are manufactured at our corporate facility in Houston, Texas.
- Consider Other Needs Your Accessory Provider Might Assist with: In all likelihood, a company that provides the door canopy option you like best can assist you with other steel building accessories, too. In such instances you can often save time and money by purchasing and shipping multiple products — for multiple projects — at the same time. Similarly, by building trust and a working relationship with your accessory provider over time, the company comes to know your operations and preferences, and can factor those into future orders. This is likely to save you time and headaches down the line. The Metallic Products product catalog includes everything from personnel door canopies to wall louvers, continuous ridge vents and even roof hatches, and many of our clients purchase multiple accessories for their building projects.
