How a focus on the details leads to superior performance

An insect can ruin an entire vegetable garden. A pinhole leak in a pipe can flood a basement. We all know that small things can have a big impact.

This is especially true when it comes to ensuring the integrity of door performance for air handling units (AHU). The smallest gaps in assembly can allow air, water, and other contaminants to enter a structure, damaging the internal workings or processes.

Likewise, the smallest details in the design and fabrication of those doors can make a world of difference in preventing breakdowns in performance.

AJ Manufacturing Inc. incorporates small elements to their manufacturing, installation and shipping processes – each of which can translate into surprisingly outsized savings in time, trouble, and expense. Here are just a few examples:

A 15-cent sticker

When your products ship to installation sites, installers have to have easy access to information when the products arrive on site and the installation process begins. When those products ship to sites all over the world – and across multiple times zones – granting that access poses a few challenges.

AJ Manufacturing Inc. came up with a 15-cent solution.

Every AJ Manufacturing access door leaves its facilities accompanied by a QR code sticker that guides customers, technicians, and building owners to spec sheets, proper diagnostics and adjustment procedures to make sure the answers to questions are just a click away. It can be a time-saving resource when the installation is halfway around the world.  When a technician is called to an AHU site for repair, typical service, or adjustments, it is the costliest possible time and place to operate.  Preparing technicians with relevant information at the point of concern, 24/7 is key to effective and efficient service.  Using this tool may also eliminate or reduce the AHU owner’s dependance on outside support by showing them how to diagnose and make door hardware adjustments.

A 2-inch clip

On paper, most doors are squared within their frames. But in the process of shipping and installation, that “squaring” can fall out of alignment. Constant movement, jarring, and uneven or imprecise installation surfaces can result in variable gaps between a door and its frame and gasket. Even worse – it can result in door panel to frame interference that can compromise opening and closing and potentially door panel to gasket failure.

The AJ solution: a 2” X 2” shipping clip that not only allows an installer to accurately square each door before it is fastened into the air handling unit, but also protects the door’s gasket during shipping. When an AJ Manufacturing door is properly installed with the clip, it is impossible for that door to be out-of-square.

An extra cut

If you look at a basic picture frame, the miter corners – or joints – all look pretty straight and seamless. If you look closer, you can see gaps, misalignments and other imperfections. On a picture frame, that’s not much of a problem. On a seal around a door that cannot leak air or water throughout a wide range of conditions and operating pressures this is a major issue.

These miter joints involve a single cut to a 45-degree angle. While that might be a quicker process, fewer parts, and assembly steps, it allows for a variety of poorly fit corners. AJ Manufacturing addresses this challenge by using butt joints on their door frames, which require two profiles, each cut and notched to create a tight-fitting, 90-degree corner.

This corner is mechanically fasted with screws for precision alignment, and when combined with a similarly constructed, proprietary gasket and sealant detailing at the joint, it creates a consistent, reliable air-and-watertight seal.

These are just a few of the small things AJ Manufacturing Inc. has perfected through its 65-year history. Their focus on these details is part of our culture of problem solving that has addressed customer challenges across a range of industries. If this is how AJ Manufacturing Inc. looks after the little things — consider how well it addresses the big ones.