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Case Study
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Clark Door come in from the cold with NWDA Grant for Research and Development
9th February 2009
Clark Door Ltd, the Carlisle-based industrial doors company has been awarded a £100,300 Grant for Research and Development (GRAND) from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to develop an innovative coldstore / freezer environment door which will use a horizontal air curtain.
Since being established in the UK since 1973, Clark Door has been providing specialist industrial doors for a number of niche markets, including the cold storage and food processing sectors and acoustic doors for theatres and recording studios.
The company's product development strategy is to manufacture innovative products, using technology and market-driven knowledge to produce advanced products with a significant engineering content.
By collaborating with the Computational Science & Engineering Department at Daresbury Laboratory and with financial assistance from the NWDA, Clark Door will be able to research and develop an innovative horizontal air curtain. By performing numerous experiments with computational fluid dynamics combined with practical test rigs they will optimise the design performance with lowest running costs.
Continual opening and closing of access doors to coldstores holding frozen food inevitably results in the spilling out of cold air and consequent ingress of warm, moist air from the environment. This leads to icing within the coldstore as moisture condenses out and freezes, as well as a significant rise in energy consumption. According to industry body, ASHRAE - up to 60% of energy loss in a coldstore can be attributed to doors.
Clark Door claims that recirculatory horizontal air curtains blowing across doorways are not only effective in reducing the amount of energy to maintain a coldstore's temperature; they are also highly energy efficient.
Mark Hughes, Executive Director of Economic Development at the NWDA said:
"Innovative manufacturing is a key driver of regional economic success and must continue despite the current economic downturn. The NWDA is playing a significant part in ensuring that research and development projects are able to be completed in order to prepare for future growth within the regional economy.
"Clark Door Ltd is an established player in the industrial door sector with a strong presence in the design manufacture and supply of cold storage doors. They have clearly demonstrated they are able to bring a new product to the marketplace - a product which will generate significant savings for users and increase their green credentials."
Andrew Ashley, Managing Director Clark Door Ltd said:
"I am extremely enthusiastic about the opportunity the funding provides for Clark Door. It allows the company to invest in Research and Development at a level that would not be possible without the support of the NWDA.
"I am confident that the engineering design team here at Clark Door, working in partnership with Daresbury, will produce a truly world class product. The exciting innovation is the way in which the product saves energy costs for our customers. It couldn't come at a better time for our employees and our customers."
The NWDA is playing a crucial role in response to the current economic downturn, with a number of actions being taken to meet the needs of businesses during these challenging times. To keep updated on the range of support being offered by the NWDA go to www.nwda.co.uk/supportingbusiness
For more information on business support visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/northwest
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Notes to editors:
For further information please contact Shelley Tattersall, Press
Officer on 01925 400256 or mobile 07500 128482 or
shelley.tattersall@nwda.co.uk
For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925 400259.
For further information and to view previous press releases visit
us at www.nwda.co.uk/press
The NWDA is supporting businesses and prioritising investments to ensure that the Northwest is in a strong position to respond to the current economic climate. Initiatives include:
• The launch of a £10m High Growth business support
programme
• A new £4m Innovation Voucher Scheme to help 1,000
businesses work with our knowledge base
• Dedicated Access to Finance support within Business Link
Northwest - now available
• £140m Venture Capital Loan Fund (VCLF) - to be
launched in 2009
• £40m package of support to stimulate investment in
priority skills development - to commence in 2009
• 10 day prompt-payment pledge to our suppliers to help with
cash-flow
For more information, see nwda.co.uk/business
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for:
• Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and
communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region's outstanding quality of life
