When winter temperatures dramatically fall, UK factory production can be badly affected. And if this winter is anything like the last, some factories across the country may even need to temporarily halt production, until temperatures rise.

Factory managers who had the foresight to forge a link with a specialist heater hire company (in the summer or autumn months) will invariably fair best this year. Many will avoid temporary closure, and will therefore succeed where some of their competitors may fail: in meeting production targets.

About contingencies

By formulating a contingency plan with a heater rental specialist, a factory manager can go into the winter period enjoying peace of mind: if temperatures drop dramatically between now and the spring, an emergency response from a heating hire expert team should be painless The portable heater company will have mobile heaters on site and up-and-running in no time.

Reasons for production stoppages

Heavy snow can mean factory workers simply cannot get to work. When a factory finds itself seriously understaffed it can make better financial sense to cancel the shift, rather than to proceed with only a ‘skeleton’ team.

Severe winter weather can also prevent deliveries to and from factories. If a factory’s distribution department cannot operate normally, this can result in the factory having issues with storing stock until the undistributed backlog is cleared.

How airport closures can affect factory production

Distribution problems ‘off-site’ can also mean a factory has no option other than to temporarily shut. For example, a factory that produces goods for export may need to discontinue their manufacturing process for a few days if the airport from where their goods are usually transported has closed due to appalling winter weather.

The impact of a ‘big freeze’ on workers and machinery

It is not only travel to and from a factory that can be affected by winter weather, of course. Low temperatures can impact upon the performance of staff and machinery.

Often, although most factories have a built-in heating system, some may not have the capacity to emit enough warm air when winter weather becomes particularly bad. During a ‘big freeze’, internal mechanisms in factory machinery can seize up (and can even become damaged). This can either halt production altogether or slow down certain production processes. And for factory employees, the low temperature can mean that they simply cannot work properly, or even at all.

What the Law says

Employers have a responsibility to ensure their workplace is a comfortable environment, with temperatures in the workplace being covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations Act 1992. This means a factory needs to be warm enough in winter and cool enough in summer for staff to work in without feeling stressed, or even ill.

What a specialist heater hire company will do

Many factories are located in remote areas; it simply works out cheaper for them to be based in a rural setting rather than in a city or town. Factory managers in remote locations who are perhaps concerned about the speed at which a specialist heater hire company could realistically respond to an urgency call should not be...

A good heater rental company will have depots all over the country, not just in Britain’s major cities. At their depots they will have a full range of portable heaters and also the personnel in place with the experience to know which models will be most appropriate for a factory setting.

Their transport department will be experienced in delivering hired heaters to factories in severe winter weather, and their heater hire engineers will pull out all the stops to ensure the portable heaters are correctly positioned, set up and working at the factory in the quickest possible time.

Leased portable heaters can also be used in the event of a factory heating system failure in winter, or if the system needs to be serviced urgently.

Direct-fired heaters are best

Rentable gas and oil heaters can either be direct-fired or indirect-fired. For factory applications, direct-fired heaters are usually the preferred option as they are highly efficient, compact, robust, fully portable heaters that are best for places that need large volumes of warm air (factories, warehouses, sports halls, loading bays, farm buildings, etc.).

However, in a sealed environment, direct-fired heaters could cause carbon monoxide problems; this is why a specialist portable heater rental company will insist on first carrying out a site survey by qualified and experienced staff (prior to equipment supply). The main issue will be ventilation, as direct-fired heaters deliver air that is carrying carbon from the spent fuel.

Where the use of direct-fired heaters is infeasible, indirect-fired heaters can be employed. Indirect-fired heaters are sophisticated and reliable heaters that are most suitable for places where there is limited ventilation; they will deliver huge volumes of clean, dry, fume-free heat safely and economically. They can also deliver warm air via ducting (up to 40m); an option not available with direct-fired heating.

Note: a specialist heater hire company will also supply and manage all the heater fuel a factory needs (either gas or oil), at competitive rates.