Automatic door companies in South Africa: how to choose one
Automatic door companies all promise fast service and good doors. The difference shows up later: when a door fails on a Friday afternoon, when spares are needed, or when the safety sensors have to be tested. This guide explains how to compare automatic door companies in South Africa, what to ask, and how MC Automations answers each question.
MC Automations is an automatic door company based at Laser Park in Roodepoort. We supply, install, service and repair commercial automatic doors across Gauteng and South Africa, with our own MC-125 sliding and MCW-100 swing operators, imported and assembled at Laser Park. We do commercial pedestrian entrances only.
What separates automatic door companies
Who does the work
Some automatic door companies sell the door and sub-contract the installation and servicing. Ask who will actually be on site, and whether the same team will service the door later. We use only our own technicians.
Spares close to you
A door is only as good as the spares behind it. Ask where spares are held and how long a common part takes to arrive. Ours are at Laser Park, so most Gauteng faults are fixed on the first visit.
Any brand or only their own
Many buildings have doors from several makers. A company that services any brand saves you managing several contracts. We work on our own operators and other manufacturers’ doors.
Written records
Ask for a written report after every visit, showing what was checked, what was found and the settings left on the door. This is your evidence that the door is safe and maintained.
Warranty and what it covers
Ask what the warranty covers and for how long. Ours is 24 months on new MC operators; repairs are quoted on their own.
Published prices
Ask for starting prices before a survey. Our MC-125 starts from R27 590 excluding VAT and the MCW-100 from R15 900 excluding VAT, and every site gets a written quotation.
| Question to ask | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|
| Who installs and services? | Own technicians, named team |
| Where are spares held? | Locally, with common parts in stock |
| Do you service any brand? | Yes, with trained technicians |
| Do I get a written report? | After every visit |
| What is the warranty? | Stated in writing, on the operator |
| How fast do you respond? | Agreed per site, in writing |
Automatic door suppliers versus installers
Some businesses only supply equipment, some only install, and some only service. A company that does all three is accountable for the whole life of the entrance: if a door fails, there is no argument between the supplier and the installer. Automatic door companies that design, supply, install and service give you one point of contact. See automatic door installation.
Response times and service level agreements
Ask automatic door companies how quickly they attend a breakdown, and get it in writing. In Gauteng, same-day attendance is normally possible from our Laser Park base; elsewhere, planned visits are batched and breakdown attendance is agreed per site. Several doors or sites can sit under one service level agreement.
Safety and standards
Every automatic door must stop or reverse before it touches anyone, with limited forces and tested safety sensors, safety glass and a defined behaviour in a power failure and a fire alarm. Good automatic door companies set and record all of this at handover and test it on every visit. See automatic door safety requirements.
Our operators
We supply the MC-125 automatic sliding door and the MCW-100 swing door operator, both imported and assembled at Laser Park and tested to one million operating cycles. To see what sits in the header, read how an automatic sliding door mechanism works.
What we install
Sliding, telescopic, swing, revolving and hermetic doors for shopping centres, supermarkets, hospitals and clinics, offices, banks, hotels, schools, universities, government buildings and industrial sites. See commercial automatic doors.
Red flags when comparing automatic door companies
Be wary of automatic door companies that will not say who does the installation, cannot tell you where spares are held, avoid giving a written warranty, or quote without seeing a photograph of the opening. Another red flag is a service visit with no written report: if automatic door companies cannot show what they checked, the safety sensors may not have been tested at all.
Questions good automatic door companies ask you
Good automatic door companies ask about the building before they quote: how busy the door is at its worst time, who uses it, whether it is an escape route, what access control is in place, and what should happen in a power cut. If automatic door companies do not ask these questions, the door will be specified for a generic building, not yours.
How automatic door companies price work
Installation is priced on the operator, leaves, glass, header, sensors, locking and access control. Servicing is priced per door and per visit, or as an annual agreement. Repairs are priced on the call-out, time on site and parts. Ask automatic door companies to separate these in writing so you can compare like with like.
Switching automatic door companies
Switching is simpler than many building managers expect. A new company should carry out a first full service on every door, record its condition, settings and cycle count, and give an honest view of how long each operator has left. Most automatic door companies that service any brand can take over existing doors without replacing them.
Automatic door companies and your insurer
Insurers and auditors increasingly ask for proof that powered doors are maintained. Written service records, tested safety sensors and a recorded power-failure behaviour are what they look for, so choose automatic door companies that provide them as standard.
Sliding, swing or revolving?
Sliding doors move the most people and never swing into anyone, so they suit most main entrances. Swing doors suit narrow openings, corridors and existing hinged doors. Revolving doors keep wind and heat loss out of tall lobbies but always need a swing door beside them for wheelchairs and goods. For automatic door companies, the main entrance is usually sliding and the internal doors swing. See sliding vs swing door.
Safety sensors explained
Activation sensors, usually microwave radar, open the door when someone approaches. Safety sensors, usually active infrared, watch the threshold and the path of the leaves so the door cannot close on someone standing still. Light curtains in the posts add a vertical safety field on busy or sensitive entrances. All of them are set on site and tested with a test body on every service.
The first year after installation
In the first months the building learns how the door behaves, and we often fine-tune speeds and sensor fields after the first busy weeks. The first service, normally at six months, records the cycle count so the service interval for automatic door companies can be set from real use rather than guesswork.
Three common myths
“Automatic doors waste energy”: a well-set door closes faster than people close a manual one. “They are only for big buildings”: a single swing operator can automate a small practice door. “Any electrician can fix them”: safety settings, forces and sensors need a trained technician and the right parts.
Gauteng conditions
Gauteng brings its own challenges for automatic door companies: summer afternoon storms with hail, wind and driving rain; dry, dusty winters that grind into tracks and rollers; lightning that can damage electronics; and load shedding that can stop a door at the worst moment. We answer each one with the specification: laminated or toughened safety glass, sensors set to ignore wind-blown debris, brushes and seals against dust, surge protection where lightning is common and battery backup on every entrance that must keep working. The service interval is then set from the conditions at each site, not from a fixed calendar.
A typical project, step by step
The client sends photographs of the entrance and tells us how busy it is. A technician surveys the opening, the header, the floor and the power and access-control connections. We confirm the door type, leaves, glass, sensors and locking in writing with a price and lead time. On the agreed day our team installs the operator and leaves, commissions the speeds, sensors and lock, tests the power-failure and fire behaviour with the building and hands over a written record. The first service is booked six months later. This is how every project for automatic door companies runs, large or small.
Access control and security
Doors can be linked to card, tag, biometric, keypad or intercom readers, to timers for trading hours and to the alarm. Two doors can be interlocked where screening is needed, and the lock is set to release on the fire signal where the door is an escape route. See automatic door access control.
Accessible entrances
An automatic door is the simplest way to make an entrance usable for wheelchair users, parents with prams and people carrying goods. Clear width, opening and closing speeds, hold-open time and push buttons are set on site for the people who use the door. See automatic doors for disabled access.
Energy and comfort
A door that closes promptly keeps air-conditioning and heating inside. Hold-open times and sensor fields are set so the door opens for people coming in and out, not for passers-by or wind-blown leaves, and an airlock or revolving door is considered where wind is a problem.
Working in occupied buildings
Most of our work happens in buildings that stay open. We barricade the doorway, keep an alternative entrance open, work outside peak hours where possible and leave the site clean. Every visit starts with a safe-work method for that building.
What you receive after every visit
A written report of what was found and done, the parts used, the settings left on the door, the cycle count, anything that still needs attention and the date of the next visit.
Planning your budget
Budget for three things: the installation or repair itself, any parts or new equipment, and an ongoing service plan. Where several entrances need work, it can be phased over months, starting with the doors that matter most to safety and security. Planned servicing of automatic door companies costs far less over their life than emergency call-outs.
Spare parts we hold
We keep the parts that wear first at our Laser Park workshop: belts, rollers and carriages, sensors, locks, batteries and controllers for the MC-125 and MCW-100, and common parts for other makes, so most faults are fixed on the first visit. See automatic door spare parts.
Modernising older entrances
When an old operator keeps failing or its parts are no longer made, a new MC-125 or MCW-100 can usually be fitted to the existing leaves, glass and frame. This costs a fraction of a new entrance and comes with 24 months on the new operator. See automatic door modernisation.
Why choose MC Automations
- Our own operators: the MC-125 and MCW-100 are imported and assembled at Laser Park.
- Our own technicians: we never sub-contract installation, servicing or repairs.
- Any brand: we service and repair other manufacturers’ doors too.
- Spares in Gauteng: common parts are held at our Laser Park workshop.
- Written records: every visit ends with a report.
- Warranty: 24 months on new MC operators.
Getting the best from your entrance
Keep the floor guide and the area in front of the sensors clear, do not prop the door open or block it with stock, and ask cleaners not to spray water onto the sensors and header. Report noises, hesitation and doors that reopen for no reason early, because these are the first signs of wear. Know where the program switch is and what each mode does, so staff can set the door to open, closed, exit-only or night mode when needed.
A typical entrance upgrade
A shopping centre has an old bi-parting entrance that hesitates and is noisy, with parts no longer made. We survey it, confirm the leaves and glass are sound, and quote a new MC-125 operator with new sensors, lock and battery backup on the existing leaves. The work is done before trading hours in one morning, the door is commissioned for the centre’s traffic and the settings are recorded. The centre gets a quieter, faster, more reliable entrance at a fraction of the cost of a new front, with 24 months on the new operator. This is an example of how we work, not a specific client.
Health and safety on site
Every job starts with a site induction where the building requires one and a safe-work method that covers barricading the doorway, working at height on the header, isolating the power and keeping an alternative route open. Our technicians carry their own protective equipment and leave the site clean, and in hospitals, food production and laboratories we follow the building’s own hygiene rules as well.
Terms you will hear
Operator
The motor, gearbox and controller in the header that drive the door.
Leaves
The moving panels of the door.
Activation sensor
Opens the door when someone approaches.
Safety sensor
Stops or reverses the door if someone is in the way.
Hold-open time
How long the door stays open before closing.
Night mode
Locked and opened only by card, keypad or key switch.
Interlock
Two doors linked so only one opens at a time.
Cycle count
How many times the door has opened, used to plan servicing.
Where we work
We supply, install and service across Gauteng from Laser Park and across South Africa on planned visits. See automatic doors near me, automatic doors Johannesburg and automatic doors Pretoria.
What to send automatic door companies for a quote
- The address and number of entrances.
- A photograph of each doorway and the header.
- The clear opening width and height.
- How busy each door gets.
- Access-control and fire requirements.
Request a quote or call 010 412 0062.
Automatic door companies: frequently asked
How do I choose between automatic door companies?
Ask who does the work, where spares are held, whether they service any brand, whether you get written reports, what the warranty covers and how fast they respond, and get the answers in writing.
Is MC Automations an automatic door company?
Yes. We supply, install, service and repair commercial automatic doors from Laser Park, Roodepoort, across Gauteng and South Africa.
Do you only service your own doors?
No. We service and repair other manufacturers’ doors as well as our own MC-125 and MCW-100.
Where is your nearest automatic door company branch?
Our workshop, technicians and spares are at Laser Park, Roodepoort. We attend Gauteng sites the same day where possible.
Do you install doors for homes?
No. We do commercial pedestrian entrances only.
What does an automatic door cost?
Operators start from R27 590 excluding VAT for the MC-125 and R15 900 excluding VAT for the MCW-100. Each site is quoted in writing.
Automatic door companies at a glance
- Automatic door companies differ most in who does the work and where the spares are.
- Automatic door companies should give a written report after every visit.
- Automatic door companies should state their warranty and response times in writing.
- Automatic door companies that supply, install and service give one point of contact.
See the South African Bureau of Standards.