Automatic Doors
Automatic Sliding Doors
Bi-parting and single-leaf automatic sliding entrances — supplied, installed to EN 16005, maintained and repaired for commercial sites.
Automatic sliding doors
The highest-capacity commercial entrance
Automatic sliding doors are the workhorse of busy commercial entrances: they move the most people through the widest opening with the least fuss, which is why supermarkets, hospitals, offices and public buildings choose them first. Avanti Doors supplies, installs, services and repairs bi-parting and single-leaf sliding systems across East Anglia and the London corridor, with every installation wired, set up and tested to BS EN 16005.
Where they fit
Built for straight-through, high-volume traffic
A sliding entrance suits any doorway where people move straight through in both directions all day — retail frontages, supermarket entrances, hospital corridors, office receptions and public buildings. Because the leaves park beside the opening rather than swinging into it, the full clear width stays usable for trolleys, wheelchairs, buggies and deliveries, which also makes sliding systems the simplest way to meet Equality Act access expectations at a busy entrance.
The doorset matters as much as the operator. A thermally broken aluminium frame with double glazing keeps heat in and condensation off the glass; a double-ramped threshold removes the trip point; pocket screens and hinged pocket doors protect the parked leaves on tight frontages. At Reigate Town Hall we replaced the complete entrance — doors, frame and arched head — with a bi-parting thermally broken doorset under the existing glazed canopy, while the building stayed open to the public.
Every system we fit carries the full safety package: combi threshold sensors, side-screen presence detection, battery back-up so the entrance behaves predictably through a power cut, and a program switch so staff can set automatic, exit-only, hold-open or locked modes themselves. Smaller sites get the same standard — the single sliding leaf at Worzals farm shop in Wisbech was wired, set up and tested to EN 16005 exactly as a town-hall entrance would be.
Before specification
What the sliding-door survey establishes
The operator is only one part of the system. The survey records the opening, the approach and how the entrance will be used, secured and maintained.
Bi-parting or single leaf
Wide, busy entrances usually take a bi-parting pair; narrower openings or offset approaches can suit a single sliding leaf with a slam post and hook lock for out-of-hours security.
Safety sensing
Combi threshold sensors, side-screen presence detection and pocket screens are specified around the real approach path — trolleys, mobility aids, queues and cross-traffic — not just the opening.
Battery back-up
An EBU battery module keeps the entrance operating safely through a power loss, so the doors fail predictably instead of trapping the entrance open or shut.
Program control
A multi-position program switch gives staff simple control — automatic, exit-only, hold-open, night-locked — without calling an engineer to change modes.
Common questions
Automatic sliding door FAQs
Quick answers for facilities managers and business owners planning a new or replacement sliding entrance.
1How much does an automatic sliding door cost?
It depends on the opening width, whether the doorset itself needs replacing or only the operator, the glazing specification and the safety package the site needs. A like-for-like operator swap costs much less than a full new thermally broken doorset with automation. We quote from a site survey so the price reflects the actual entrance, not a generic assumption.
2Can you automate our existing sliding doors?
Often, yes. If the doorset, track and floor guides are in good condition, a new operator, sensors and program switch can bring an existing entrance up to current standards. The survey confirms whether the existing leaves are suitable or whether a new doorset is the more economical route.
3What safety standards apply to automatic sliding doors?
BS EN 16005 is the safety-in-use standard for powered pedestrian doorsets in the UK. It covers activation and presence sensing, safety distances, protection at the threshold and side screens, and testing at handover. Every automatic sliding system we install is wired, set up and tested to EN 16005 and left documented.
4How quickly can a failed sliding entrance be replaced?
Faster than most sites expect when access allows. At a high-street store near Slough we stripped out a failed operator and commissioned a complete new bi-parting system — floor guides, track, operator and integrated safety sensors — within half a working day. Out-of-hours installation is also an option where the entrance has to keep trading, as we did over three evenings for a retail unit in Northwich.
Sliding door support
Plan a sliding entrance that keeps trading
From emergency operator replacement to complete new doorsets installed out of hours, we specify, install and maintain sliding entrances as one joined-up service.
- Support scope
- Survey-led specification
- EN 16005 testing at handover
- Reactive repairs and planned maintenance
- Out-of-hours installation available
Documented work
Recent sliding door projects
These project pages describe the actual equipment, site and work completed.
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