Automatic Door Opener in South Africa: The MCW-100 Guide (2026)

An automatic door opener turns an ordinary hinged door into a smooth, hands-free entrance — ideal for offices, clinics and any building that needs easy, accessible access. Across South Africa, the automatic door opener most specifiers reach for is the MCW-100 automatic swing door operator. This 2026 guide explains what an automatic door opener does, how the MCW-100 works, what it costs, and where it fits best.

What Is an automatic door Opener?

An automatic door opener is a powered operator that opens and closes a swing (hinged) door for you. Mounted above the door, it drives the leaf open when triggered by a sensor, push button or access control, then closes it gently and safely. Unlike a full sliding system, it retrofits onto the doors you already have — making it one of the most cost-effective ways to add hands-free access.

The MCW-100 Automatic Door Opener

The MCW-100 automatic swing door operator is a low-energy operator built for single-leaf and hinged entrances. It offers push-arm and pull-arm mounting, sensor or push-button activation, and adjustable opening speed and hold-open time. Because it is universal, the MCW-100 can be configured to work with all major door brands and fits almost any existing swing door.

How the Opener Works

Every opener follows the same simple cycle:

• Detect — a motion sensor, wave switch or access control signals the operator.
• Open — the operator drives the door leaf open at a set speed.
• Hold — the door stays open for an adjustable dwell time.
• Close — the operator closes the door gently, with safety sensing to stop on an obstruction.

Add battery backup and the opener keeps working through load shedding, failing safely on power loss.

Automatic Door Opener Price in South Africa

The MCW-100 automatic door opener is priced from R15,900 (excl. VAT), including activation and safety accessories, installed in Gauteng. Final pricing depends on the door and how the operator is mounted, and is confirmed on a written quote. Because Coetz™ supplies nationwide, you get direct pricing on your opener wherever you are.

Where to Use an automatic door Opener

An opener like this suits any hinged entrance that benefits from hands-free, accessible access:

• Offices and receptions — a welcoming, accessible front door.
• Clinics and healthcare — hygienic, touch-free movement between areas.
• Accessible entrances — wheelchair-friendly access at push-button height.
• Access-controlled doors — pair the opener with a keypad or card reader.

For high-traffic retail, a sliding system may suit better — compare options in our automated door systems guide.

Push-Arm vs Pull-Arm Mounting

The right mounting depends on which way the door swings relative to the operator. A push-arm setup mounts on the side the door swings away from and pushes the leaf open, ideal where there is space in front of the door. A pull-arm (track) setup mounts on the side the door swings toward and pulls the leaf open, suited to tighter reveals and outward-opening doors. The MCW-100 supports both, so it adapts to almost any hinged entrance without changing the door itself.

Safety and Accessibility Benefits

Powered operators do more than add convenience. They make entrances genuinely accessible for wheelchair users, parents with prams and anyone carrying goods, and they reduce touch points in hygiene-sensitive spaces like clinics and food premises. Presence sensing keeps the door from closing on a person, while adjustable force and speed keep movement gentle. For public buildings, powered access is increasingly expected as part of an inclusive, barrier-free design.

Installation and Servicing

Fitting is quick because the operator mounts to the existing frame or transom — most single doors are converted in a few hours with little disruption. Coetz™ and MC Automations handle installation in Gauteng and support units nationwide, with spares, sensors and remotes kept in stock so a serviceable unit stays serviceable for years.

Why Choose Coetz™ for Your Automatic Door Opener

Coetz™ Glazing, with MC Automations Entrance Systems, supplies and installs automatic door openers across South Africa. Explore the full range of automatic door systems, check sensor pricing, or read about retrofitting existing doors in our door automation guide. Ready to move? Contact our team for a quote. Safety matters: quality openers follow standards such as EN 16005 for power-operated pedestrian doors.

Automatic Door Opener FAQ

Can an automatic door opener fit my existing door? Usually yes. The MCW-100 is a universal operator that mounts to most single-leaf and hinged doors and configures to all major door brands. How much is an automatic door opener in South Africa? The MCW-100 opener is priced from R15,900 (excl. VAT), installed in Gauteng and supplied nationwide. Does an automatic door opener work during load shedding? Yes — with battery backup it keeps operating and fails safely open on power loss.

What we check before quoting automatic door Opener in South Africa: The MCW-100 Guide

The structural opening decides most of the specification, so we measure that rather than any existing frame. We then check whether the head is level and can carry an operator, what sits above the opening — a bulkhead, sprinkler line or services void all dictate where the header can physically go — and whether there is power at the head. Getting those three right before anything is ordered is what keeps automatic door Opener in South Africa: The MCW-100 Guide on programme.

Backup power and access control

Battery backup, fail-open or fail-secure behaviour and the manual release are decisions about the building, not the operator, so they belong in the specification for automatic door Opener in South Africa: The MCW-100 Guide from the start. The same is true of access control — readers, buttons, intercoms and time clocks all interrupt or enable the operator, and retro-fitting them is mostly cable and ceiling work.

Choosing the right configuration

A single sliding leaf suits a shop door or a reception; a bi-parting pair moves the same opening in half the travel, which is why malls, supermarkets and hospital corridors use it. Where the wall beside the opening is too short for the leaves to park, a telescopic arrangement stacks them. Hinged doors are automated instead with a swing operator.

• MC-125 sliding: up to 150 kg single leaf or 2 × 120 kg bi-parting, 1450–5000 mm clear opening.
• MCW-100 swing: fits an existing hinged door up to 1,200 mm and 150 kg (interdependent), push-arm or pull-arm.
• Both are tested to one million operating cycles and carry a 2-year manufacturer warranty on the operator.

Which glass comes as standard?

6.38 mm laminated safety glass, with powder-coated framing in the finish that suits the frontage.

How long is the warranty?

Two years on the operator, from the manufacturer. Wear parts — belts, rollers, guides and seals — are handled through servicing rather than warranty.

Comfort, access and energy

A door that opens only when it is needed keeps conditioned air inside and dust and noise out, which is the practical argument for automation beyond convenience. Set the hold-open time for the slowest user rather than the fastest, add presence detection so nobody is caught in the opening, and the entrance works for everybody who uses the building.

Sizing against real use

Before anything is ordered we work out roughly how many cycles the doorway will see in a day. That figure drives the operator choice, the sensor layout and the service interval. It is also the honest way to compare quotations: two prices for the same opening mean very little if one was specified for light use and the other for constant public traffic.

How an automatic swing door opener works

The operator sits above the door. Inside it, a motor turns a spindle connected to a drive arm, and the arm pushes or pulls the door leaf around its hinges. An activation device – a motion sensor, a push button or a remote – signals the controller, which opens the door, holds it open, then closes it safely. Safety sensors watch the swing path so the door does not close onto someone.

MCW-100 key features

• Works on inward- and outward-opening doors, with a push-arm or pull-arm arrangement.
• Suits single doors and, depending on the configuration, paired doors.
• Adjustable opening speed, hold-open time and closing force, set at commissioning.
• Sensors, push buttons, remotes and electric locks are included in the price.
• From R15 900 excl. VAT, with installation included in Gauteng and quoted per project elsewhere.

Door width and door weight limit each other, so send us both and we will confirm the operator suits your door.

Automatic door opener or door closer?

A mechanical door closer only shuts a door; someone still has to push it open. Coetz™ does not supply, fit or service mechanical door closers. If you want a door that opens and closes on its own, hands-free, an automatic door opener such as the MCW-100 does both jobs.

Getting a fast, accurate figure

Send the structural opening sizes, a photograph taken square-on, and a note of the traffic, and a quotation for automatic door Opener in South Africa: The MCW-100 Guide comes back quickly. Where a site survey is needed, we will say so; a free site measure confirms the opening, the power supply and the traffic flow before a fixed price is given.

• Opening width and height, measured to the structure.
• A photograph showing the doorway and the space above it.
• Daily traffic and trading hours.
• Access control, intercom or backup power, if wanted.

Can we add card readers or an intercom?

Yes. They are far cheaper included with the original installation than retro-fitted, because the cable route is open while the header is being fitted.

What glass comes as standard?

6.38 mm clear laminated safety glass, with tinted and performance options, quoted separately, where solar gain or privacy matters.