Some frosty slaughterhouse workers in Europe and their complaints led to the development of a fabric-ductwork system that dissipates cold air evenly instead of blasting down from vents.

This sausage-shaped alternative to sheet metal has crossed the Atlantic and is slowly snaking its way into supermarkets throughout
the country.

Fabric duct is made from refined polyester and feels like a football jersey. Hot or cold air seeps through the fabric and sometimes is shuttled through sewn-in vents or mesh. The ductwork usually comes in tubular form and hangs from the ceiling by a cable or a rail system. Its sections can be unzipped and tossed into a washing machine for cleaning.

The fabric holds great promise for meat departments, as its even distribution of air cuts down on blowing air and freezing employees. And since the fabric is polyester, moisture isn’t retained in normal conditions.

Although featured in some grocery stores, mostly on the East Coast, it isn’t exactly sweeping the nation. But the potential is there, say three companies touting the system.

The Players
The only U.S.-based company, DuctSox, with headquarters in Milwaukee and a plant in Dubuque, Iowa, has its feet planted in the American supermarket industry, with installations in about 25 stores along the East Coast. CEO Cary Pinkalla stresses his fabric is not only less expensive than metal ductwork, but its also offers a lighter roofload, which in turn lowers the building construction cost.

Another benefit is that it’s now a trend for supermarkets to avoid using drop ceilings in an effort to save money. Going to open ceilings exposes the sheetmetal ductwork, which some consider unsightly.

The other two companies are based in Denmark and have U.S. offices. One is FabricAir Inc., with an office in Louisville, Ky. Company president Niels Thorsen says one big plus is that colors can be customized to match any store interior, a service offered by all three companies. "Architects like it, the colors the shapes," he says. "It’s something they can see and feel."

The third player is KE Fibertec, with offices in Oro Valley, Ariz. Partner Mike Woolsey touts many of its benefits, including the ease in moving the duct around when renovations are needed.

Starting Out
The technology began decades ago in Europe. Cold air from vents blasted a chill toward slaughterhouse workers unfortunate enough to be standing underneath. To make the cold air more evenly distributed, the idea of a blowing air through a tube-shaped fabric was born. Not only did it solve the problem of chilled workers, it also made sure the meat was evenly chilled. Over the years, better technology was developed.

The fabric ductwork comes in zippered lengths. If the sections get too dirty, they can be thrown in the washer. The life expectancy ranges from company to company, but all give it a life of 10 years or more with a high end of about 20 years.

The fabrics
ductwork meets NFPA requirements. And because it is made from polyester and not sheet metal, it doesn’t generate noise. Also, the tightly woven fabric serves as a second filtration source for the air traveling through it.

But if the fabric ductwork is so good, why aren’t there such ducts everywhere? "The U.S. HVAC market is a huge industry and is very slow to embrace change," Woolsey says. "Very often, for some reason, they picture in their mind that fabric can’t be as good as steel."

If you want a firsthand look at fabric ductwork, all three companies will have booths the Air-conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Exposition Jan. 29 through 31 in Atlanta.

DuctSox plans to pass out its new brochure and launch some new products. KE Fibertec will feature fully functional ducts and will use smoke to help customers visualize the airflow.

Here’s a closer look at the three big players and their products:

• DuctSox
  The company offers three models that come in seven different fabrics. The most appropriate model for supermarkets is the Comfort Flow model, which uses linear vents.
  The vents consist of a mesh that is sewn in at 4 and 8 o’clock. Pinkalla estimates DuctSox lasts between 15 and 20 years. The zippered sections come in varying lengths.

  The company offers three hanging systems, from clips to cables to aluminum H-track. DuctSox plans to have a pricing and design configuration program up and running on the Internet in mid-20001 so retailers and planners can design their own systems and be given a price.

• FabricAir Inc
  The company has had offices Louisville, Ky., since 1998. It is a division of 30-year-old, Denmark-based IPS Ventilation. FabricAir has its products in some grocery stores on the East Coast and supermarkets in Europe.
  The fabric comes in 30 foot zippered segments. FabricAir has the ability to print logos on the ductwork. "It becomes not only an enhancement, but also an advertisement space," says Thorsen.

  FabricAir offers systems both with and without slots. Thorsen estimates that stores using his system save about 30 percent of what they’d spend using metal ductwork. The system uses cable or aluminum rail.

• KE Fibertec
  After occasional sales in the U.S. market over the years, the company opened an office for the North American market in 1999.
  Although its products aren’t in any U.S. grocery stores, they are featured in numerous European stores owned by Royal Ahold, and the company is also expanding in South America. Of the four models KE Fibertec offers, KE Direjet is most suited for grocery stores. The zippered segments come in 15-foot lengths.

  The company weaves its own fabric. KE Fibertec features an extruded aluminum channel, where the tubular fabric is hung like track lighting using no cable at all. A fabric cord is sewn into the top of the duct and slides onto the tract. Nozzles are also part of the design. The fabric design is corrugated, which means it’s more textural and makes for a heavier fabric, Woolsey says. That means it can go longer between washings, he says.

  The fabric should last longer than 10 years, Woolsey says. A KE Fibertec project was featured in the Sept. 1999 issue of Store Equipment & Design, in an article detailing the installation of its f abric duct at a Certified Grocery Store in tropical Aruba.