Over the half-century of my commentary for these SNIPS articles, I can state without reservation, absolutely nothing is the same since that September day in 1968 when I was hired by GRIPNAIL.

Here we cover the demise of Engel reps; Lockformer and IPI’s, and other machinery manufacturers’ dealer networks; and the national consolidation of local distributors that lead to large regional HVAC super-wholesalers.

Here's why the addition of rectangular duct construction tables in SMACNA’s 1995 DCS (Duct Construction Standards) as T-25a/b, known in the trade as TDC/TDF, was necessary. 

A patent infringement letter by CTI of Elmsford, New York, targeted competing plasma cutting systems and CAD systems in 1992. The resulting losses threw the entire industry into chaos, writes SNIPS Contributor and Industry Icon David Daw.

While Ductmate and others were changing transverse duct construction in the '80, another cadre of businesses began bringing the industry into the computer era.

In my opinion, the ‘80s saw the most significant development in HVAC duct fabrication of any during the past half-century. Here's why.

Saving labor was a priority in the 1970s as much it is today. One of the biggest developments in the ‘70s (and ‘80s) came from transitioning away from fabricating rectangular sheet metal duct “straights” using galvanized sheet stock, instead using 12,000 pound, 48” and 60” coils.