Ecco Shoe Factory beats the heat with textile ducting from Euro Air 

Euro Air helps Ecco Shoes solve seasonal heat differential problem

Ecco’s shoe factory in Bredebro, Denmark, struggled with indoor climate control for years. 

Temperatures in the factory would rise and fall uncontrollably with the seasons, and there was very little anyone at the Ecco plant could do about it. The problem stemmed from a centrally mounted “carousel” where shoe components were glued and heat treated.

In the wintertime, this carousel proved to be a considerable heat source for the entire room, but in the summer it made room temperatures unbearably high. To cool things down, external air was pumped onto the factory floor, causing a considerable draught.

Workers soon caught colds, production slowed down, and management became fed up coping with the extreme temperatures.

To solve their problem once and for all, Ecco turned to Euro Air.

Euro Air needed to provide a dual purpose solution that would both heat the factory in winter and cool it down in summer—without producing a draught. The solution was Euro Air’s Hybrid System with patented DFC (directional flow control) holes.

Euro Air’s lightweight textile ducts have a high resistance to dust, fumes, and cast off materials from the factory floor below, while strategically placed laser cut perforations in the surface of the ducts ensure an even, low velocity air flow year round. 

Euro Air’s exclusive TBV Designer software was used to match the size and placement of these perforations to the unique conditions of the Ecco factory floor.   

The result was a draught-free indoor climate with a constant year round room temperature.

Read More: Why is Textile Ducting better than Steel Ducting? A Side-by-Side Comparison

A survey made after the installation of Euro Air’s textile ducts showed that the calculations were both accurate and effective, solving Ecco’s draught frustrations once and for all.

Euro Air & Ecco in Southeast Asia

Years later, in the summer of 2020, Ecco broke ground on the construction of their latest factory in Binh Duong, Vietnam--just a stone's throw from Ho Chi Minh City. 

Ecco’s Binh Duong would be the company’s sixth factory worldwide, sprawling over 12 hectares and employing more than 1,400 staff. With over 30 million USD in backing, the factory would come equipped with a complete production line and was set to export finished products around the globe.

After Ecco’s previous experience with troublesome indoor climate issues back in Denmark, the company was eager to get their latest facility right from day one. So when the time came to discuss their new factory's HVAC systems, Euro Air was at the top of management’s mind.

Ecco hired Thang Tien Company, a subcontractor with extensive HVAC experience, to manage the installation of ventilation and cooling ducts at the new plant in Binh Duong. 

Mr. Lê Văn Ngọc, Thang Tien Company’s engineer for the Ecco project, was already familiar with Euro Air’s textile ducting from a previous project in the north of Vietnam. With one successful Euro Air installation already under his company’s belt, Mr. Ngọc was eager to give textile ducting another try. 

Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Textile Ducting in Southeast Asia

“Our project at the Ecco factory in Binh Duong included a 16,500 square metre manufacturing area, and a 2,200 square meter office area. Our biggest concern was installing HVAC equipment in the offices, where we knew we’d have to conserve space and maintain a presentable work environment,” says Mr. Ngọc. 

For manufacturing plants, ventilation systems tend to pose a big challenge. They’re often the largest secondary system that needs to be installed and they can very easily interfere with the rest of a factory's operations--especially if the ceilings are low or the space is crowded. 

This was precisely Ngọc’s concern with the Ecco plant’s office area. 

Old galvanized steel ducts would have been a nightmare in this situation. With bulky pipes and unappealing surfaces, Thang Tien would have struggled to meet their client’s demands.

Luckily, Ecco was already encouraging their contractors to use Euro Air’s textile ducts, which were perfect for the job.

“Flexible materials and customisable colours were exactly what we needed,” Ngọc recalls. And when it came to functionality, Ngọc and his crew knew that Euro Air’s even air distribution would maintain an ideal room temperature without producing draughts--perfect for ensuring employee comfort. 

“We contacted Mr. Trung, Euro Air’s sales manager in Vietnam, and requested some design advice. He and the Euro Air team collected information on the factory and followed up with precise recommendations for duct and nozzle distribution based on the site’s exact specifications.”

“When unforeseen changes came up later in the project, Trung and the team were happy to update the design, providing us with technical drawings and digital models straight from their in-house design software. Euro Air’s prompt support definitely helped us meet our project deadlines,” Ngọc says. 

In fact, Ngọc was able to install the Euro Air system in just one week, three times faster than a traditional GI duct system would have taken. That was five months ago, and according to the Ecco factory staff,  the ducts still look and function just like new. 

“Of course, Euro Air’s ducts are engineered to be very easy to take down and clean as well. Regular washing cycles extend the system’s lifespan and ensure that the [textile] ducts are kept continuously free of harmful bacteria and germs--something every office manager needs to think about after COVID-19,” Ngọc adds.   

Future-proof your indoor climate with Euro Air

With top quality products imported directly from Denmark, and a huge variety of models, sizes, and designs to choose from, Euro Air’s textile ducts are guaranteed to meet the needs of any HVAC design project.

Join the Ecco and Thang Tien Company in embracing a better indoor climate for your next design build. 

The future of HVAC is condensation, draught, and hassle free.

The future of HVAC is Euro Air.

Find out more about what Euro Air can do for you today.