All images supplied by Ductshop www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I November 2025 7
Local manufacturing spotlight
DUCTSHOP DELIVERS HVAC DUCTING SOLUTIONS WITH SPEED, PRECISION AND SCALE
By Eamonn Ryan
As local manufacturing becomes increasingly vital to the HVAC & R industry, companies like Ductshop, a division of BUTEC South Africa, are standing out – not just for their scale, but for their responsiveness, capability and technical excellence.
Based in Gauteng, Ductshop is constantly improving its standards of sheet metal fabrication for HVAC systems, delivering round and square ducting solutions tailored to demanding commercial, industrial and crossborder projects.
Ductshop operates as a full-scale fabrication facility, with core product lines including round and square ducting in galvanised, stainless and black steel.“ We don’ t just manufacture ducts, we fabricate full sheet metal frameworks. From chemical extraction ducting to MEP installations, we cover a broad scope,” says Garnet Viljoen, Ductshop manager.
Recently, the facility invested in state-of-the-art laser cutting and welding machines, drastically reducing production times and expanding their capabilities.“ With our laser cutting, productivity has more than doubled. We’ ve seen cutting speeds jump from five meters per minute with traditional plasma machines to 17 meters per minute using laser. Furthermore, the edge quality is significantly better,” explains Viljoen.
The factory’ s flagship square ducting machine, the Auto Duct Line, is a prime example of manufacturing efficiency.“ It handles four different coil sizes simultaneously: feeding, cutting, notching, beading and flanging all in one continuous process. At the end of the line, it even auto-bends the ducting. The result is fast, precise, high-quality ductwork with minimal human intervention.”
For round ducting, the facility manufactures diameters from 100mm up to 1.4 metres, along with smooth piping and all associated fittings, delivering both internal and external installations as needed.
Ductshop outside view.
FROM HVAC TO FULL MEP SOLUTIONS While HVAC remains a key offering, Ductshop and its parent company BUTEC South Africa have expanded their footprint.“ We’ ve grown into a full MEP contractor – mechanical, electrical and piping,” says Leonard Harmse, installations director at BUTEC SA.“ Whether it’ s turnkey installations or sheet metal fabrication, we support projects from design to commissioning.”
The factory employs 24 skilled staff, including qualified welders, machinists and a dedicated production planner who oversees CAM nesting and fabrication sequencing.“ All ducting is labelled and delivered in run sequence – A1 to A10, for example – so installation is efficient on-site. We provide
“ As order volumes increase, Ductshop has built flexibility into its workforce model.”
All images supplied by Ductshop www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I November 2025 7