Case Study

Large Scale Pre-Insulated Ducting

When Select Harvest expanded its Wemen, Victoria almond processing facility, Hoctor Industrial Refrigeration engaged Cyclo International to fabricate a large scale ducting system to support the plant’s roasting and air distribution requirements. The project involved managing significant thermal loads and continuous airflow across a wide span industrial building. Cyclo was supplied detailed mechanical drawings that specified an array of large square duct modules, branch connections and transition pieces, all designed to integrate with heater equipment and multiple fan locations. 

Cyclo fabricated the ductwork as fully assembled, double skinned, pre-insulated modules. Each section was constructed with an internal duct wall in 1.2 mm galvanised steel, wrapped in 75 mm HVAC blanket insulation and enclosed within a 1.2 mm external cladding. The modules were supplied complete with heater view port windows and large scale insulated access doors. Once assembled, these units met the structural and thermal requirements of the plant and arrived on site ready for installation. This approach eliminated the need for on-site insulation work and ensured continuity of quality and thermal performance across the entire system. 

Across the project, Cyclo manufactured approximately 1,250 square metres of duct surface area. The combined weight of the modules was close to twelve tonnes, reflecting both the heavy gauge steel and the mass of the insulation and external cladding. Approximately 600 square metres of insulation were used in total, all installed in the workshop as part of the construction process.

Individual sections ranged from two metres square up to 2.65 metres square, with typical lengths of 1.2 metres to suit transport restrictions and cranage requirements. Straight sections, angled transitions, reducers and fan connection modules were all included within Cyclo’s scope. The ducting footprint spanned several structural bays and interfaced with both the roasting equipment and the building’s steelwork, which placed significant importance on dimensional accuracy during fabrication.

Each module was finished with insulation caps, edge protection and stop ends to suit the installation sequence. The precise outer dimensions, including the insulation and cladding thickness, ensured that the ducting aligned with the support brackets and fan connection points designed by Hoctor Industrial Refrigeration. This level of dimensional accuracy was critical because the plant layout and steel structure left minimal tolerance for adjustment on site.

Once fabrication and quality checks were complete, the ductwork was picked up in three B double tautliner loads in late July 2025. Even with their large capacity, the trailers were filled with the combined bulk of the oversized modules, demonstrating the physical scale of the system.

The final system supports high volume airflow across the almond roasting line and contributes to the thermal stability and efficiency of the process. For a food production plant where temperature consistency and reliability are essential to product quality, the ducting plays an important functional role. The project demonstrates Cyclo International’s capability to fabricate complex, multi-layer duct modules at scale and deliver them fully assembled and ready for installation.

For Cyclo International, the Wemen, Victoria facility stands as one of the most significant ducting projects produced this year and highlights the company’s ability to manage detailed engineering drawings, coordinate fabrication across a large workshop program and deliver fully insulated industrial duct systems for Australian food processing operations.